Zaman Restaurant — Restaurant in Cologne

We went there two days in a row and experienced two different types of service! The first time was a Thursday around 15:00 o’clock and the second time was Friday around 20:30.

First time: We had a reservation through Quando, but the restaurant has claimed there was no reservation. As there was a few people dining at that time, we were accepted at a glance with no trouble. The food was great, the lamb kebabs tasted FANTASTIC! Extremely fatty but really lovely! The falafel dish was also tasty and fatty. The service was extraordinarily awesome, the prep time was absolutely perfect.

Second time: Since the day before this day we had a blast in this restaurant, we decided to visit again! We made a reservation through calling the restaurant and the reservation was fixed on 20:30. We were there around 5 minutes earlier and were informed that all tables inside are full and we can sit outside with no delay. It was cold so we didn’t want to. This is not what you expect when you reserve a table…… After 10 or 15 minutes we were accepted inside in a VERY chaotic atmosphere and FULLY busy place! We intended to order two big plate of lamb kebabs each containing 3 lambs kebabs but were told after some struggles that there is only left one. So we ordered one of the big plate of three lambs and one plate of the chicken and lamb fillet, we really didn’t want to eat chicken and lamb fillet but we were super hungry and we kinda had to fill !!! After 45 minutes of waiting time and after the order was taken !! I saw that there were coming more and more raw kebab skewers, more than 20… because we were sitting right in front of the storage fridges. So I told the person who takes orders that if our food is not put on the coal yet, please change our order and bring us what we originally wanted!! They informed that no! it is not possible! Now here comes the interesting part: our order included chicken so I could see the chicken skewers whenever they went on coal.. After 10 minutes of us wanting to change our order to what we originally wanted, I saw our orders going on coal… So… This was the very moment we realized we should have never come back to this restaurant, because the staff were not able to manage the situation when there were lots of people. Because there were loud noises, shouts, loud laughs, looks, and poor service! Finally despite the taste of food, we did not have fun at that night.

So we do not recommend this restaurant on...

We went to this place thinking it was a Turkish restaurant because we were in the mood for a good Adana, but quickly realized that it is actually an Iraqi restaurant. That was totally fine, and we still enjoyed the food overall.

For my personal taste, the meats had too much lamb tail fat, known as kuyruk yağı. I personally prefer a cleaner meat flavor and something spicier. This style reminded me of the kebabs in Azerbaijan, which are also quite fatty and mild in seasoning. That said, the appetizers were very tasty and were definitely the highlight of our meal.

What I really did not like was the table setup. The tables for two people are extremely small. Once you place a regular order, there is barely any room left even for one main dish. The meat was served on one plate and the rice on another, which made the table feel crowded immediately. A small change in plating or larger tables would definitely improve the experience.

Our main disappointment was the dessert. We had specifically come from nearly 40 kilometers away to enjoy künefe and kebab. After the meal, we asked our very kind waiter if we could order künefe. He said he needed to check with the kitchen, and after a short wait he came back and told us that it was not available. That was a letdown. He explained that künefe is only served on Thursdays and Fridays. The fact that he had to double check with the kitchen instead of knowing this detail right away left the impression that availability may depend on how busy the restaurant is or who is asking. That moment left a bit of a bitter aftertaste.

All in all, it was a decent experience. If you are already in the city, this place is worth trying. You probably will not be disappointed. But do not go there expecting to have künefe, even if it is one of the main reasons for your visit, because there is a good chance it will not...

Im Restaurant Saman in Kölner Stadtteil Kalk waren wir gestern essen. Den Tisch für 4 Personen haben wir online reserviert, was sehr praktisch ist. Nach einem herzlichen Wilkommen wurde uns ein Tisch im Innenbereich zugewiesen. Das Restaurant war um 19:00 Uhr gut besucht. Nachdem wir eine schön gestaltete Speisekarte von einer freundlichen Bedienung bekommen haben, konnten wir uns ein Gericht aussuchen, welche auch teilweise in Bildern zu sehen waren. Die Portionen waren reichlich und super lecker. Das Preisniveau liegt im mittleren bis teurem Bereich. Es wird alles frisch zubereitet und serviert. Es handelt sich um Halal-Küche, was bedeutet, dass das Halal-Fleisch von Tieren stammt, die islamkonform im eigenen HAUS geschlachtet wurden. Ich möchte dieses Restaurant sehr gerne weiterempfehlen, wenn man mal die gehobene islamische Küche probieren will. Danke für die angenehme Gastfreundschaft, wir kommen gerne wieder.

Ayer comimos en el restaurante Saman en el barrio Kalk de Colonia.  Reservamos la mesa para 4 personas online, lo cual es muy práctico.  Después de una cálida bienvenida, nos asignaron una mesa en el interior.  El restaurante estaba lleno a las 7 p.m.  Después de recibir un menú bellamente diseñado por parte de una amable camarera, pudimos elegir un plato, algunos de los cuales también se podían ver en las imágenes.  Las raciones eran abundantes y muy sabrosas.  El nivel de precios está en el rango medio a caro.  Todo está recién preparado y servido.  Es cocina Halal, lo que significa que la carne Halal proviene de animales sacrificados internamente de acuerdo con el Islam. Me gustaría recomendar este restaurante si quieres probar la cocina islámica exclusiva. Gracias por la agradable hospitalidad, estaremos encantados de volver.

We ate at the Saman restaurant in the Kalk district of Cologne yesterday. We reserved a table for 4 people online, which is very convenient. After a warm welcome, we were assigned a table inside. The restaurant was well attended at 7 p.m. After being given a beautifully designed menu by a friendly waitress, we were able to choose a dish, some of which were also shown in pictures. The portions were plentiful and super delicious. The price level is in the medium to expensive range. Everything is freshly prepared and served. It is halal cuisine, which means that the halal meat comes from animals that were slaughtered in the restaurant's own HOUSE in accordance with Islamic law. I would like to recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to try upscale Islamic cuisine. Thank you for the pleasant hospitality, we would be happy to come back.

Dün Köln'ün Kalk semtindeki Saman restoranında yemek yedik.  Masayı internetten 4 kişilik ayırttık, bu da çok pratik.  Sıcak bir karşılamanın ardından içeride bir masaya tahsis edildik.  Restoran akşam 7'de meşguldü.  Güleryüzlü bir garsondan güzel tasarlanmış bir menü aldıktan sonra, bir kısmı fotoğraflarda da görülebilen bir yemek seçebildik.  Porsiyonlar bol ve süper lezzetliydi.  Fiyat seviyesi orta ila pahalı aralığındadır.  Her şey taze olarak hazırlanıp servis ediliyor.  Helal mutfağı, yani Helal etin, İslam'a uygun olarak kurum içinde kesilen hayvanlardan geldiği anlamına gelir. Lüks İslam mutfağını denemek istiyorsanız bu restoranı tavsiye etmek isterim. Hoş misafirperverliğiniz için teşekkür ederiz, geri dönmekten...