Tallinn II - Cuisine
Before visiting a new place I am used to read a lot about it on internet websites. I did the same for Estonia and Tallinn in particular. One of the things which scared me more was food... In fact, on Estonian cuisine I read stuff like:
For a lot of foreign visitors, traditional Estonian food can be, frankly, daunting. People from most parts of the world are simply not used to chowing down on marinated eel, or swallowing spoonfuls of jellied meat for that matter. And it goes without saying that a lot of people would flinch before attempting anything called 'blood sausage' [1]
Well, I have to say that I enjoyed Estonian food a lot. As I am curious and I like to taste local dishes and drinks, I appreciated in particular two typical restourants both proposed by my friend Kriss (travel with somebody knowing the place is always a *plus*):
Kuldse Notsu Kõrts is located closed to the Town Hall Square in a street in front of the Town Hall. The traditional fornitures (almost everything in wood) are well disposed and curated. Thare I tasted for the first time 'kali' an Estonian soft drink, a bread with pork meat and an interesting Estonian dessert [2].
Olde Hansa is located closed to the Town Hall Square as well but behind Town Hall. It is more expensive but really a unique place. Candles all around and in the soft light you can admire painting on the walls with old Middle Ages maps, it seems to jump back at that time... also toliettes are unique and Middle Ages style [3]. Food is amazing and finally I had the chance to taste the famous "claret" an interesting liquor coming from old tradition (be careful it is dynamite... youan't get the alcohol at the beginning...). Here, it is possible to taste bear meat as well. All this came with a really funny and polite waitress dressed in Middle Ages style and speaking an ancient Estonian (that's what my Estonian friend told me) and of course English...
Another interesting liquor is 'Vana Tallinn' a dark brown strong liqueur with a mild rum taste.
Good lesson... not trust to much to websites and don't be scared to taste new things... sometimes results are a good surprise.
[1] Estonian cuisine link
[2] Kuldse Notsu Kõrts Travels2005->Tallinn I
[3] Olde Hansa pics section Travels2005->Tallinn III
For a lot of foreign visitors, traditional Estonian food can be, frankly, daunting. People from most parts of the world are simply not used to chowing down on marinated eel, or swallowing spoonfuls of jellied meat for that matter. And it goes without saying that a lot of people would flinch before attempting anything called 'blood sausage' [1]
Well, I have to say that I enjoyed Estonian food a lot. As I am curious and I like to taste local dishes and drinks, I appreciated in particular two typical restourants both proposed by my friend Kriss (travel with somebody knowing the place is always a *plus*):
Kuldse Notsu Kõrts is located closed to the Town Hall Square in a street in front of the Town Hall. The traditional fornitures (almost everything in wood) are well disposed and curated. Thare I tasted for the first time 'kali' an Estonian soft drink, a bread with pork meat and an interesting Estonian dessert [2].
Olde Hansa is located closed to the Town Hall Square as well but behind Town Hall. It is more expensive but really a unique place. Candles all around and in the soft light you can admire painting on the walls with old Middle Ages maps, it seems to jump back at that time... also toliettes are unique and Middle Ages style [3]. Food is amazing and finally I had the chance to taste the famous "claret" an interesting liquor coming from old tradition (be careful it is dynamite... youan't get the alcohol at the beginning...). Here, it is possible to taste bear meat as well. All this came with a really funny and polite waitress dressed in Middle Ages style and speaking an ancient Estonian (that's what my Estonian friend told me) and of course English...
Another interesting liquor is 'Vana Tallinn' a dark brown strong liqueur with a mild rum taste.
Good lesson... not trust to much to websites and don't be scared to taste new things... sometimes results are a good surprise.
[1] Estonian cuisine link
[2] Kuldse Notsu Kõrts Travels2005->Tallinn I
[3] Olde Hansa pics section Travels2005->Tallinn III
posted by Paolo Ciccarese at 6:51 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Paolo - I'm glad to read that you enjoyed your food in Tallinn. I've been both to Kuldse Notsu Kõrts and Olde Hansa, and the latter is one of my favourites. The food is a bit heavy, granted, but I really dig the atmosphere!
Post a Comment
<< Home