Buschenschank Hauck can be found in the obscure village of Henzing two kilometers from the rather unknown village of Judenau, itself some five or six kilometers from a better-known but not very interesting Tulln. And still it was full of people, probably because they knew the food was good.
Hauck is only open four times a year, serves exclusively cold food and is a purely family business. As a result you know that each slice of meat you are eating had once belonged to a loved pig, whose name the waitress can probably tell you if you are inquisitive and heartless enough. It tastes good, too.
The Bauernplatte is not a Brettljause per se, with no wooden board visible. The content is very Brettljausish, however, and unfortunately containing all the three ingredients I do not like, namely a liver spread, a blood sausage and a jelly. The jelly was quite good after all, containing a lot of pork and not so much jelly. The blood sausage, when covered in mustard and horseradish, was not too disgusting either, leaving only the liver (admittedly not tasting too strongly of liver) to struggle with. Once these were finished, the things went uphill rapidly: the ham, the Geselchtes, the Speck and the Schweinsbraten were all excellent; the cheese had taste, and the Liptauer spread was spicy enough to be acceptable.
The biggest disappointment came from one of the most cherished ingredients: the egg. While not totally rotten, it left a strange aftertaste, vaguely reminding me of hundred-year-old eggs at a Chinese restaurant. That letdown aside, however, Hauck is a solid “authentic” Brettljause provider not far from Vienna (if you know how to get there) and with enough wine and a good salad can be quite enjoyable.
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