At the kitchen table with Dirk Seiger

April 3rd, 2018 | on the road

The captain had his birthday and invited his loved ones to a very special place: The kitchen of the star chef Dirk Seiger in the gourmet restaurant “Buddenbrooks” in Travemünde on the Baltic Sea. And it’s true, the most beautiful parties always take place in the kitchen!

Star chef Dirk Seiger & restaurant manager Ines Effenberger

Anyone following my blog should have noticed. We like to go out to eat, very much. And in very different ways. From a small snack at a market stall to street food and upscale gastronomy. On a special birthday, it may also be a very special restaurant. And that’s the Buddenbrooks in Travemünde definitely!

The chef Dirk Seiger obviously likes to go unusual ways. For some time, he has opened his empire for his guests and he offers a table in the middle of the kitchen. Seiger’s kitchen table. We found that exciting. Although we know the behind-the-scenes look of the cruise ships, sitting in the middle of the action and watching our own food on the plate seemed to us a tempting prospect.

The charming restaurant manager Ines Effenberger guided us to the pâtisserie, where we were greeted by a huge, elegantly opulent table. The kitchen brigade welcomed us with restrained curiosity. “What kind of people are those who prefer to sit between the scullery and the pass instead of the elegant restaurant,” they seemed to think.

The evening begins with aperitif and amuse bouche followed by another “Greetings from the Kitchen” – so to speak from the other side of the kitchen. The atmosphere is amazingly relaxed and quiet. Not a single loud word, the team around Dirk Seiger works precisely and highly concentrated. You see, they know what they do, a proven choreography. Every dish is staged, nothing is left to chance. Beautiful crockery forms the stage for each individual course. One small work of art after another reaches our table, which is only three or four meters away from the stove.

Dived scallop, Atlantic lobster, Norwegian fjord salmon, roast beef and stewed Holstein beef cheeks – exquisite ingredients whose origin, preparation and peculiarities the likeable chef likes to explain at the table. His credo is: “Less is more, but the few must be perfect.” So it was.

Restaurant manager Ines Effenberger knows how to provide a laid-back, yet perfect service. The wine accompaniment is excellent. We were absolutely delighted with the 2014 Cuvée Victor from Weingut Diel – a perfect match for the Lobster “Marrakech”! A treat!

The alcohol-free beverage accompaniment is worth mentioning. With Cuvées from the factory Geiger and own juice creations, such as “Constantinople Apple Quince” or “Buddenbrooks Tropical”, the U18 are happy. These drinks complete the menu in a far better way than Coke or juice spritzer and are highly recommended.

A Moelleux (a warm cake with a liquid core) of passion fruit with coconut, pineapple and iced Skyr yogurt is the culmination of the evening. A very sonorous name for a phenomenal, sweet highlight of our menu at the kitchen table. For the petit fours, who looked no less fantastic, I unfortunately had to pass. The captain was happy.