I did not really plan to visit Hühnersteign today, and its location next to a glacier road’s toll control point did not inspire great expectations. Neither did the Brettljause’s exorbitant price of 18 euros. I had more or less resigned to accept whatever tourist-oriented crap the restaurant was about to throw at me, when the Brettl arrived and made me more than positively surprised.
No shortcuts had been taken in its preparation, and variety-wise it was a far cry from Tyrol’s typically sparse Marenden. It had distinctly non-Tyrolean Liptauer and Grammelschmalz on it, to start with, both of fantastic quality. Two types of cheese were present, too, both quite strong and served with a spicy yellow chutney, which was a very nice touch.
As I was progressing, I kept on discovering more and more of those “nice touches.” Half of the bread slices had some paprika in their crust, making them slightly spicy. The green herb (whatever it was) has been conveniently cut into tiny pieces, making it very easy to put on top of self-made sandwiches. There was some finely cut radish as well as a few slices of egg. Also present were two types of hard sausage, each featured by a couple of small slices, but it was nice to see that someone had actually bothered to add them.
It was obviously a Brettljause made by someone who appreciates Brettljausen. There are only a few dishes that allow cooks to use their imagination and experiment as much as a Brettljause. Hardly anyone takes advantage of that, but in Hühnersteign’s case, the attention to detail was a clear indication that the cook loved her or his job. And I thoroughly enjoyed the product.
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