Whenever I think of German food, I can never really tell if whatever I had was really it. I can’t quite remember anything else except for my Grandpa’s addiction to those deep-fried pork knuckles, my love for sauerkraut, an ex-boyfriend’s obsession with spätzle, and drunken evenings at Brotzeit, shoving down bratwurst and pints of radler down my then high-metabolic (twenty-something) body.
Coming to Sühring was a curious feat for me. My meager knowledge of German food was something I wanted to tap upon, and while nothing beats the treats from the street, this would have to be as good as it gets for now. The menu is divided into three parts: Chapter One focusing on a range of snacks and small bites; Chapter Two, which features mains; and Chapter Three, in where I find myself at the epitome of gluttony—a belly protruding but with yearning fingers reaching out for that sweet closure. Here we go! Or should I say, “auf gehts!” (I just Googled that).
And that marks my first foray into, perhaps, legitimate German food prepared by German chefs. I won’t say that it was extraordinary taste-wise, but it is quite a memorable experience at THB 5,000++ per head, from the moment you first step inside the restaurant, to choosing your cutlery, to watching the food being prepared in the open kitchen, to the moment you leave. As much as I’d like to deviate from a list-mentality, Sühring currently ranks #4 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, #45 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. I would highly recommend a visit; nothing more than that.
Leberkäse: a Southern Germany specialty made with meatloaf and usually served on a warm pretzel. Sühring’s had layers of spinach, was topped with a quail egg, and was served with baby mugs of beer.Brathering: pickled herring on a nice thin (possibly rye) wafer. And of course, beets!Chicken Salad: a tartlet filled with organic chicken that was marinated in mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. The pièce de résistance is a butterhead lettuce bubble, which is a jiggly glob that explodes with a punchy butterhead lettuce juice.Enleta: a classic German waffle snack. They package it as if it was something you’d probably pick up as an afterthought in a German 7-Eleven. But of course, because we are in Sühring, their Enleta was filled with hazelnut and rich duck pâté marinated in sweet Riesling, creating a delicious savory-sweet snack that paired perfectly with the tart vinegar drink they serve it with, which is made from a white wine and orange blossom honey reduction.Inside the Sühring Enleta. I wanted three more of those.Frankfurter Grüne Soße: a traditional German green sauce made with seven different herbs. Served with an egg yolk cream on a crispy potato next.Currywurst (add-on): Might as well since we’re here, right?Currywurst (add-on): the execution reminded me a lot of L’effervescence’s Just Like the Apple Pie, which is, of course, an elevated version of a street food icon. This was my first currywurst ever, created by the Sühring brothers. It is what it is, sausage with a homemade ketchup-curry sauce, but I’d still like to experience one from the streets of Berlin someday.Aal Grün: the first dish of Chapter Two. Delicately smoked eel dumplings made with eel mousse (a blend of eel, cream, dill, and parsley), wrapped with eel on a dainty sauce of cucumber oil with droplets of parsley oil.Brotzeit: literally translates to “bread time”. A spread meant for sharing comprising of cold cuts, smoked salmon, house-baked bread, cultured butter, pickled cucumbers, leberwurst (veal liver pâté), and büsumer nordseekrabben (northern sea shrimp cream), which I almost (and very greedily) licked off the ramekin.Leipziger Allerlei: a regional German dish, comprising of perfectly-cooked crayfish, a sauce made from its jus (umami bomb, ya’ll), served with dollops of vegetable purées. This was mind-blowingly good.Zander: a fillet of pike perch cooked over cedar wood and served with a smattering of caviar.Spätzle (add-on): soft egg noodles served with freshly-shaved truffles. Nothing worth mentioning except for the fact that you know you’re paying for those shaved truffles. You can pass up on this dish.Hungarian Duck: the finalé of Chapter Two. Aged for seven days and served with a pickled cauliflower to cut through the gaminess. It is served with a glaze of caramelized coffee for a hint of bittersweetness and a butter-celeriac purée.Apricot, Hazelnut, Pumpkin: an homage to winter fare.White Chocolate, Cherry, Roasted Rye: loved this so much as I am always a fan of chocolates and cherries combined. I’d like to think of this as the white version of a black forest. So good!Omas Eierlikör: a traditional German eggnog made from the Sühring twins’ grandmother’s secret recipe, from whom they took inspiration from. They present the eggnog to you with a copy of her recipe book, which contained all her kitchen secrets. This eggnog is Grandma Sühring’s recipe, and it is honestly the best eggnog I’ve had. Sweet, rich, yolky, and delightfully boozy, we were told that this was made with overproof German vodka, condensed milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.Süssigkertenbox: literally translates to “candy box” (because I Googled it), filled with different chocolates and sweet bites to end your meal with. By this time I was stuffed, but still managed to grab some goodies.
SÜHRING No.10, Yen Akat Soi 3, Chongnonsi, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120, Thailand +66 (0) 2287 1799 http://restaurantsuhring.com/
Mikka Wee 