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There used to be a time I would bring all the people who came to visit me in Estonia to Must Lammas as that unknown place in Sauna was surely worth a visit.

Good food, experimental yet-not-kinky main dishes, good wines and fair prices were everything I needed to surprise my guests with a dining experience one would not expect to find there.

Yet, unfortunately time changes. Menus get different over the years. And for some reasons prices never stay the same. Nor decrease. Never.

Probably the best Caucasian experience in the Old Town

Before sounding too mean to the people who served me many appreciated meals over the years, I need to make one thing clear: Must Lammas offer GOOD food to its customers.

It might not be mouth watering, it won’t be aesthetically too impressive but it tastes good.

Sometimes even damn good, if you order the only dish offered in the fish section of the menu: the Kutap (12.70 Eur)– a stewed trout with estragon, raisins and plum – or the Ktshush (13.50 Eur) – a dish of stewed mutton with eggplant, paprika and French beans.

 A little cheaper = a lot better

As mentioned in the intro, if one should seek negative points about Must Lammas in Tallinn, these could not avoid mentioning the prices in the menu.

I am not sure about the intentions the owners of Must Lammas had but, trust me, although the place looks and feels nice, asking 5.70 Euros for a Basturma appetizer really seems out of this world.

Over the years everything got a little less tasty and pricier than it used to be, bringing even a 0.75cl of house wine up to 16.60Euros – too much for its quality and too much for being the year 2011.

I truly hope to soon change my mind (and my review) about Must Lammas but, as for now, the place does not out-stand in the Tallinn dining scene nor beats terrific competitors of its very same category as Aed, Kloostri Ait and Leib.

How to get there:

Since I’ve arrived in Estonia, I’ve been visiting many restaurants or so called where they sell “Sushis”. As this kind of food seems to be very popular in here, I was expecting for quite some time to find also some “real” Japanese food. Because whatever people say, they don’t eat Sushi as they call it, but Maki most of the time. Of course, you can also find sushi, but that’s more or less about it. The choice is very often limited.
So one can imagine my surprise when I saw for the first time in Tatari street a Japanese restaurant called “Sakura”, where you would read the word “Ramen” on the front window. First time I could see one word related to Japanese food, which was not ‘Sushi’

Located in Sakala 20, corner with Tatari street, the place looks really modest from the outside, and the simple wooden tables do not look appealing at first glance. But hell to the appearance, a place who knows what a “Ramen” is might for sure have some interest and be worth trying.

When I went with my colleagues right after the opening, it was more than easy to get a table during lunch time. If you want to have your seat during the week, you better come not too late. The place is full really often, and as I will come to it, it deserves this success.

The food :

The menu offers a nice variety of food and some typical dishes like “Ramen”, Sashimis (on this one I have to insist as so few places know how to prepare them and even worse, usually they don’t even offer any), DonBuri, Tempura, etc..

The prices are reasonable and although they don’t offer any Päevapraad, people who want to discover a new kind of Japanese food are welcomed to give a try and give their feedback on the comments.

My personal favorites: The Ramen (with pork) and the Hot chocolate cake which is just amazingly good.

The Service :

This is actually a tricky part. I’ve been several times there, and unfortunately, fifty percent of the time we were not really delighted with the quality of the service. Not anything linked with the food, but mainly because of some waitresses. First one had some problems understanding that people usually are working during the week and that nearly two hours for a normal lunch is not the usual trend. Second one was a bit trickier. Not only she made some mistakes in the orders although we asked in Estonian, but after that, surely because of some very high mathematical problems, she refused to divide the bill so people could pay separately.

One thing to balance this, the owner, obviously the same one who is cooking nearly alone came to apologize once about the service.

Conclusion: for the people who want to enjoy a nice meal, a bit more exotic and Japanese than places like ShushiCat or Sushihouse, I strongly recommend Sakura as probably one of the best (not to say the only) Japanese restaurant in Tallinn.

http://www.restoransakura.ee

Although life in Estonia thought me a lot in terms of food and quality I am allowed to expect from my lunch breaks, there still a good bunch of spots ready to disappoint me for something already quite famous in Estonia: (im) politeness of the service.

While looking for a place where to go for a mid-casual lunch with guests, I once decided to give Platz a try: the place looked quite cool, prices seemed decent and people inside looked like what would match with a relaxed business lunch.

Once inside, the initial impressions were also good: the menu seemed full of tasty names to try and the place did not have any kind of annoying too loud music in the background nor any loud customer shouting on the phone as sometimes (sigh!) can happen also in Tallinn.

Being fond of duck and Italian cheeses, I had no intention to miss the chance to try some of my favorite food and therefore I called the waitress to give her my order.

A quite cute brunette came to my table with a damn bored expression in her face, took the order and repeated it right in the microphone of her Matrix-style headset. Which I find strange since Platz (at least for lunch) is a one-room-restaurant with a kitchen not more far than some twenty steps from the first tables.

But “Ok.” I think, “They probably like to make it fancy so – why should I judge them for this?”

