A year ago, there was a wine bar at the same location, called V1no55 and serving one of the top ham/cheese plates in Vienna. It was not a real Brettljause, and afterwards I thought a few times that I had probably overrated it, but it was a perfect dish at a perfect moment, and at the end of the day, this is all what matters.
Unfortunately V1no55 has closed before giving me another opportunity to test it, so I was quite happy to see that its replacement, Klee’S, also has some sort of mixed plates on its short menu. The time I told myself to try being more careful with the ratings, but that was actually unnecessary: from any point of view, the ham plate of Klee’S was not in the same category as its predecessor.
To start with, it had no cheese (it’s called a ham plate after all), and generally looked like a quick snack to accompany their seriously good wine. All four types of meat were excellent, although personally I am not a big fan of the bitter Italian salami with a strong pig flavor. For me, the second salami (with a thin cheese crust) and the two hams – one looking like a Beinschinken and the other being Proscuitto-like, but more thoroughly smoked – were more enjoyable. There were a few capers, too, as well as a pinkish olive spread with a pleasant, slightly bitter taste.
The whole dish was finished in less than ten minutes, and could have been finished even faster, but the bar’s dark and pleasant atmosphere put me in the mood of eating and drinking slowly. V1no55’s mixed plate was undoubtedly better, but the ambiance of Klee’S is just as relaxing, and the wines are just as good. Their menu also has a French cheese plate, so if one is very hungry, one can in theory combine the two dishes and enjoy a very varied (but very expensive) wine Jause.
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