LOUIS restaurant

In the restaurant of the tasteful boutique hotel LA MAISON, chef Sebastian Sandor and his team have established their own style in the form of modern French cuisine strongly influenced by Japanese culinary arts. Plenty of effort goes into the seven courses of their set menu, with numerous components, flavours and contrasts; these are accompanied by various amuse-bouches. For example, the excellent thick black cod is grilled over Binchotan charcoal to the exact point of becoming pearlescent, marinated with spices tableside and placed on a slice of lukewarm calf's head with a hint of Meaux mustard. Served with a fresh lettuce jus with a mild acidity and aromatic, creamy lettuce chutney with the slight heat of ginger. The service is professional and attentive, but not overbearing – articulate sommelier Robert Jankowski also deserves a mention. The interior sees a stylish marriage of chic design features and a historical backdrop – the high-ceilinged room in the beautiful villa was once a courtroom.

What makes it distinct

• A former courtroom turned dining room: a high-ceilinged villa space with a historic backbone and a modern fit-out.
• French cooking with a pronounced Japanese accent: a menu built around contrast, acid and precision, rather than classic heaviness.
• A glimpse into the kitchen on the way in: the open kitchen sits behind a yellow glass cube.

Signature Ingredients

• Ikejime salmon trout: a recurring centrepiece in the restaurant's French-Japanese style.
• Swede (turnip): used with technique and repetition, pickling, fermentation and grilling show up in the menu language.
• Beeswax and vanilla beurre blanc: a rich sauce signature with sweet, aromatic edges.
• Japanese citrus and vinegar notes: sudachi, rice vinegar and similar brighteners shape the finish of many plates.

A two-Michelin-star dining room inside the LA MAISON boutique hotel in Saarlouis, cooking modern French food with a clear Japanese accent.

Two set menus are offered: LOUIS' Menü (7 courses, €235) and Gemüse Deluxe (vegan set menu, €220). Both run as a sequence of small plates that move from seafood-led starters through richer meat or vegetable courses, then a structured dessert finish, plus a dedicated "LOUIS' Candy Shop" sweet course.

Dinner service runs Wednesday to Saturday.