Then I started to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

*Half an hour*

And wait.

*40 minutes*

I keep waiting.

So, why not!, I decide that it might be time to call the bored-yet-cute brunette and ask something about my food – especially as I start thinking  that, maybe for some connections problem, my order never traveled from her mic to the ear of the chef.

“A-ha” she says. As she leaves

*One hour *

Still nothing on my table and the bored-yet-cute brunette clearly avoids crossing my eyes. She has no intention to give me any explanation although she is not really doing anything other than playing with the cord of her headset with her bored-yet-nice fingers.

But I am hungry and running out of time – plus this is not Double Coffee and I might even be entitled for some courtesy as a restaurant customer.

I stand up. I go to her.  Try to investigate a bit. “I am sorry but this is taking a bit too much time. Can you ask about my duck leg?”

“A-ha” , she answers before leaving to take the order of some newcomers while the old customers, more or less all in the same situation as me, started to get loud.

*1 hour 15 minutes*

Enough. I am hungry and I did not come with any paper from work – so I have nothing to read to kill the waiting. Plus, I just cannot wait for too much anymore: I am hungry but I have some job I need to do. I need to tell her.

“I am sorry but I just can’t make it. Can I have the bill for the drinks at least?”

“A-ha” she says before leaving as usual and coming back with my duck leg.
A once upon a time juicy and now dead cold duck leg.

With no explanation, a 210 EEK bill and the inquisitive look of the bored-yet-cute one for my not leaving her any tip next to the dead cold leg.

[If this story is not enough for you to avoid the place, Platz Restaurant is in Roseni 7, Tallinn. If instead you want to tell them about this miserable review, you can reach the trendy restaurant Platz (Cit. InYourPocket) at info@platz.ee. To discuss with the author a comment to the post will do.]

Although it might be true that the presence of some different Estonian (or Russian) babes is for many a good point for choosing a restaurant instead of another, opening Kapten Tenkeš door (Parnu mantee 30) is becoming more and more the beginning of a great lunch break.

The place is nothing new in Tallinn dining scene: it was there when I arrived in Tallinn back quite some years ago and it is still there in Parnu mantee today, with its (bit fatty) good food and its damn reasonable prices.

All enriched by a great courtesy, something that makes the two men working in the restaurant more than adorable.

The daily meal

For some 45eek (!!!), the table has been filled with a big enough schnitzels to kill the morning hunger and get me ready for a productive evening. All enriched by a good portion of oven baked potatoes and couple of table spoons of fresh salad.

Nothing fancy but, trust me, way above average both for quality and quantity. Especially as we are talking about a three-euros meal.

The place

Kapten Tenkeš looks like how I expected Hungarian restaurants to be some twenty years ago – pity I have never had the luck to go to Hungary and discover the correctness of my expectations.

Still, the place looks warm and comfortable, all decorated with wood, garlic and some old photos picturing some famous Hungarian people whom I never had the luck to meet before.

The big windows giving right on the crossroads between Parnu mantee and Sakala are also quite interesting as they offer the chance to spend the lunch break discovering all the very many ways people in Estonia try to destroy brand new Lexus and Bmw’s both driving randomly and parking wildly on the sidewalk.

A hint

Kapten Tenkeš is one of the few places that makes me forget about my beloved Coca Cola Light and go for something different.

Try the house wine (no, not the Merlot – as they might propose you. Go really for the house wine) and get ready for the enjoyable sweetness of a glass of what proved being a great companion for the meat based dishes prepared in the kitchen.

Of course considering that alcohol is dangerous for health and blah, blah, blah…

I must first of all apologize for not being very present on the blog, but I’ve been pretty busy lately – work, holiday, laziness, procrastination, etc..

I have nevertheless taken some time to take care of the appearance of the blog to make it a little bit more “Attractive” shall we say. I hope that my numerous readers will not be offended and will see the soul that lies beneath this ephemeral graphic outlook.

Back from vacation, I decided with a friend – on his recommendation – to eat near a place I already knew, Von Krahl. Aed Restaurant is actually part of Von Krahl, located in the old town in Rataskaevu 8 (see google map below). With this kind of weather, warmer than we should have to live with, there was no way I would eat on the outside, but if possible in a cold enough place not to have to leave the restaurant with five kilos less water in the body.

The entrance is very similar to a Tea café/Restaurant, and the small shelf with cakes and drinks next to the bar does not suggest that this is indeed a restaurant. However, listening to my courage, or rather more thanks to my friend – whom as a journalist only has good advices – we passed the door of what would prove to be one of my best restaurant’s experience since I arrived in Estonia.

With a bit of scenery “Old Fashioned” chairs and tables with colors from the 30′s or older, stone walls but no wallpaper and very simple lamps, Aed Restaurant will not impress those who are fans of kitsch or ultra posh furniture. No, what stands out and you can notice is the simplicity of the place. Three rooms plus a small courtyard, a few tables comparing the size of the premises, there is finally a restaurant where you can eat in peace, with a background music which does not disturb or make the silence too strange.

