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Following the routine of people working in the buildings around the Gotham city-style one occupied by the City Council, there used to be a time when I popped in Hookah House (Roosikrantsi 3) for a fast lunch.

Food was quite average (which sometimes in this part of Tallinn can mean very good), service was kind of polite and – pardon me for getting so low – also quite freshly beautiful.

Knowing that during the past months the place changed ownership and staff, right before the end of last week we decided to give it a try and finally discover if the once-upon-a-time Indian place had some surprises to offer us.

And, indeed, it had some.

It might be that the everlasting success of Narva Café in Narva mantee made the new owners think that running away from the lounge kind of place to jump back to Soviet times could be profitable also in the very centre of Tallinn, but the first impact with the new place is surely not positive.

Long time used random couches standing around low and consumed dark brown tables make everything look more like a place where remont should replace the open word on the door but, as appearance should never be the (only) meter to judge a place, we all decided to sit down and try getting some food.

The menu is not bad but it adds something to the randomness of the interiors: any kind of pasta, noodles, pancakes and pizza are put together leaving customer a bit doubtful about the identity of the place.
But, since it is clear it is not a gourmet one…honestly…who cares.

Old memories coming up…

While writing about casinos in Tallinn, some years ago a man told me “you know, if you want to do some money laundering, a restaurant where nobody goes is better than a casino” and this is exactly what I felt while waiting for my lunch.

Besides the improvised cute waitress who took away some dirty glasses from the table one at a time and did not even have a small paper where to write our choices – the waiting time for our lunch seriously lasted 2 hours with no other customers whatsoever.

Two hours to make four pizzas and two pasta carbonara. That obviously appeared on our table in a completely random way so that, when I got my pizza people already finished the food they got 30 minutes before me.

Honestly, no need to get into the quality of the food itself. Surely not worth waiting for two hours – probably not worth waiting even just for 15 minutes, unless not in the mood of enjoying the big dark innocent eyes of the waitress who – clearly – has no idea about why is she behind the counter.

Pizza was below average and bit heavy (but still easily eatable) while pasta did not manage to leave people fully satisfied.

Only positive note was that, after yet another complaint about the incredibly long time it took for us to get a dinner, when the big eyed girl saw me going out for a cigarette decided to comfort me saying “no worries, you can smoke inside” showing me that – sometimes – rules are not meant to be respected.

G.A.

Long time I didn’t have time to write on the blog, due to many reasons, but the most important is to continue writing and try to keep with the purpose of this blog. I’ve been in many places since the last article, but I decided that I would dedicate my return to a newly opened place, the pub Dubliner.

I can already imagine some comments. Yes, this is again about a pub, yes it is Irish, and it seems that beyond all the places I’ve been, the so called “British” pubs are still the most reliable ones when it comes to drink and eat.

Located at Suur-Karja 8, it is relatively easy to find the place as it is just next Vabaduse Väljak, on the way to the old town, even if from distance you might not see any big flashy panel showing the entrance. This is in my opinion still a mystery in Tallinn, but let’s go straight to the point.

Dubliner IS a nice place. The inside is not without remembering some places like Scotland Yard with its dark wooden furniture and empty tables during the week or outside drinking hours (is there a real hour for this ?), but the common points stop there. Even if when you enter the place it doesn’t look like the most appealing place, even if the waiters and waitresses will look at you at first like if you were obviously disturbing them (or maybe is it just me), once you come to order your drinks or food, everything becomes more interesting.

I’ve been in this place now enough times to be positively realistic about the food and the service (the drinks I’m not so picky, I just need some Guinness). First, at least two waitresses are able to recognize me, and smile ! Yes, I saw it for sure, it was not just an illusion or because I gave a very generous tip, it was a normal smile, the one you expect to see when you’re polite and not yelling all over completely drunk. Some might say that we, latin people are always waiting for too much stuff from the service. But I’ve been working as a waiter in France and in England, too different cultures, but I always tried my best to smile at customers. Not because I was happy, but more because you don’t make people come back with a “I don’t care about you” glance, which is really often an issue in many places here.

But I must admit that Dubliner surprised me this time. A bit like Drink Bar, you don’t feel like disturbing them if you stay courteous and give a smile from time to time. The fact that most of them understand English in a good way is definitely helping. But more than this, It is not only about service. Very positive point for me, they always have good music, which is to say good rock or some pop rock classics. I’m sitting right now there, listening to some Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication, after hearing “Light My Fire”, what can I ask more?

Now about the food.

I have no real negative points. I tried lots of snacks, from Chicken wings to French Fries, as well as meals and even hamburgers or Päevapraed, and never I’ve been disappointed or badly surprised same with the prices, more than reasonable: 35eek for a soup, 59eek for the hamburger, and between 40 and 50eek for a pint of beer. Plates are big, and filled with vegetables, potatoes or French fries if you ask before. Service is fast if the pub is not too crowded, and they serve food until late.

