On August 5, Masters of Marriott Bonvoy and Culinary Culture brought the German Twin Chefs Thomas & Mathias Sühring from the heart of Bangkok to Ritz-Carlton Bangalore. The Chefs’ culinary journey began when they were introduced to old-school cooking techniques like fermentation, pickling, smoking, and more at their grandparent’s farm. Inspired by those childhood memories, family recipes and travel experiences, the Sühring brothers showcased the best of modern German fare combining the essence of traditional dishes with contemporary Central European influences. In a candid interview the chefs tell us more:
Your restaurant Sühring is listed in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list at No.7 and also earned two Michelin stars. To what do you owe your success?
We try to preserve our heritage in the most humbled manner and try to make our customers happy. We listen to customers’ feedback and try to improve every day. For us, success is people coming back to our restaurant to enjoy our creations. Our restaurant serves dishes that one can't find anywhere else, we are a very unique restaurant and that contributes to our success as well.
What led you to recreate the charm of your famous restaurant in Bangalore?
This is our third visit to India! We had been to Mumbai and Delhi by ourselves but now we are here in Bangalore with a team of six chefs plus managers. We also brought a lot of food with us to provide an authentic experience to our guests today. We want people here to experience the kind of food we make in our restaurant although it will not be an exact replica, we have tried our best to get close enough.
Tell us a little about the menu curated for the exclusive dinner at The Ritz-Carlton.
Tonight, we will showcase several of our signature dishes that we have been cooking since day one along with some new dishes. We will feature Zweibelkuchen (German cake made of steamed yellow onions and mushrooms), Enleta (Duck liver wafer with apricot) and Imperial Osseitra Caviar also referred to as Golden Caviar, it is produced by the rarest and the most mature of the species. The Caviar entails smoked sturgeon and buttermilk. Since a major chunk of the population here consumes vegetarian food, we have incorporated a few botanical dishes such as Lauch Tortchen (hand-curated charred leek and salted lemon tart), Oma's Ruhrkuchen (Ruhr Cake with Pistachio and Strawberry), and the Black Forest with Kirsh and Vanilla.
Could you share some of your favourite childhood memories from your grandparent’s farm?
Back then, it was not about cooking our favourite dishes but more about mastering the traditional German techniques. We spent our summers enjoying the harvest season, our job was mainly to pick, preserve and prepare sausages out of pigs. We learnt several similar things during our many summer breaks. Our grandma plucked out fruits and vegetables and made jams and pickles out of them. It was fascinating to see how those ingredients were stored over the winter and tasted better than usual. We dearly cherish those memories.
Since you are in Bangalore, did you get a chance to try South Indian cuisine?
Yes, we got to visit Oota. It was very similar to our restaurant in Bangkok. A small house where the family cooked with their own hands and served regional South Indian fare on a banana leaf. For the first time in our life, we ate an entire meal off a banana leaf with bare hands.
What is the best part about working with a twin?
We grew up together and went to the same school. We are passionate about the same things and enjoy cooking together. We also complement each other and since we are twins, we always want to be on the same level and cannot fall behind. And even if one of us does, the other one always steps up and gives a push.