One thing must be said about the goose of Gmoa Keller: it is highly predictable and reliable. While other restaurants may surprise you with a fantastic bird once just to disappoint a year later, Gmoa Keller is incredibly consistent. Just look at the photos here and here and compare them with the photo above. Creative freedom seems to be a taboo in this restaurant’s kitchen.
What appears to be encouraged is strict following of the recipe to deliver a quality Martinigansl, year after year. If you need a case study for a research paper on the best practices of goose preparation, look no further. The goose has a crunchy but not overly burnt skin, the meat is tender and tasty, with the sauce matching it perfectly, and the portion is sufficiently big without being overwhelming. The red cabbage is crunchy too, and is well spiced with cinnamon to give it a Christmas-y flavor. The dumplings taste a bit strange for my liking – a bit as if they have just been taken out of a soup – but in my world, a Knödel with any taste is good news.
The only things that slightly annoyed me in the goose were the occasional lumps of fat between the skin and the meat. I kind of understand that they are needed, but sometimes they were just a bit too big. Funnily, I made exactly the same remark in my post two years ago, so even in its missteps, Gmoa Keller maintains consistency. Unfortunately, the restaurant’s main problem – the level of noise – has not been resolved since my last visit. On the contrary, today it was worse, making me leave the restaurant with a developing headache.
If you have friends have never eaten a Martinigansl, and you are worried to disappoint them on their first try, take them to Gmoa Keller. If they do not like the goose there, they will not like it anywhere. Do not expect, however, to have a meaningful conversation with your friends over the dinner, unless you and they are really good lip readers.
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