Michelin-Star Delight At Suhring, Bangkok

I had never eaten in a Michelin-star restaurant till it came knocking at my door. It came from a beautiful 1970s villa in Bangkok, where the S&uumlhring twins live, down to Varq, the Indian restaurant at The Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi. The S&uumlhrings&rsquo restaurant-cum-home, also named after themselves, is in the heart of the city. They serve progressive German cuisine to guests who dine at their K&uumlche (kitchen), Esszimmer (dining room), Wintergarten (winter garden) and Wohnzimmer (living room), each done up in stylish, homey taste. They borrow flavours from their childhood, and blend them with the Central European palate and the finesse of haute cuisine. And, of course, they present it with warm hospitality. 

The twins Thomas and Mathias, are almost indistinguishable. After years of travelling and working, they decided to settle down and open this place, where their culinary journey continues. I met them at their Delhi pop-up in August, where they promised to wow me with a 12-course S&uumlhring Erlebnis (or experience), in three chapters.

Chapter One Appetisers. Obatzda, a Bavarian soft cheese, in a crispy and spicy roll, was washed down with a Radler shandy&mdashthe savoury, the zesty and the spicy. The Berliner Pfannkuchen, the German pastry that came next, would have been &lsquogood&rsquo in isolation, but was &lsquoexcellent&rsquo with a truffle filling. Next the fish fare a delicate sturgeon served with buttermilk was a mild precursor to the sardine-in-a-bun blast. The chicken salad next was presented in a green mound, and finished in a bite. Its buttery flavour lingered into the final part of the chapter&mdashduck liver placed on top of a glass of German dessert wine, with a pastry between them. It made love to my tongue.

Chapter Two Main course. It began with river trout in a beetroot-horseradish arrangement, followed by codfish with brown butter and Ossetra caviar. A bitter sake complemented the former&rsquos sweetness, while the gourmand&rsquos favourite caviar (both for taste and value), the Ossetra, was telling of how much a dish can be enriched with roe. A S&uumlhring favourite, sp&aumltzle pasta served with a black truffle (harvested in winter), was extraordinary. The chapter concluded with the Louis Jadot Chablis (fresh as a daisy) as a penultimate wine then a bone-roasted Loz&egravere lamb, just as it is done in the South of France and, finally, a Pinot Noir, as red as they come, as the ultimate. 

Chapter Three Dessert. The menu just said &lsquogin and tonic&rsquo and &lsquopeach and vanilla&rsquo, and what a paradox that turned out to be these ubiquitously named sweets turned out to be the most unique I have had. The former, especially, was an achievement&mdashtart buttermilk in a tonic water flavour, layered on top with cucumber infused with gin. 

After this bona-fide experience, the after effects of which lingered for days, the only thing I found missing was the actual S&uumlhring experience. Things will probably taste the same as they did at the pop-up, but there&rsquos that extra bit of love that makes all the difference.

Contact 66-2287 1799, reservation@restaurantsuhring.com