I have no idea what a Josper grill is – and I am too lazy to google it – but if it can consistently produce Martinigänse like the one of Klein Steiermark, every self-respecting goose-serving restaurant must have one. Actually, for me the consistency is even more astounding in this case than the quality. With no prior intention, I managed to visit the restaurant exactly one year after my previous goose dinner there and was surprised to find the bird cooked to exactly the same high standards that made me so happy the last time.
The goose of Klein Steiermark has the tenderest meat I have ever tried and combines it with the perfectly grilled skin – truly grilled, and not hastily warmed up in a microwave like most other restaurants would do. As a proof, one can even find tiny charred pieces of meat around the goose leg, and they taste great. The side dishes that I remembered from the year before are still there, but have been improved. The restaurant still provides two types of cabbage, but now serves more of it. This is good news because both types are very enjoyable: the red cabbage has become crunchier and more finely spiced, while the white one is mixed with bacon and does not at all taste sour (which is a common problem with white cabbage elsewhere). I believe some spices were added to the dumpling as well, because it now has a subtle but pleasant taste of its own and is not simply a stomach-filler. It also possesses a completely normal consistency rather than resembling a sticky anti-stress rubber ball as in some other establishments.
At 35 euros a portion, this is a very expensive Martinigansl even by Viennese standards, but I dare say the dish is worth the price. After all, people pay that money for a finely grilled steak without flinching. You should think of Klein Steiermark’s goose as such a steak. It is not the kind of goose one finds in a traditional Beisl, and I understand that some people may be upset about that, but as far as I am concerned, Klein Steiermark fully deserves a place in the list of top places to eat a Martinigansl in Vienna.
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