The formula is well known: “Tastes and colors are indisputable!” To each his experiences, his sense of smell, his taste buds and above all his history, made up of discoveries of other countries, other cultures, other geographical and climatic areas and therefore influencing the culinary heritage. It is said that travel trains youth and must therefore train taste as long as one is confronted with new olfactory sensations. It is considered that France can claim strong legitimacy in terms of cuisine and inventiveness. Some consider it the best in the world. Experts argue that China is the country that offers one of the richest and most varied cuisines in the world. Why not !
For the time being, we will focus on a type of cuisine that we will qualify as Mediterranean and which we will taste in Tarbes at the small Sakara restaurant.
Susan introduces herself:
“I was born in Syria. My mother is Lebanese and I grew up in Cyprus in the Greek part, then I studied international marketing in London and then I worked in Germany in the medical field, in particular for factories that made Pacemakers…I opened my restaurant in Tarbes 4 years ago, but the Covid didn’t help things. Well, that seems a long way off and I was finally able to get permission to set up a terrace which, together with the room, can accommodate more than 20 people.My restaurant is Lebanese, but I have adapted a cuisine that is also found in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus or Lebanon, keeping the principle of the mezze: several small dishes that end up making a complete meal. I use recipes from my mother and my grandmother. This type of meal is typically linked to the Mediterranean basin and responds to a specific culture and culinary practices. Here, I import products from Lebanon and sometimes it’s complicated and I have to bring some ingredients from Paris and curiously it’s more expensive. But most of my products are seasonal products.
When you have had the opportunity to be introduced to the “mezze” in several countries, you will say that this practice is eminently convivial and more relaxed than during certain traditional meals that are a little stiff. Mezze is a kaleidoscope of flavours, taste sensations and the gesture of “pecking” from several plates encourages the mind to twirl. Everything is enhanced by the use of many spices that are sometimes shunned in traditional French cuisine. Susan continues:
“Here in France, Moroccan and Chinese cuisine have returned to culinary mores. We are familiar with couscous or nems and spring rolls and sushi have imposed themselves for a few years, but when we talk about Lebanese cuisine, most some people don’t know, but some have already tasted its specialties: “tzatziki”, “hummus”, “tarama” or “eggplant caviar” which are on sale in supermarkets, but which are industrial and sometimes processed dishes. Here, these simple dishes are homemade. They are declined very differently according to the quality of the products and the aptitude of the creators because cooking is a real art.”
When we have been able to experiment with various preparations of tarama or eggplant caviar, all different and more or less tasty, we will grasp the subtlety of the cuisine.
Susan concludes:
“I’m happy, I’m starting to have a loyal clientele and I’m going to participate in the Casetas in Tarbes in June!”
Suzan has character, great energy and charisma and her affordable cuisine is an invitation to reminisce about beautiful travel memories or invite yourself into a new world of unsuspected flavors.
Sakara: 42, rue Larrey in Tarbes. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Reservations on 05 62 53 90 60. To order and take away: ubereats.com
See the menu: sakara-65-restaurant-tarbes.eatbu.com