After a very long time without having time to write any review, I must admit I felt like a small hole inside of me. I was extremely worried to disappoint all my visitors, so I wanted to make a special review, something different. And finally I realized that I’m really far from being a writer nor having any fans, so I will stick to my old way to do and that’s all.
The summer is finally in Estonia, people are outside, enjoying every sunshine bit and warming up their blood as much as possible to prepare certainly the next winter. But I decided to go in a dark and not so warm place, Väike Paris. Located in Vabaduse väljak 9, in the tunnel. The access is quite easy and even if not the most attractive one, the inside when you are just in front looks very nice and cozy.
Because this is clearly a café and you should never expect more. I went with two colleagues there for lunch. Normal time to eat, around 12.30, not too many people inside certainly due to the beautiful weather outside, it was perfect. This way we would not wait for long. After entering, you can check the walls and see some stereotyped pictures of Paris, or something looking like Paris. I would not have been surprised to see “The Kiss” from Robert Doisneau. The tables are certainly made to look like a French café, as well as some other decorations.
Now let’s go straight to the point, the service and the food.
The service, hum, or can we really call it so? Because two girls (yes I haven’t seen man even once)are starring at you, not smiling, whom you’re obviously disturbing when you come to order your food, and this is a real problem for me. Not because in France they will always smile to you, on the contrary except if you are a nice looking girl, but more because their location is not the best and number of customers is not so high that they can be that picky. But well, maybe I am the one too picky. This is not the funniest job and place, so I can forgive them from time to time.
About the food now. The main goal was to try at least something typical from this place, and something else. So I took Pirukad as a starter and a Caesar Salad as the main dish. One more time I didn’t take the Päevapraed, but I really didn’t want what they were offering. Shame on me, maybe I would not have been so mean and sarcastic in the following lines.
I must admit that the Pirukad and pastries, as well as some salty cakes are good. Nothing to complain and I would even give a good rate to it. My mistake, well our mistake because we all made it, was to order a normal meal from the menu, A Caesar salad for two of us, and pasta carbonara for the third one.
I won’t spend lines and lines complaining about the taste, because there was not any, at least for the salad. The most astonishing thing was the size of the meals. The smallest I might have ever seen in all my life for a “main” meal. Yes, Caesar salad IS a main meal in any other place. A kid could have held the salad in one hand without problem and there was more sauce, or something similar, than salad and parmesan. Pasta were around the same except that the taste was maybe a bit better. For the price we paid, 70eek, I’m afraid it is not something normal. I didn’t see at the entrance a board with “Restaurant for Anorexics”. I should maybe have been checking more carefully.
But my point is more “Don’t serve meals if you are not able to serve proper ones, focus on cakes and café/hot chocolate/cappuccino etc…”
They certainly make good hot drinks, but never again I’ll go to this place to eat for lunch.


12 Comments
I must strongly disagree here. Yes, the service is crap (i.e. average for Estonia), and yes the Caesar salat is a bit small. But quiches, desserts, pancakes are really, really good value. The daily soup is also very good and pretty cheap. Plus the atmosphere is nice and cosy (yet a bit fake, you can say)…
I’ve been to this place quite many times and definitely will go back again, for most of the food is worth its price, both in quantity and quality.
Haha, this was a funny review. Btw, you might want to correct the category name. It’s “Vanalinn”, not “Vanallin”.
Keep it up!
Kivi, i understand your concern and if you read carefully, I said that they have really good bakery and pastry stuff, which in my mind included quiche.
For the soup, I don’t know yet.
Regarding the fans: you have ones;) At least, I am the fan of your articles trully, even though this one seems to be written in rush.
Anyway, about the place. I can just say good things about it cause I always liked the service (I even remember the staff’s smiles!) The pastry is also very good as was mentioned, and the place itself – decoration etc. And usually there are quite a lot people there, most of the tables are occupied. Maybe they should just stop offering the real food if it’s not appropriate and deal with usual cafe stuff.
Mah. They used to have quite good sandwiches – for surroundings standards – but the fact that they have only two or three every day is quite frustrating.
Cause it means that if you do not buy it in early in the morning…well…for a quick lunch you are then forced to go on the R-Kiosk in front that – it is clear, it manages to be even worse.
But something must have changed there as, right after the opening, portions and politeness were dramatically different.
I will go back there the say I will not be welcomed with a “double coffee style” “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”…
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This is new blog for me. It was happy experience. Well Done!
Closed down now (couple of months ago). I wonder if that is down to poor food/service or poor location? I think the former. If you get it right – then people will cross town to come to you. If you get it wrong, doesn’t matter if you are next door.
Closed probably because they opened it in Rocca Al Mare, with the same staff (the very smiling girls etc…
).
I think they moved mainly because of the location. Not enough people coming while the rent might have been quite high.
Cool stuff, thanks for the tips! How often do you normally write? It doesn’t look like it’s all too regular. Do you have any RSS Feeds or similar so i can know when you’re writing a new article ?.
Thx
I love the article !