I didn’t really feel the need to specify it as it sounds logical, but of course there is free Wifi and some plugs to load your laptops’ batteries. In the evenings, you might see a lot more people than during the day, but you can still hear the people around you speaking, which is not the case everywhere. All together, a very nice place to eat, drink alone (sounds like I’m alcoholic, but I don’t care ) or with your friends. I will give a 7/10 for Dubliner, and the probabilities to see me there are quite high also.

Sometimes one has to accept circumstances. In this case, the circumstances are responsible that I did not write the report about Päevapraad in Kuku Klub last friday but only now. Maybe it is better, because I like that place. And I wanted to write positive and with some time to think about things, it is easier to focus on the good parts only.

But let’s start in the beginning. Mark, my favorite lawyer, convinced me to join him for the second time. So we went to Kuku Klub on Vabaduse Väljak. It is actually a night club for I would say artists and people who like Woodstock’s Spirit (:-)). But not only artists, I was there quite often when I still lived next to Kosmos Cinema. And I would not really call myself an artist. …. no I would not.

But this is not the point right now. So about Kuku Klub:

The best about the päevapraad there is that even though the club is in the cellar, they put up many chairs on the square so you can sit outside and enjoy the great Estonian summer.

To order, you have to walk down the stairs and around two corners – first time I was there I got the idea that Kuku tries to hide the fact that they sell food also. But maybe this is a wrong interpretation. And it has a good side also: it is not overcrowded.

Food:

Food is cheap. 30 EEK for a portion is completely fine. This time I did not take a glass of kefir but a dessert, Lemon cream (another 15 eek). Main course was simple: Kotlett. Which means in Estonia something like a hamburger without the ham. And by saying so – and with more than 3 words, it is already more than they really deserve– with your “Burger”, they offer rice or noodles. I took the rice and that was a good choice I guess as with the rice you cannot really screw it if you are a so called cook.

The burger was not bad, nor good. It would act as a perfect definitionof “average”.

Can I say that? Well let’s be more specific: not delicious but no need to throw it up also neither . Lemon cream was good, although it could have been colder. Surprisingly I found even a lemon pit – if that means that they used real lemons to create the cream or just randomly throw some old ones in the glasses to give exactly this impression I cannot say – but since I like Kuku I would say: It proves something. I’m not completely sure what but …

More seriously. It was not the first time I was there for lunch and so far I was satisfied but the day I wanted to write some article about it, they made it in a way that they finally have a lot to improve, and space for it. But I am sure it was just an accident so: Good marks for Kuku Klub from my side (some will say I indeed am not that picky).

KuKu Klubi

Vabaduse väljak 8

Tallinn

Article written by Erik Petersenn

After quite some time away from this blog, here I am again, ready to write again about all the places I judge worth it.

So to begin slowly before getting more into more serious articles, I went to a place I’ve been many times before during the last year, mainly because it is close to where I work: Saint Patrick, located on Parnu Mnt 20, Tallinn

The place is big enough to welcome a lot of people at lunch time, although I’ve never seen it full. Decoration is nothing special, close to what you expect in a pub, nothing posh, and at no time they are trying neither to imitate pubs or else. You enter, you go to the bar and you order your food or drinks. The waitresses are in general nice and polite. I usually also manage to get a smile when I order. They are fast, and will most of the time try to help if needed or in case you have a slight hesitation. If you are not numb or not able to choose your meal in less than 5 minutes (some are not I can swear I already saw it). Usually, the smartest move if you’re in a hurry is to take the Päevapraed. Changing often, not expensive at all (less than 60eek), I suggest it for most of the people in a hurry at lunch time (remember to avoid Café VS ).

Now if I have to be completely honest and picky as I’m supposed to be, I’d say that unfortunately, the quality of the food has slightly dropped these lasts months. And if only it was about the Päevapraed, I would not have so many things to complain about.

I tried lately the “Golden cheese balls with citrus sauce” and the “Tortilla with mozzarella cheese and basil”. I have been deeply disappointed. Not because the food was very bad, as it was perfectly average, but because compared to some other places where I ate the same, the quality was clearly not there for a similar price. And some already know I can be picky about some meals (ok, mainly cheese balls and pasta it is true).

The pasta I tried last time was far from being the best I’ve had, but one more time, Saint Patrick despite the prices of some meals is still a nice place, and I would suggest it to people who don’t like to spend hours to wait in a nice and not too noisy place. You will easily find a place where to sit and the beers are nice, especially if you go there during happy hour!

I would rate this place with a 6/10, more for the place itself and the relaxed time I have there in general rather than the food quality. And of course, like in most of the places in Tallinn (and maybe in Estonia), you’ll have Wifi access for free if you prefer to spend your afternoon inside a bar with a beer (no I’m not pushing people to drink, it is proven that they don’t need me, fortunately) instead of staying inside any office.