Thailand has become a cultural melting pot, especially when it comes to cuisine. This is evident from the growth and evolution of the restaurant trade over the past seven to eight years, which has made a day (or several) of fine dining in the country no longer restricted to local cuisine. The presence of internationally renowned institutions such as the improbable tyre company Michelin, with its famous Guide to all things gourmet, helps. It guarantees top-quality taste and service, and has only further energised the country’s fine dining scene. It has drawn even more talent into the field, with foreign gourmet diners frequently visiting to experience the offerings of well-known restaurants. One such must-visit spot is Sühring, located in the Yen Akat neighbourhood of Bangkok. It is Thailand’s only fine-dining German restaurant to have earned two Michelin stars, in addition to several prestigious global awards.

What has this to do with watchmaking, you might ask. Well, aside from the whole business of fine craftsmanship, there is also the more direct relationship that brands such as Blancpain establish, especially with its Art of Living initiative. To begin with for now, let us do some mise en place and get to grips with Sühring, although the savvy amongst you might already guess where we are going. The twin German chefs, Thomas and Mathias Sühring, warmly sat down with us for a casual conversation. They recalled being invited to work at a restaurant in Thailand in 2008, which they saw as a great opportunity to gain experience in the Asian culinary scene. They believed that sharpening their cooking skills and fine-tuning their craftsmanship in this region would greatly benefit their careers. Behold, ye of little faith, the craftsmanship angle appears.

Before long, the Sühring brothers had spent six years in Thailand, having fallen in love with the country and the lifestyle it offered. In 2016, encouraged by the growing hospitality and dining industry at the time, they felt it was time to create a space that reflected their own culinary identity, combining family recipes and memories from their childhood in Germany with modern techniques.

Transformative Experience

Chef Mathias reflected on the journey: “I think we put all our savings inside. So really it’s everything that we had. Money in our account was going into our dream of opening the restaurant. And we didn’t think about (a) Michelin star at that moment for sure. When we opened the restaurant, of course, it was just important that we can make our guests happy and come express ourselves not only in the kitchen, but also in the dining room, the atmosphere and everything.”

Chef Thomas added, “I think what we’re doing is quite unique. And this thing is also for us emotional because we are showing our guests where we come from, what were our childhood memories, what our grandparents cooked for us using family recipes. And we always try to do this probably around the dishes so that we can showcase Germany and showcase the cuisine in a different aspect.”

The many prestigious accolades, including the aforementioned Michelin stars, clearly reflect the chefs’ dedication. When looking at Thailand’s food scene in the recent past years, one can observe a significant shift. As Chef Mathias noted, “I remember when we came here and we want to go for fine dining, we were traveling to Singapore or Hong Kong or to Japan. But now you see these people coming to Bangkok to have an amazing experience, not only in our restaurant. I think it really pushed the community here to strive for more quality, for more excellence, for more consistency also.”

On this transformation, Chef Thomas agreed: “And, of course, we continue to deliver the best experience to our guests too, while continually pushing the creativity. That means we also have to be patient and look for craftsmanship, suppliers and people who can bring quality ingredients to our restaurant and to the people. And then I think that’s also very challenging actually.”

How To Live Well

In addition to discussing the restaurant and the local food scene, we also spoke with the chefs about their shared love for watches. Since 2020, Sühring has been in partnership with Blancpain, a high-end Swiss watch brand with a history that dates back to 1735. Besides its social initiatives, such as the Blancpain Ocean Commitment, a campaign focused on marine conservation, the brand has worked with world-renowned chefs since 1986 under the banner of Art of Living. This initiative reflects a life lived well through the making and the appreciation of exquisite food. Later on, Blancpain officially teamed up with the Michelin Guide in 2020.

“I think, like haute cuisine, high watchmaking basically involves a lot of precision,” said Chef Mathias. “There’s a lot of craftsmanship. There’s a lot of passion. There’s a lot of tradition. These values and these words which we’re using for watchmaking relate also to what we’re doing. We strongly believe that tradition is really a cornerstone for the creation of something more meaningful. I think in that fast-moving world today, it’s very important to keep tradition, otherwise we may forget something.”

Late last year, the chefs had the chance to visit Blancpain’s watchmaking facility in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland, an unforgettable experience for any watch enthusiast. “Everything changed after that,” said Chef Thomas. “I mean, it was just a short trip, but it was so inspirational and so eye-opening for us to see the mechanical aspect and the time you spend to create one watch, which is insane, I would say. And you already can see on a Blancpain watch that (which) may be different to other watches in that every little piece in the watch is made by hand and which is unbelievable. That is such a value of craftsmanship, which is very impressive to us. And they paid so much attention to detail, even on the part(s) of the watch (that) you as a customer you will not see.”

Watches Du Jour

Chef Thomas is currently enamoured with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune, a stunning watch with a red gold case and a deep blue dial. It comes with a complete calendar and moon phase display, showing the day, date, month, and lunar phases. However, he feels that the watch is too special for everyday wear, choosing to save it for special occasions, such as today’s interview.

Chef Mathias, on the other hand, regularly wears his favourite watch, the Fifty Fathoms Chronographe Flyback Quantième Complet. This stainless steel model features the same complete calendar and moon phase functions as Thomas’s, but also incorporates a chronograph for timing. Chef Mathias spoke highly of the watch: “I think it fits perfectly with my daily work, and also in the kitchen. It’s a bit more obviously an active watch. It’s robust. It’s reliable. It’s a beautiful watch with so many different functions to see. And, of course, cooking has a lot to do with time and precision.”

Sühring is open for dinner on Wednesdays and for both lunch and dinner from Thursday to Sunday. Reservations are required approximately two months in advance. When you visit this warm and welcoming restaurant, be sure to notice which Blancpain model the chefs are wearing that day – it will show them that you have read this article! WOW Singapore joins LUXUO Thailand in wishing both chefs the best of luck in their quest for that third Michelin star, which would make Sühring the first and only restaurant in Thailand to achieve such a prestigious honour.

Photography by Pathomporn Phueakphud

This article first appeared on WOW’s Legacy Issue #75

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