Sarkara — Restaurant in Albertville

Le Sarkara, Courchevel – A Bittersweet Experience of Luxury and Inconsistencies

Le Sarkara, a two-Michelin-star restaurant located within the prestigious K2 Palace in Courchevel, promises a unique gastronomic journey. However, my experience was a rollercoaster of contrasting sensations—at times grotesque and paradoxical.

Ambience and Welcome

The restaurant is meticulously designed, with a refined atmosphere that fits perfectly into Courchevel’s exclusive setting. The welcome was warm, and the staff initially displayed professionalism. However, some details were disappointing. The restrooms, for instance, were unclean and not up to the standard expected from a restaurant of this caliber.

Cocktails and Service

The experience began with cocktails, which, unfortunately, did not live up to expectations. Another major drawback was the service, which revealed serious shortcomings. We were a large group (18 people), and on multiple occasions, we were left without service for long minutes—to the point where I had to get up personally to fetch some water. An unforgivable lapse for a two-star Michelin restaurant.

Gastronomic Experience

The idea of a cuisine that explores the boundary between sweet and savory is intriguing, but in this case, it was taken to an extreme without a well-defined logic. The result? Unbalanced flavors, excessively sweet dishes, and temperature contrasts so sharp that they were almost unsettling. A play of oxymorons for the palate that often made little sense, leaving more confusion than amazement.

A Forced Theatrical Performance

Another curious aspect was the presentation of the dishes. The waiters—or rather, the “actors” of this restaurant—seemed to be reciting a script with an artificial emphasis. But even an actor must believe in what they are saying, and here, I got the distinct impression that this authenticity was missing. The result? A forced performance that made the experience both grotesque and amusing at the same time.

Conclusion

I have had the pleasure of dining at several Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, and I can confidently say that Le Sarkara does not make the list of those I would recommend or revisit. The experimental intent is interesting, but without a well-balanced execution, the risk is that it leaves diners with more perplexity than satisfaction. An experience that, despite its surreal charm, does not justify its price tag or the prestige it...

I want to preface this by mentioning that we've eaten at a lot of 1, 2 and some 3* restaurants in France, the UK, US and beyond.

This is a 2* restaurant, so expectations are duly set very highly.

Service: I had an empty water glass for 17 minutes during the service. We actually ended up timing this because I bet my wife they wouldn't notice, given how wooden, programmatic and charmless the service had been up until this point. That's not 2* service, not even close.

The food: it's certainly unusual and you have to give some credit to the inventiveness and creativity. The amuse bouche was delicious and we had high hopes for the remainder. We had the 5 course €250 menu.

The first course was just really bland. Almost pointless. The waiter also misdescribed part of it being mint, when we checked the menu it was nettle, which is what it tasted like.

Second course was good aside from the shaved mushrooms which while crispy when served became mushy wet chewy mushrooms, which I have a personal aversion to.

Third was celeriac. Interesting and flavourful.

Fourth, deconstructed cheese and salad. Whilst interesting and obviously highly technical, we both agreed that we'd much rather just have cheese and salad.

Fifth, perhaps unsurprisingly, the dessert course was the best. Nice kiwi flavours.

Petit fours were great.

We felt the restaurant had a certain arrogance. When leaving we were asked whether we enjoyed it and we had subdued reactions, to which we were asked "was it not to our taste?" - well actually some of it just lacked taste. I think they would do better to focus more on customer experience and add some more charm.

Overall, really disappointing. I would spend your...

Visited in Dec 2023

Sarkara was on my list of restaurants to visit in Courchevel ever since I booked my trip. There are 2 menus and we went with the 5 course one as with the amuse bouche and petit fours it ends up being like a 7-8 course meal. The menu takes you on a sweet tooth escapade where the dishes are prepared using your typical dessert ingredients. It is really one-of-a-kind sort of experience as I’ve had only one such ‘dessert ingredient’ inspired full meal before. The flavours range from sweet to savoury, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with some of the dishes’ tastes.

Service is absolutely top notch. The head chef even came to our table to greet us.

All in all, this place is worth visiting for the unique dining experience it offers in terms of cooking ingredients...