7/30/2009

To Nobody Restaurant, fabulous German foods

To Nobody

But nobody should miss it

The Dining Out team had visited Joerg and his wife Sunisa almost a year ago, at the old To Nobody Restaurant. With their having shifted alongside the superhighway, it was time to review the new venue.

The building is open-sided, with a rotunda at one side in the front, followed by a covered section with “clouds” painted on the ceiling to continue the ‘airy’ feel, and there is an enclosed air-conditioned room as well. We arrived for lunch and chose the covered section. The tables and chairs are light coloured natural wood, with good quality tablecloths. The dishes are Lampang porcelain and good quality too. It is a restaurant, not a brauhaus!

With background Bavarian music we studied the menu. Yes, it comes in German (and English). And be prepared to spend a little while to wade through it all - there are 73 items, plus specials and beverages.

It begins with soups, around B. 100-120, including a Hungarian beef, and then into cold appetizers (B. 140-190) with the smoked duck breast on cognac-marinated tangerines, served with herb-baguettes looking very inviting. Hot appetizers follow (B. 90-180) with baked goat cheese with olives, chillies and garlic-baguette catching my eye.

Baguettes and sandwiches are next, around B. 150, then salads (B. 100-180) and egg dishes (B. 100-150) and then into fish. There are 11 choices between B. 180 for the herrings through to B. 325 for Royal Project trout with salmon filling.

These are followed by pork, poultry, beef and lamb dishes, most in the mid 200 baht region. There are dedicated vegetarian items, kids choices and desserts! Whew!

Our first dish was a German Weisswurst with sweet mustard, a Bavarian specialty, which came with its own pretzel and grated radish. The white sausage is made from veal and pork, and you peel them by slitting them lengthways and then popping the meat out. The mustard that came with this was sensational, and I could have stopped right there. Forget the rest, Joerg, I was perfectly happy already!

However, the second dish was on its way, a sample from the kids’ menu - a potato pancake with applesauce. Never mind the kids, this was great adult food too.

The next dish was Joerg’s beef olive, where he wraps the meat around gherkins, onions, bacon and mustard and then cooks it. The meat was very tender with an almost ‘smoky’ flavour, and it was served along with dumplings and red cabbage. This was one dish I returned to more than once, during lunch. Looking at my tasting notes later, I had only written one word: “Exceptional”.

However Joerg had not finished with us yet. There was the Rhoener style lamb cutlet to come. This was lightly done after marinating with garlic and rosemary and came with a pear with blueberry jam. The accompaniment was a sauce made from sour cream with onions and garlic, and this was another superb and subtle flavoured dish.

Despite all my pleas, dessert came next - a pineapple meringue with rice, to which I could do no justice. These Germans have big appetites if they can pack away one of Joerg’s meringues as well!
We finished with a coffee, which came in something that looked more like a soup bowl. Again a huge serving! We sat there, burped and marvelled at the meal we had just experienced.

Quite frankly, if all German food was like that which we received at To Nobody, I believe that German food would have been the world cuisine by now. Forget red cabbage, sloppy sauerkraut, hard boiled potatoes and sausage - that is not how Joerg presents his food. Certainly he can make some great sausage dishes, but he makes great anything dishes, with new tastes that seem far removed from the stereotypical German fare. He has elevated his country’s food to new heights. The man is a genius and Chiang Mai is lucky to have him. Very highly recommended. Just go and try!

To Nobody, 44 Soi Tewan, 500 meters from the Superhighway and before Huay Kaew Road, telephone 053 214 483, 01 993 8002, open every day, lunch 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., dinner 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Information from Chiangmai Mail, thanks!!!

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