Delicious Asian cuisine definitely above expectation: Restaurant ZEN (4. August 2021)

The Restaurant ZEN offers a nice selection of Asian dishes – I started with “Edamame (hot, salted, green soy beans)” (EUR 4.50) which are good but a bit expensive for edamame.

The “Gyoza (fried dumplings, stuffed with chicken)” (EUR 7.50) are actually quite good and I liked a lot that they are served with two kinds of dips and not just one.

The “Maguro No Taru-Taru (spicy tuna tatar with Japanese shiso mint leave sauce)” (EUR 13.40) turned out to be a great. The green sauce which was the base for it was a bit intense (and a bit too much) but it still went well with the salad and the tuna tatar which is below the salad and not visible in the picture was actually absolutely great.

The “salmon no aburi carpaccio (shortly braised salmon carpaccio)” (EUR 10.80) was good as well. Not as delicious as the tuna tatar but definitely enjoyable.

The “Tori No Teriyaki (chicken with teriyaki sauce) with rice” (EUR 12.50) looked semi-appealing to me, also due to the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of chicken. But it turned out to be great. The consistency of the chicken was good and the flavor caused by the teriyaki sauce really added to the dish and made it absolutely enjoyable.

The “Harami Yakiniku (grilled beef slices served with Yakiniku sauce)” (EUR 15.90) was not living up to my expectations. The beef was good but there was too much grill taste really. Like, the meat flavor was dominated by that grill flavor – but not the pleasant one but the one which is too intense.

The “salmon Sake Maki” (6 pieces, EUR 4.50) was – well, just that. Nothing to remember. Nothing to forget.

What was somehow amazing also due the complexity of the flavor combination was the “Volcano Roll (salmon, masago, spring onions, spicy mayonnaise, and teriyaki sauce, fried in dough)” (EUR 14.50). It was a complex flavor profile which was truly enjoyable though.

Last but not least, the “Vanilla Moji” (EUR 2.00) was a good ending to an evening full of food pleasures.

All in all, I can recommend the Restaurant ZEN – it’s a bit better when the weather is nice and you get to sit outside as inside it’s rather small and not too much space. But otherwise, the place is good in terms of food provided, in terms of what you pay for it, and the service is friendly, swift, and attentive.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant ZEN

Aachener Strasse 20

50674 Cologne (DE)

Tel.: +49 221 57 16 71 87

Homepage: http://www.restaurant-zen.de

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.