Thums

Thums is a great German restaurant, and one of the best meals we had during our trip in Europe.
We arrived in Heiligenhaus after a day of travel. Our ostensible destination was Essen for the Spielmesse, but since we booked late and had a larger party of people, Heiligenhaus was the closest place we could stay. But, it was a blessing in disguise because Thums was a great German dinner at reasonable prices.
First things first, if you are unaccustomed to having dinner in European and German restaurants, call in advance and get a reservation. Restaurants are an evening destination and they book up quickly, and unlike American restaurants they are not in the business of turning tables to pack in multiple seatings. We were fortunate when we showed up at the door that there was still a table for six available, and within ten minutes after our arrival the entire restaurant was full.
We started off with drinks. After coming from Belgium and the Netherlands, the lower prices for beer were welcome, with several bottled and tap selections for € 5 or less for 0.5 liters. We all started with various selections, but the regional Pilsener ended up as our preferred drinks. To start, we ordered an appetizer of bread and pork fat. While this might be unusual to American tastes, this is a fairly traditional item on German menus. The fat is a conglomeration of fat along with bits of bacon and roasted onions, and it’s heavenly.
The real star of dinner was the haxe. Haxe is pork knuckle, the shank end of the shoulder /​butt. It’s prepared by braising and basting it for several hours and then broiling it before service to render the fat cap to make it crispy. I’ve had it before at other restaurants, and this haxe was one of the best I have had. It was so good that my other dining companions, who had never had it before, spent the rest of the trip talking about it and determining how they could effectively make it at home. It’s also a big hunk of meat — around 800 grams of tender pork around the knuckle bones. It’s been rendered long enough that the bones come out easily and all of the fat and connective tissue has been rendered down and what remains is soft and delicious. It would be comparable to good slow-​roasted barbecue, though without the smoke and rub. For me the real star is the fat cap — a piece of the external fat is left on the knuckle and is put under the broiler to render it and make it crispy. While pure fat might not be everyone’s choice of dining, it’s a great taste to accompany the knuckle as it is somewhat crispy like a pork rind, but is incredibly rich and sumptuous. The whole meal is possible big enough for two, but we were each so hungry that those of us who ordered the haxe conquered it. One note, the haxe is not a regular menu item, but was on the special board when we came in, so it may or may not be available on your visit. The best of it all was that the haxe special was only about € 13, which made it one of the most reasonable and most-​filling dinners of our trip. It was so good that we seriously discussed returning for subsequent evenings, and only our other activities kept us away.

Großartige Küche, herzliches Personal und eine schöné Terrasse, auf der man vom Verkehrslärm kaum etwas mitbekommt. Eine wahre kleine Oase mitten in Heiligenhaus, in der es auch noch Bolten vom Fass gibt! Beide Daumen hoch!

Ganz tolle und gemütliche Atmosphäre.
Das Essen ist reichlich, sehr lecker und immer frisch zubereitet.
Besonders die Schnitzel kann ich empfehlen.

Ich bin ja eigentlich kein Heiligenhauser mehr, da es mich nach Krefeld verschlagen hat…
Heute hat mich der Hunger am letzten Oktoberfest-​Tag aber mal hierher geführt.
Leckere Kürbissuppe und frischer Obatzda vom feinsten!
Generell war das, was an den Nachbartischen aufgetragen wurde zumindest optisch AUCH was Besonderes.
Ist nichts auf den Tellern zurückgeblieben. Also haben die Steaks wohl auch gemundet.
Preislich sind die Gerichte, sowie auch die Getränke im mittleren Bereich.
Zumindest WAS ich gesehen habe, war wohl mit Liebe zubereitet und nett dekoriert.
Eine Sparte auf der Karte nennt sich «Kneipaurant» und bietet auch regionale Köstlichkeiten (z.B. «Himmel & Äd»).
Scheint mir eine gute Bereicherung für mein Heimatstädtchen zu sein.
Gerne wieder!