Klaus Erfort – Purism at Its Best

It’s been a long time since I last visited the Gästehaus Erfort in Saarbrücken, and in my view the changes are subtle but nevertheless fundamental. To be sure, the wonderful Saarberg Villa is still a gem, especially in Summer when it allows you to start the meal on the fantastic terrace. Also, the service under mâitre Jerôme Pourchère works seamless but also with great respect for the diner and authentically warm-hearted. But Klaus Erfort himself, despite his other projects like the Hotel Fuchs oder the Schlachthof Brasserie, he is really ‘present’ in the kitchen and has further refined his own style: first and foremost it’s puristic, it is sooo focused that the flavors are razor sharp and one cannot augment or reduce the dish, it’s near perfection.

Gästehaus Erfort
Kitchen from the outside
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There is proven dramaturgy – a nice start with some apes to accompany a nice glas of champagne, classic and admittently very yummy, especially the “toast” with truffles and the small cylinder filled with eel and topped with caviar. Yes, Erfort still uses these ‘luxury’ products but not to impress but to celebrate them (9/10).

Apero Dance

A small oyster was next – yummy, salty, but not overlay intense (9/10)!

Amuse 1: Oyster

The next amuse – marinated lobster with yuzu was a bit of pre-opener for the first course: the lobster was impeccably cooked and the yes was well intertwined. Excellent (9/10)!

Amuse 2: Marinated Lobster with Yuzu

Then the first course – basically foie gras layered with thinly sliced scallops and again, a yes marinade but this time too strong and acidic to be enjoyed overpowering the subtle foie-scallop combination completely (6/10).

Mille-feuille of Marinated Foie Gras with Scallops and Yuzu

The second course showed what Erfort can do if you concentrates on the essentials – the product in its very best form. Superb langoustine were cooked on sea salt to perfection, tender and delicate. Metro Pourchère presented them in the pot table-side and then plated them just on some small young leeks and garnished with some but not too much Alba truffles jus. Devine (10/10)!

Langoustine Royale
Langoustine nature
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Turbot had always been a specialty of Klaus Erfort – and it didn’t not disappoint this time either. Cut from a huge 5+ turbot this thick species was incredibly juicy, perfectly cooked and intrinsically delicate. The ‘garnish’ of mushrooms in different textures emphasized different aspect of the fish – another absolutely divine dish (10/10)!

Turbot with Mushrooms in Texture

The following crossly roasted pork tail was another masterpiece – crisp on the outside, the meat on the inside was incredibly tender, juicy, and of benchmark pork character, very authentic. The idea then to fill it with trumpet mushrooms and serve it with some broad beans, ginger/chili sugo, black garlic and an eggplant compote was just fantastic, especially the interplay of spiciness and the textural overlay whereas both eggplant and beans were pleasant neutralizers (10/10).

Pork Tail with Ginger and Chili

After these immense highlights Erfort and his team further accelerated and served the best beef I have ever tasted! Being not a huge fan of Japanese Wagyu, this Ozaki Beef cooked on charcoal was so out-of-this-world as one could enjoy the taste of the beef itself when eating a sliced piece as well as appreciate the texture when cutting one thicker piece from the à part serving. This is maybe the essence of beef, an example of how a perfect product is celebrated, some Périgord truffles as `garnish`, some incredibly sumo – that’s it. Nothing else needed to be in heaven (10+/10)

Ozaki Beef
Sliced without dash
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After these absolute heights the first dessert provided some cooling down with a nice variation on apples – perfectly positioned and yummy (10/10).

‘Grandma Schmitt’s’ Apple with Joghurt and Koriander

The last dessert seemed simple at first sight but then showed much complexity especially due its dialogue of coffee, chocolate and passion fruit – excellent (10/10).

Brazilian Gold Delicé of Farm Chocolate with Coffee and Passion Fruit

To conclude a perfect meal (well, in the end the doubling of the Yuzu and the not so balanced mille-feuille is foregiven) that was not heavy at all, the patisserie concluded some really really good petite fours (10/10)

Petite Fours

The Verdict: 10/10

All said. Ran out of superlatives. Best products gently and impeccably prepared to just let them shine! Bravo, Mr Erfort! Needless to say, service was friendly, charmingly French, tres Pourchère – thanks to the whole team!

 

Gästehaus Klaus Erfort
Mainzer Straße 95
66121 Saarbrücken
Phone:  +49 681 95 82 68-2
Web: www.gaestehaus-erfort.de
Mail: kontakt@gaestehaus-erfort.de
Opening Times:

Monday
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Dinner from

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