Of the eleven guest chefs who will be putting on a fine spread at the Ikarus in 2007 (host Roland Trettl will be his own guest in December), Rainer Sigg will undoubtedly be most familiar with the restaurant at Hangar-7. Despite never having cooked there before and having to fly directly to Salzburg from Moscow. Firstly, the location will evoke familiar feelings in Sigg: the Swabian has been a chef at the top air restaurant at Stuttgart Airport for six years, earning the much-coveted Michelin star each year (the only airport restaurant in Germany to carry a Michelin star, incidentally). But the patron of Ikarus is no stranger to Sigg either: Sigg worked at Eckart Witzigmann's Aubergine between 1993 and 1996, lastly as sous-chef and assistant to the Chef of the Century.
 
Rainer Sigg's training as a butcher, apprenticeships at the Michelin starred restaurants of the Colombi Hotel in Freiburg and the Romantikhotel Fürstenhof in Landshut, his profound familiarity with Eckart Witzigmann's legendary kitchen at the Aubergine and his own first plaudits at the top air made him extremely well prepared for greater responsibility in 2002, when he was appointed executive chef of the kitchen of the Adlon in Berlin, assuming responsibility for three restaurants. Sigg's delicate cuisine was well received not only by prominent figures (including Gerhard Schröder, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, Pierce Brosnan, Franz Beckenbauer, Pele and Brian Adams), but also by the various gourmet guides: he retained his Michelin star status, the “American Academy of Hospitality Sciences” ranked him among the "greatest cooks of the world" and the Aral Schlemmer Atlas rated him one of Germany's top 50 head chefs.
 
Rainer Sigg made the biggest leap of his career in 2005, when he joined the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel in Moscow. Which is where, directly on Red Square, he combines his French-inspired cuisine with the delightful luxuriance of Russian tradition. "I don't invent anything new, but I love to incorporate international influences," explains Sigg. He says it's important to retain the original flavour of each ingredient and not to overpower their taste with seasoning. "If you close your eyes and you can tell what you're eating, that's good. You have to be able to taste what you're eating," says Sigg. So what will May's visitors to Ikarus be able to taste with their eyes closed? Perhaps Scottish salmon millefeuille and mashed potatoes with sturgeon caviar with two kinds of sauces. Or quail cutlet on lentils with frisée lettuce and raspberry vinaigrette. At any rate, culinary art of the very highest level.

Which famous guests at the Hotel Adlon expressed particular acknowledgement to your cuisine?
 
I think it’s not just the famous guests that matter, it’s a matter of giving every guest that feeling that he is being treated like a VIP. Everyone deserves the very best service, which is part and parcel Adlon. To fulfil the main claim to fame for which the Adlon is so renowned, the service is my main purpose.
 
Do you have a special variant of the “Borscht” in your repertoire?
 
The recipe   for “Borscht” …My illusions were shattered! I always thought that we were able to fantastic Borscht here in Germany. My Russian colleagues actually showed me how to cook it, the way the Russians themselves love it. Russian Borscht is a little tart due to a drop of vinegar and special kind of red beetroot. The meat also has to have exactly the right consistency, it should definitely not be tough, and that’s why it is added shortly before the end of the cooking process. The Smetana (Russian Crème Fraiche) also has a very different consistency: It is much more creamy and rich and it adds that special touch to the real Borscht.
 
What kinds of spices are used in Russian cuisine?
 
The Russians really love fresh herbs. These include dill and parsley and they enjoy eating young fresh leeks. You will also find pickled garlic, salted gherkins and mixed pickles on Russian tables. There are a variety of starters, which you try your way through during a lively conversation. The curious thing is that the starters remain on the table even when the main course is served and you nibble at them in between.
 
Which Russian culinary habits have astounded you?
 
As I mentioned: the Russian table laden with starters to be enjoyed throughout the meal is rather novel and unusual. What’s interesting though is that international guests invited by the Russians are always impressed by this tradition! I think it’s great when customs like these survive are cultivated.
  
I have heard that it is very difficult to sell a set menu to Russian guests...
 
Indeed, they don’t like to be told what to eat. They want to a have a big choice on their menu and don’t like being dictated. They simply want to eat whatever they please or have a fancy for. But when you have certain number of guests at a large event then it is hardly possible to cook à la carte and we naturally serve set menus, but the choice of starters are increased.  
  
Which geographic region has influenced your cooking the most?
 
If you cook for an international enterprise then one should also be able to cook indigenous food in a traditional way. But on the other hand: Each cook is tied to his own personal style. I have learned a lot about the composition of the traditional French cuisine and from this point I began to enjoy experimenting. I discover new combinations, but I don’t invent anything new. It’s all been here before – it’s all about new combinations and new flavours. I also lean on Asian cuisine a little which influences the structures and forms in my style of cooking. But in the end each cook is influenced by his own country’s cooking tradition.
 
What was your favourite dessert when you were a child?
 
Dampfnudeln! – Steamed dumplings!
       
What do you love about Moscow?
 
An exciting city! I would not have wanted to miss the day when I actually took this step to go there.
 
 
What does “Baltschug” mean and how long has the hotel existed?
 
The Hotel Baltschug has existed for 15 years and “Baltschug” means “moor” or “swamp”. Moscow was built on very soft ground.
 
In which country would you like to work and study the culinary tradition in future?
 
Cape Town would be a dream! America, definitely! Asia too, who knows, who knows…?

Hotel Baltschug
Kempinski Moskau
Ul. Baltschug, 1
115035 Moskau

Tel: 007  495  230 55 00
Fax: 007  495  230 55 02

reservations: baltschug@kempinski.com

www.kempinski-moscow.com