Tucked discreetly above La Lorraine in the heart of Luxembourg, Perle Noire opens not just a bar, but a portal to another time. Hidden behind the dining room on the first floor, this intimate venue reveals itself like a well-kept secret, transporting you straight into the jazz-soaked allure of a 1920s speakeasy.
Velvet banquettes curve like ocean waves, deep blues and golds glimmer under art deco lamps, and oyster-inspired wall art sparkles under soft lighting. There’s something cinematic about the space, as if Hemingway’s ghost might settle in with a martini and notepad. The ambience is sultry yet polished, with a quiet elegance that whispers luxury.
A Vision Beyond Dining
The mastermind behind this transformation is Louis Scholtès, who began renovating the ground floor a year ago. Seeing its success, he turned his attention to the upstairs space, with a vision far beyond traditional dining. “I wanted to create a cocktail bar in what was essentially a dead space and truly bring it to life,” he says. His inspiration came from his past experience in fine kitchens, including the Ritz, where the iconic Hemingway Bar left a lasting impression. “I wanted to recreate that spirit, but with a completely different palette. Here, it’s about the sea, about oysters, and you feel it in the cocktails too.”
The design choices—navy walls, golden accents, curved textures, plush armchairs—were decided in under an hour. “I knew exactly what I wanted,” Scholtès says. The result is a bar with a capacity for just 30 guests, acoustically treated to preserve intimacy.
Cocktails with a Culinary Spirit
Mongenie wasn’t a random hire. Formerly a philosophy professor, he brings an intellectual edge to the bar’s mixology. “It was a philosophical connection, not a financial one,” Scholtès reflects. “We share references, cinematic and cultural, and the chemistry was immediate. That’s what made it possible to create something beautiful and cerebral together.”
KACHEN visited Perle Noire ahead of its official launch to sample both cocktails and food. The first cocktail we tried was their Bloody Mary, an unconventional masterpiece. “We wanted something red because everything around us is blue,” explains Ayrton. “This is a maritime Bloody Mary. We replaced the traditional Worcestershire sauce with ponzu yuzu, bringing in citrus and umami from Japanese cuisine.” The vodka is infused with pepper, and a house-made tomato tequila adds an unexpected twist.
Perle Noire’s cocktail philosophy is rooted in a “culinary vision.” It is modern, international, and still unfamiliar in Luxembourg. “We wanted something that’s already happening in Paris, Berlin, New York, and parts of Asia, but not here yet.” Every drink has a subtle saline balance. “It’s not about making them salty,” Ayrton explains. “It’s about balance, like a touch of salt in a pastry in Brittany or a bit of sugar in a Japanese dish. It sharpens the contrasts and rounds out the experience.”
From the Sea to the Table
Food is just as thoughtfully curated. Scholtès selected each dish himself, drawing from personal favourites: matured trout, fine cheeses and charcuterie, caviar. Yet the crown jewel of the menu is the oysters. Not just any oysters, his oysters.
“We’re going to produce our own oysters,” Scholtès reveals. He travelled to Brittany to hand-select them directly from an oyster farmer. “I was out in the parks, flipping the beds myself. In about a month and a half, we’ll have our first batches, and by the holidays the final version will be ready.” What makes them different? “They aren’t stored in holding basins. They go straight from the sea to purification, then to us, pure and powerful.”
Tasting them was a revelation. These oysters had none of the milky heaviness that sometimes deters the uninitiated. Instead, they snapped with freshness, a crispness like biting into the sea itself, balanced and alive, with a clean mineral finish that lingered like ocean mist on your lips. You don’t slurp these oysters; you savour them.
An Elegant Future
The bar’s name, Perle Noire—”Black Pearl“—pays homage to the oyster, of course, but also resonates with the mystery and sophistication Scholtès has built into every corner. “It sets the right tone,” he says. “And of course, La Lorraine is known for seafood, so there’s a continuity there.”
Looking ahead, events are already being planned: from DJ sets and live pianists to softly energetic soirées. “We want to energise the space with calm sophistication but also keep the door open for more festive nights,” he says. Open Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., Perle Noire is ready to become one of Luxembourg’s most refined late-night addresses.
