Haute Cuisine

Sorry to disappoint, but you are not going to find any ratings on this page today. Trying to compare Weinbank’s goose dish to a Martinigansl is like trying to compare a steak tartare to a real steak. Being (according to Falstaff) the best restaurant in Styria, Weinbank does not have a fixed menu. Booking a table (which is almost essential, though I had managed to cheat once) and travelling to the village of Ehrenhausen, you are more or less left at the disposal of the restaurant’s very capable cooks to serve you whatever they think is the best.

Just to put things straight, don’t expect to get a classic Martinigansl, no matter if you order it alone or as part of a menu. Now that I mentioned the menu, if you are an introvert like me, don’t order wine pairing, for it leads to a longer listening to each wine’s history and qualities than it takes to drink the wine.

If you go to the Weinbank, you are going to eat well, and I mean really well. You will be offered a great service, which will not be annoyingly posh and will therefore match the laid-back atmosphere of the location well. You will have access to a wide choice of wines, all of them excellent, even though some of them purchasable at a fraction of the price if you dare renting a bike and cycling the surroundings (which I wholeheartedly recommend). You will taste truly creative creations of people who know how to cook. Your satisfaction will eventually overweigh the slimming of your wallet. Go there to appreciate food, I mean it in all honesty.

But please don’t go there if your goal is to eat a traditional Martinigansl. You will get two smallish slices of meat in a sauce, a few chestnuts, an apple with cranberry jam in it, and a separate plate with some of the tiniest dumplings you have ever seen. To shock you, you will also get an uncut red cabbage. Mind you, you are going to enjoy all of that anyway (because of the 39 euros price tag, at least), but leaving the Weinbank, you cannot – and should not – claim you have had a true Martinigansl.

Now I feel like contradicting myself and giving you some ratings, just in case you are stupid enough to plan your only Martinigansl of the year at the Weinbank. Keep in mind that these ratings are here only to compare your wrong expectations with the haute cuisine you are going to receive. Goose: 5 out of 10, tasty but lacking crunchy skin. The sauce could have been better, too. Cabbage: 2 out of 10. Never, ever, serve red cabbage uncut, it’s a really bad idea. Dumpling: 5/10. Small, but good. Size: 3 out of 10, basically tiny without being insulting. Atmosphere/service: perfect service, as one can expect. The restaurant is small, a bit noisy, but definitely has its charm. 7/10. Value: I took the goose as part of a four-course menu and it was certainly worth the money (quite a lot of money): 5 out of 10. Overall: This I leave to you, but please remember that goose season or not, Die Weinbank, Ehrenhausen, Südsteiriche Weinstrasse and the Southern Styria are amazing places to visit at any time. Seriously.