| Location: | Romantik Heurigen Oleander |
| Website: | https://www.oleander-heuriger.at/ |
| Address: | Flugplatzstraße 7, 7061 Trausdorf |
| Status: | Open (last checked on 16 November 2024) |
| Eaten: | "Familiengansl im Ganze," ¼ Sauvignon Blanc, 1/4 Grüner Veltliner, a Melange |
The common complaints people have after eating a goose are that the portion was too small, that the part of the bird’s body they got was not what they had expected or desired, or that the portion was full of nasty little bones. These are all valid complaints stemming from the fact that one normally does not get to see what is happening in the kitchen. Did the cook decide to take the best part of the goose home and serve you some crappy leftovers instead? Did the restaurant save costs by ordering frozen goose legs at a discount price? Heuriger Oleander eliminates such complaints by being transparent: if you order a family goose, you get a complete bird, a carving fork and a pair of special scissors, and then it is up to you to cut the goose into slices the way you consider fair.
This is my third visit to Oleander, and I do not want to repeat myself praising this remarkable restaurant again and again. (If you are interested in my previous experiences, read here and here.) Instead, let us focus on what I found different this year compared to 2022.
Red cabbage: it has improved – and improved substantially. What used to be an overcooked jelly-like substance is now a delicious side dish with a festive Christmas-y taste but also with an interesting sour flavor. Bread dumplings: another considerable improvement. Much coarser than before, they are quite spicy and more enjoyable to eat as long as one does not dip them into the sauce (which eliminates all the flavors). The price: at 95 compared to 88 two years ago, it is slightly higher but laughably small considering that it covers the goose needs of four persons. With 35 euros for a quarter of a goose not considered too expensive these days, 95 for an entire goose is a very good deal.
Finally, the goose itself. It is excellent, very much like before. Personally, I found the skin less crispy than I remember it to be, but that is just a minor complaint, because the quality of the meat remained outstanding. On the other hand, today’s Gansl looked smallish, but that is a problem you can easily resolve by volunteering as the goose cutter: simply make sure that you keep the biggest and the meatiest part for yourself while the other members of your family are left with the bones.