Call me biased, but when it comes to geese, I generally do not trust restaurants in Vienna’s central first district. True, I have had a few very really satisfying ones there, but also my share of complete disasters. I also treat with a lot of suspicion online offers, when restaurants offer a goose lunch or dinner for two at a reasonable (though never low) price. In many cases, I suspect, the restaurants simply want to create a bit of publicity so that the people who have never visited them, come and try.
Frankly, I have never heard of Magazin. Its location seems to suggest it would be heavily oriented towards tourists, so arriving at lunchtime today, I was quite surprised to find mainly elderly Austrians inside. Restaurants cannot let elderly Austrians down if they want to survive, so my expectations for the Martinigansl immediately went up, and at the end I was not disappointed.
While lacking any distinguishable characteristics taste-wise, the goose was big and well-made, much better than expected. The cabbage was quite neutral in flavor, but totally acceptable. The main difference came with the dumpling alternative, which Magazin called “potato-chestnut roulade.” It was essentially a potato dumpling with sweet chestnuts inside, but the taste that the chestnuts had brought made a huge difference. Suddenly, the dumpling was not anymore the most boring part of the dish, but its highlight.
While I did not find Magazin particularly cozy (it features a wine-drinking area that looks quite comfortable though), it is very conveniently located and its service is efficient but unobtrusive. Visitors to Vienna (and even locals) who look for a quality goose but value convenience and/or lack time, should keep Magazin in mind.
Leave a Reply