Chef Magazine for Thailand December/January | страница 17

“
WHEN THE TIME CAME TO OPEN SÜRHING,
PEOPLE TOLD US NOT TO DO GERMAN
CUISINE, BUT FOR US, IT WAS ALL OR
NOTHING"
Thomas Sühring
The brothers spoke of being “very humbled ” to have received a
Michelin star after being open for just one year and in November
of 2019 it was announced that they garnered their second
Michelin star, making them one of just four restaurants in the
county to receive such an honor. This recognition propelled the
restaurant into the spotlight, triggering an influx of new patrons.
“We saw an increase of customers coming in the restaurant
since last December and we think that the guide has helped the
restaurant to achieve consistency in terms of covers”, Mathias
said. When it comes to quality, presentation, and service,
consistency is one of Michelin’s most important requirements
and their relationship as twins seem to have helped them to
achieve their goals. “We have worked together as twins for a
long time now and we can say that it had brought us only good
things”, they said. As foreign chefs in Thailand, their biggest
challenge is communication, as they both struggle with the
local language. However, this hasn’t hindered their love for the
country. “We are having an amazing time in Thailand and it’s
now the country we call home”, shared Mathias.
Surprisingly, the twins don’t have a history of cooking German
cuisine professionally. Instead, they’d spent their careers cooking
other cuisines. “When we started out, people in Germany
weren’t proud of their own heritage”, Thomas explained.
“Sausage and sauerkraut weren’t things that were put on a
menu. They were seen as poor man’s foods and people weren’t
interested in cooking or eating them”, he said. For this reason,
the idea of cooking German food was intimidating for the twins.
Thomas shared that even when people asked him to cook it, he
felt uncomfortable. “I wasn’t proud of cooking Spätzle, mashed
potato with pork knuckle, or anything like that. I was scared to
cook German food because of its reputation”, he said.
Their aim was to change people’s perception of German food,
showing them that it can be as adventurous and elegant as
any other cuisine. “When the time came to open Sürhing,
people told us not to do German cuisine, but for us, it was all
or nothing”, Thomas said. “We knew it was a unique concept
and that nobody had done it before. That’s why we did it. We
wanted to go back to our roots and rediscover the foods we
grew up with, preparing them in more fun and refined ways.”
Mathias added, “While most other cuisines around the world
have been updated over the years, German food has stayed the
same. It was time to make it more contemporary and to bring it
into today’s world.”
One example of this is ‘labskaus’, a dish consisting of sausage,
beetroot, herring, pickled cucumber, topped with a fried egg.
This dish dates back to the 17th century, but the brothers
have reinvented it with their own modern twist, adding extra
touches like marinated beef and delicate garnishes. Another
is their lamb dish. Before serving, a knowledgeable sommelier
presents a selection of knives in a sleek wooden case, sourced
from German knife makers, Nesmuk. Guests are asked to select
their weapon of choice from a range of different types of wood
handles.
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