The waitresses, always two at a time are more than polite, always smiling and very charming. When I came back on two other occasions, I was pleased to discover at least five different waitresses, all equally enjoyable. This leaves me, seriously wondering about how restaurants in Tallinn can find so many pretty waitresses. Would there be a revolving fund or some sort of secret tank? But anyway, the investigation will be for another day.

Having tried each time a new dish, I can properly tell you about the food: absolutely no disappointment whatsoever for starters, main meals or desserts. From the Salmon Carpaccio with big salt, through the duck and pasta, to finish with a delicious crème brulée which delighted my gastronomic expectations, Aed restaurant got the top mark on my score sheet. The dishes are simple but always served with adapted sauce and vegetables, the cooking times are good, and I even ate the different soya seeds and similar healthy bio whatever with the salad – which I would have never expected as a real carnivore.

And what about the holy moment when I slipped a spoon full of this delicious “Icy Cold Cheese Cake” in the palm of my mouth – not without a slight feeling of eroticism in the act – to discover an explosion of happiness. A dessert both smooth and fresh, with taste, yes I said taste! Me, myself and I, defenders of the menus with only a starter and a main meal. I would add that just for those enjoying the cold and crunchy side of ice just taken out from the freezer, I suggest asking to the waitress to serve the dessert very cold, because it has a tendency to quickly warm up because of the temperatures we had since the last days.

For information, cost for desserts are between 35 and 50eek (the crème brulée is indicated 45eek on internet but I paid 5eek more).

I can already hear you, advised and smart visitors thinking that this must be expensive and far from the goal of this blog “Paevapraed”. Ei ole! They also have Paevapraed, which today was really tasty vegetables’ Kotlets for 60eek. Only the duck, rabbit and beef tenderloin are a bit more expensive – between 140 and 160eek.

I will go back with no doubt, and with the greatest of pleasures.

http://vonkrahl.ee/toit/restoranaed/menuu/paevapakkumine.

When you live in Tallinn, if there is one place you can’t really avoid if you want to eat pizza or eat in the shopping center Solaris, it is Vapiano. Located on the first floor of the shopping center, with also an entrance on the second floor, this is certainly the biggest Italian restaurant you can find in Tallinn. Well, if we can really call it a restaurant.

The first time you enter the place, you are impressed by the size and the really high ceiling, the big windows showing the Opera in front and the nice blue sky if you go during summer. If you are coming from downstairs through the first floor entrance, once up the stairs, you’ll definitely understand that you’re not in a classic restaurant. Welcome in the world of Italian Fast Food.

If we summarize, four possibilities are offered to the customers, Pizza, pasta, antipasti/soup/Salad or the bar where they sell alcohol, desserts or coffee (and many other things but I’m really lazy to sum up the entire menu).

I’ve tried them all. So I will go point after point:

Pizza: Certainly my favorite and for me one of the best option. The people cooking are fast, effective and also speak and understand a good English, or even better, understand me when I try to order in Estonian. The taste is good and for the cheapest pizza, the salami one, you can go for it without any bad surprise as well as the other ones. And thank god, they do not propose pizzas with Pineapple!

Pasta: Officially, nothing to complain neither about the taste. Large selection and fresh pasta prepared under your eyes in the “zoo” box next to the exit on the second floor. They also cook it in front of you and I must admit that it is faster than many restaurants. You have also the option to add extra stuff in the meal and they are for sure not greedy when putting parmiggianno – believe me, this is a very important point. Negative point, the queue! If you choose to go during the rushing hour, between 12.00 and 13.00, you might have to wait a bit and feel like in a real fast food when you wait that the people in front of you will chose fast their damned burgers.

Salads/Antipasti/Soup: Positive rating for the salads which are big enough to fill in your stomach and are usually also very tasty. Antipasti could be improved, especially the Bruschettas which look like more a fast sandwich you prepare at home and not what you could expect from such a place.

The bar: Nothing Special. Espresso is average like in most of the restaurants in here, Desserts are already made cakes and a few people are usually taking it for lunch. I will just underline the quality of the service as the women usually working behind the bar are as expressive as an icewall and usually make my drinks cold just by touching them. But who can blame them when you work in a super Fast food.

As many will have noticed, besides I’ve been quite mean about Vapiano, although I still have been many times and I know I will come back. Why? Because I’m French, I like to complain and I’m always picky about food. I’m also thinking about going on strike, but it will be for another post.

To make a nice and totally objective conclusion, Vapiano IS a fast food, whatever you’ll tell me, I prefer the nice little Italian restaurant which you’ll find in a dark and empty street and where you’ll be surprised by the atmosphere and the food. But, I’m also enjoying form time to time this fast eating where you gather with lots of other people around you and feel like some part of a group.

Vapiano is certainly not the hell on earth, neither the highest Italian gastronomy, but they don’t advertise about this, and I must admit the success of the place is deserved giving the impressive organization and amount of people they are feeding every day.