Near a city highway at Koktobe-1, 36 in the Kazakh metropolis of Almaty, there is one of the restaurants of the “Shafran” chain, which awaits its customers with an exceptionally extensive menu.
On the outskirts of the city of Almaty, right between a highway and a forest, you will find the restaurant "Shafran". This is a branch of the chain of the same name, which has various locations in the metropolis. What is striking about the building is that it offers three outdoor areas. In front of the entrance there are covered seating areas that are protected from the sun in summer and are more designed for a cozy get-together. Both floors of the restaurant have balconies where you can also enjoy food and drinks.
With three floors outside and two floors inside, the "Shafran" is a large restaurant. You might assume that the operators are prepared for a lot of guests and to serve customers as quickly as possible, but this was not the case when we visited. It was sparsely attended and yet it took a long time for drinks to be served, for example. We also had to wait longer for the food and the staff had no foreign language skills at all, although this is not a problem at all due to the way the menu is presented.
Menu only in Russian and Kazakh, but with photos
The usual national languages in Kazakhstan, apart from a few regional languages, are Kazakh and Russian. The menu is written in these languages, so people who cannot read Cyrillic script have a problem. But the "Shafran" has found a truly international solution for this, as there is a photo of every dish and drink. This means that guests who do not speak Russian can simply show the waiter the drink or meal on the menu and voila, communication works smoothly despite different languages. When it comes to food, people always understand each other - no matter where in the world.
The "Shafran" has an exceptionally extensive menu. Its scope is reminiscent of the Quelle catalogs that were lying around in almost every household in the 1990s and early 2000s. They offer pretty much everything from the cuisines of China, Kazakhstan, Russia and some Asian countries, as well as a few internationally known dishes. There should be something for everyone. But the enormous scope does raise the question of whether everything is really prepared from scratch or whether one or the other might have come from the freezer. As a "normal guest", you can't really check this.
Long wait for serving
A Chechen soup was ordered as a starter. It was tasty and the portion size was very generous. As the name suggests, it is a speciality from the Chechnya region of the Russian Federation. It should be noted that the vegetable flavor was well balanced and therefore this soup can be recommended.
The main course chosen was Kazan-style kebab. It should be noted that the "bread roll product" known in the DA-CH region is not actually served like this in the kebab's home countries. It is served on a plate with side dishes, such as rice, and is a main course, not a snack.
Kazan kebab is a specialty from Kazan, Russian Federation. It is a part of the country that is heavily influenced by Muslims. The meat was well prepared and well seasoned. However, the portion size was not particularly good and the rice that was ordered with it took a long time, just like the other dishes. That shouldn't be the case.
In Kazakhstan, it is traditional for restaurants to offer homemade lemonade. This varies from day to day, depending on what ingredients are available. In this case, it was a classic lemon soda that was freshly made and quite good. Some people prefer it sweeter, others more sour. The editor would have preferred it with less sugar, but others at the table were delighted. Subjective taste, after all. The tea served afterwards was average and needs no further description. No dessert was consumed.
guesthouse for everyday life
The "Shafran" is part of everyday gastronomy and is therefore not something special, but rather a normal restaurant. This is also evident in the price, as it is rather cheap even for local conditions. If you take into account the size of the portions that are served, you can clearly say that the price-performance ratio is good. However, the staff were slow and sometimes not particularly attentive.
However, due to the enormous size of the menu, it is reasonable to assume that not all dishes are freshly prepared, but that one or the other could be pre-cooked or convenience food. But this is just speculation, because you can only be truly certain if you keep a close eye on what is being prepared in the kitchen. In Europe, some restaurateurs who have a noticeably long menu often serve pre-cooked and/or purchased dishes.
Nevertheless, one can recommend the "Shafran" for a meal with friends, a quick lunch or a meeting in a relaxed atmosphere. One positive thing to note is that they have local Asian specialties, which is particularly recommended for tourists.
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