Kardamom in Jena

Schönes Hotelrestaurant mit kleiner, aber guter Speisekarte. Auch traditionelle, regionale Gerichte im Angebot. Unter den offenen Weinen gibt es auch sehr schöne regionale Weißweine von Saale-Unstrut. Das Essen ist schmackhaft, meine Rinderroulade war allerdings etwas zu trocken. Der Service ist sehr professionell und freundlich.

Sehr gutes Essen, viel Auswahl. Selbst bei Stress sehr nette Mitarbeiter. Das Restaurant ist im 3. Stock hinter der Bar. Über das Atrium erreichbar, problemlos.

Sonntagsbrunch- Abzug nur bei tomate/ mozarella sonst sehr fein, nicht überwürzt mit glutamat dem Einerleigewürz, leckere sauce hollandaise, fluffiges mousse. Ich wäre fast geplatzt. Getränke incl. für 31€- bei der Qualität, suppe/ vorspeise/ 3x Hauptgericht( wie gesagt: ich platze)/ nachtisch/ wein/ wasser/ Espresso- ein Schnäppchen

The buffet breakfast was amazing. Great choice, great quality and lots of healthy options. A great wasy to start the day.

Ce restaurant est présenté comme étant un restaurant "oriental", mais, à mon sens, c'est plutôt un restaurant mixant la cuisine allemande et orientale raffinement. J'ai mangé les médaillons de filet de porc, accompagnés de frites de patates douces et d'une petite salade. C'était excellent. Ils proposent un petit assortiment de sels aromatisés qui ajoutent encore un peu plus de parfum aux plats. En dessert, j'ai pris la glace expresso avec du melon et de la tarte au chocolat. Très bon également. Le personnel est très professionnel;

Not very busy when I went which meant friendly, personalised service. The dishes I chose were excellent- tomato soup which was delightfully light and zander, which was completely boneless and really tasted great for a freshwater fish. Wine choice small, but I found what I wanted.

the service was fantastic, the correct degree of friendliness. Food good but not outstanding, but obviously very reliable,. Many locals obviously going for a special meal so perhaps the best in Jena. I would probably rate the good better than average but not outstanding. However this is the former GDR with limited options in most, but not all, towns

The restaurant is definitely worth a visit, but be aware of the service staff that cannot meet the standards of this promising place and pricy menu (later more). That's why only 3 points... The whole hotel including the restaurant has been refurbished in 2012 and looks completely different. The new European-Arabic style is unique in town. So we have tried the restaurant on a special occasion for dinner. Reservation was friendly and we were told that a group was expected around the time we booked. When we arrived the waiter did not welcome us at all. Just a dull "follow me" came out of his mouth. No "please", "you are welcome", a smile or whatever you would think is appropriate. We also thought that it would be appropriate to explain something about the concept of the restaurant or about the specialities. Unfortunately: nothing at all. Furthermore, when we were waiting for our food/drinks service staff was loudly talking and laughing when they set up the other part of the restaurant. The menu looks promising and naturally you will find upper-priced starters, mains, desserts and drinks. The "kardamom" aperitif tastes really good and should be promoted by the staff and not just by the menu!!! The starters (asparagus soup, cream soup with chili) were really good. They serve bread, but no butter. You will find out the reason very soon: The small plate is not a normal plate for bread. You pour oil into it and dip the bread. Even though this might be typical in arabic countries, staff should explain it. First, to guide customers who are probably not familiar with that kind of cuisine and secondly, they could create a real experience. So we had to ask. At least they told us that they would bring butter on request. What a surprise: Between our starters and main dishes we have got a mini soup in a tea glass with the note that the mains are going to arrive very soon. This is really nice. On the other hand, you could think that they outweigh a mistake in the kitchen. The main dishes (cat fish and asparagus with veal) were very good, tasty and filling. Our wine choice matched the food quite good. The desserts (ice cream, chocolate mousse) looked really good and tasted very good. In the end we tried the Kardamom coffee which is a nice finish. The food is really, really good and exceptional for the city which is not known to be that culinary. You can compare it to the Scala restaurant on top of the Intershop Tower. But: The service is not meeting the high standards of the kitchen. We cannot blame the trainee who was doing her best. My napkin had two holes. The welcome drink glass was not properly cleaned. And in my wine glass were big pieces of dust that you could see with your eyes. All of the three things did not impact too much on the experience so I did not say anything. But those things need to be perfect for the prices you pay! The waiter who showed us our table was not really up to standard on other tables as well. That's why: The service needs an upgrade. A natural welcome and smile should be standard. An explanation about the European-Arabic concept could make a difference. Make it exciting, bring in some dynamic. If I want to have a normal/standard/boring evening I could go somewhere else. The kitchen put such an effort in the menu and the service ruins it. If it won't change, I can go 150m further to eat traditional Thuringian food for 50% less and a similar service. I will be sure to get value for money there. Again, the service is the only reason the restaurant gets 3 points. However, it deserves 5!