To look at things on the global stage, the dining public does not think about German food in the same way they think, for instance, about French, Italian, Japanese, or Thai food. When the average member of the dining public thinks of "German food," they are likely to conjure up vague images of sausages and steins of beer, some homey dumplings, and sauerkraut, but they are much less likely to perceive the country as being the seat of a great gastronomic tradition. However, Thomas and Mathias Sühring, twin brothers, and chefs and owners of the eponymous, two MICHELIN Starred Sühring in Bangkok's Yen Akat neighbourhood, are on a mission to change that. As Mathias puts it, "We want to represent culinary heritage, we are thinking the last 20, 30 years, there was nouvelle cuisine in France, Nordic cuisine, they tried to modernise their cuisine… We are also thinking it's time that Central European food can be brought to today's level of customer experience."
Born in what was then called East Berlin, the two brothers received much of their education on food at their grandmother's farm, where they learned about the agricultural and culinary practices that had sustained the people of the region for centuries, whether that was home pickling fresh produce, fishing in the lakes, or foraging in the forests – lessons now being applied in one of Thailand's most renowned restaurants.
So what does an ordinary day look like for these extraordinary chefs?
6:00 - 10:00 a.m.: Mornings with the family
Mathias starts his way in much the same way as dads around the world. "Basically, what happens in the morning, I'm getting up around 7:30, 8:00, around that time, because I have a daughter, she's 5, her name is Lara, and I drop her off at school every morning. There's not too much time to see my daughter during the day. If I have time, I wake up a little bit early to have breakfast with her and my wife."Thomas is much the same, "I wake up early around 6:00, 6:30, because my son Lukas wakes up early, and like Mathias mentioned, we don't have much time for family. We spend an hour at home, and then I bring my son to school. It takes around one and a half, two hours to go back and forth, so I get back around 9:00 here, and then I will go home, and have breakfast with my wife most likely, for around half an hour, one hour."
Of course, with kids, one's schedule changes. Thomas says "I love my son waking me up saying 'Papa, let's go!' Before, when we didn't have kids, we woke up at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00. If you wake up early, you have some motivation."
10:00 a.m. – noon: Taking care of business
After years in the hotel dining industry, including a long stint at two MICHELIN Starred Mezzaluna at Lebua State Tower, the brothers readily admit that they had much to learn when opening their spot. As Mathias puts it, "working for a hotel and having our own business is a little bit different -- it's a learning curve. It's more like taking care of basically everything, maintenance, hiring people."He continues. "Our day starts in the office. What we have to do on the day, what is today, what is tomorrow, what is maybe next week, which follows with our first team meeting with the reservation team and the restaurant manager and going through the reservations for the day. See who's coming, and what returning guests are coming, discussing the table plan and everything. Wednesday is a big day because we don't have lunch, we have a lot of things to do catching up for the weekend, the rest of the week, we have lunch and dinner, so we're most likely in the kitchen."
Noon – 2:00 p.m.: Lunch service
As descriptive as they are of everything else, the brothers are a bit more matter-of-fact about lunch service. Thomas simply says "One of us is in the kitchen, one of us is checking the dishes, plating the dishes going out, being in front, welcoming the guests." They say it almost with a shrug – and one gets the feeling that, like a long-touring rock band or a seasoned ballet corps, they simply know their moves and know how to execute their art.Yet when describing the relationship between time and the actual service, Thomas gets a bit more philosophical: "When we present a dish to the guests, it's the result of weeks or maybe months of thinking about something, about the story, about the dish, about the ingredients, but the point is, our job is you see it, you smell it, that's another sense, you eat it, you know what I mean, there are so many senses which need to stimulate with food, it's incredible. Food, there's not much room for error, it has to be warm, it has to taste good, it has to be appealing to the eyes, and then you just finish it in a minute, and it's gone."
2:00 – 5:00 p.m.: The afternoon break
Between lunch and dinner service, the Sührings can again enjoy family life.Thomas starts by saying "For me I have a little advantage, living on the property." His brother interrupts with a grin: "Big advantage."
He continues "I just go to my house, to my family, my wife is a beautiful cook, she cooks most likely for us and then I'm with my family until 4:00 or 5:00 every day… My wife right now is growing vegetables and herbs, so it's from our garden most likely, it can be anything, it can be Kaphrao. I'm happy that my wife cooks, I'm always looking forward to going home and eating something.
Mathias, despite the commute, also does his best to see his family: "I try also to go every day, but sometimes it's not possible, but for me, I drop off my daughter, I also try to pick her up, it's close by. And then I bring her home, sometimes I have something ready to eat with my wife."
5:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.: Dinner service
Like with lunch service, the two brothers talk about dinner with the calm and ease of absolute professionals. Mathias simply says "Plates are going through, but many more guests. 5:30, 6:00, we're testing the sauces, cooking the sauces. Service probably goes until around 10:00, 10:30." However, this ease should not be confused with complacency. "We've found a good rhythm, but we're always thinking how to improve. I don't know if we're perfectionists or something, but we want to reach the limit, we are always thinking we can do better tomorrow."10:30 p.m. – Late: The denouement
Asked if they go for a drink after work, they both laugh. Mathias just says "These times are over for us." Instead, they look at their manager and laugh "He has a lot of points he wants to discuss with us after dinner. Then we go home between 12:00 and 1:00, on average."
Time off and times ahead
Of course, the chef's life is always constrained, but the Sührings are starting to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labours. Mathias points out "Since we've been open for seven years, it seemed busiest at first, but we can finally take two-week vacations with our families."This is all a reminder that, despite this being a two MICHELIN Star restaurant with international accolades, it remains at its core a family business – guests come in, and they see pictures of the chefs as kids at their family farm, they see their grandmother's recipe book.
After all, their family name is on the door.
Illustration image: © Anuwat Senivansa Na Ayudhya/ MICHELIN Guide Thailand
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