Weather-Sensitive Goose

I hate to say it, but whether you are going to like Zum Straba’s Martinigansl or not greatly depends on the weather on the day you visit this self-service restaurant, catering for tram workers (hence the name) and, to a much larger extent, retirees. For me, it was a second goose at Zur Straba, and today, like two years ago, I was blessed with a mostly pleasant weather, allowing me to sit outside and enjoy a few minutes of warm sun. The opportunity to eat the goose outdoors and with a nice view over Alte Donau was definitely worth an extra point to my final rating. On the other hand, for a few minutes the sun hid behind the clouds, and I started to realize how cold the goose had become and seriously considered deducting a point.

The fact remains, however, that Zum Straba serves a well-cooked goose at a very fair price (which explains the restaurant’s popularity among Viennese pensioners). It may be hard to believe by looking at the photo, but the bird’s skin was consistently crispy, which is usually achieved by continuously pouring fat and oil over it while roasting. Beneath the skin, the meat remained very tender and fatless, and it was only once I reached the bones that the remaining meat became a nuisance to discover and detach. But by that time, the goose was completely cold, so there was no longing for cleaning the plate anyway. While the potato dumpling was totally boring, the red cabbage was a nice surprise: not only was it crunchy, but also had a slightly sour flavor, which I prefer to the more common sweet Christmas-y taste.

Zum Straba is a strange location. Martinigansl is generally not associated with sitting outdoors and sunbathing, but this is the only way to enjoy it at this restaurant. Moreover, I would not really go to Zum Straba for anything except goose (the self-service and the fact that most of the clientele are at least 20 years older than me are slightly off-putting). However, at the right moment it has an unbeatable price/enjoyment ratio.