Tales of a social eater: July 2016

Tallinn is just a stone's throw away from Helsinki, which is why I can't believe I haven't been there more often. It only takes 3 hours by ferry boat to reach the harbour of Estonia's beautiful old city. Although it's not the most romantic boatrip (due to a lot of people drinking) it's totally worth the travel.
Tallinn is such a historical city with it's beautiful old town with loads of nice cafés and restaurants. Although we were just there for one night, we still managed to fit in four restaurant visits in such a short time. All of which were amazing but different from each other.

As soon as we arrived in the harbour at about four o'clock in the evening it was pouring with rain. It was raining so much and really windy that I was sure the whole trip was going to be a waste of time.
Luckily I was wrong. We checked into the hotel and hit the old town which was located right next to the harbour.
Right in the beginning of the old town while I was photographing I suddenly noticed a restaurant sign of a restaurant called Leib which I had been recommended...so we walked into the small garden to have a late lunch or early pre dinner.

At Leib we only had some starters since we were still going to have a long dinner in the evening.
The restaurant is situated in the end of a small garden. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful and cosy with lamb rugs on the backs of the chairs. You can choose to sit outdoors on the patio and watch the chefs grill your meat on the barbee (BBQ) or sit indoors in the warming restaurant with dark wood panels on the walls. If you're a group of 6 or 8, make sure to reserve the table right by the entrance right beside the fireplace and big windows....atleast I wish I had sat at this table.

Kalamatsi dairy farm pan-fried cheese with jerusalem artichoke and rosemary-honey sauce

Roasted potato broth with crispy bread and horseradish cream

Whitefish roe with marinated potatoes and smoked sour cream

Leib rest beef tartar with toasty mayonnaise and marinated radish

Later that same night we went to Noa, where I had already booked a table. It's not in the city but it only takes about 15-20mins by taxi. Noa is a really modern restaurant located right by the sea. The view from the big windows is spectacular and really romantic, especially when the sun goes down. Lucky for us it had stopped raining by now, so when it was time for the sunset I just had to walk outside to take in the beautiful fluorescent scarlett pink sky. The location is amazing and the food was really good as well. I've heard mixed reviews on this restaurant and I can agree with many of them. I had mixed feelings on the food. The starters were really good and so was the dessert, however the mains were not up to my expectations, they were good but not amazing. This place is still definitely a must visit if you do want to enjoy a dinner with good food and a great view. Perfect for a good impression on a first date or anniversary.

Raw beef fed with beer

Cabbage, algae,cucumber, sprouts, yuzu vinaigrette

Scallop, kataifi, tom-yum, wake, shallots

Rack of lamb, yoghurt sauce, hummus, beetroot, celery stalks

Leg of king crab, potato, saffron, powdered egg

raspberry hot-pot, pastry cream, crispy almond crumbs, basil sorbet

The following day we had lunch at restaurant Sfäär, a casual restaurant combined with a shop. The restaurant was really popular and even though I had made a reservation the only tables left was one inside the clothes shop on the sofa or one right next to the entrance. We chose the latter. Photographically speaking though I should've chosen the sofa cause of the lighting. We were sitting at a table with a bright yellow plexi glass causing all the food to look a bit yellowish...It didn't make the food taste worse but please bare with my pics :D (luckily there's lightroom)

King prawn tempura with wasabi mayonnaise and wakame salad

Tuna ceviche with watermelon, grapefruit, soy gel and avocado cream

SfääR's "toast skagen" with prawns, lemon mayonnaise, fish roe and buttery white bread

Beef tartar with capers, shallots, mustard-yoghurt mayonnaise and buttery white bread

After a wonderful walk around the city in perfect sunny weather it was almost time to head back to the ferry. We stopped by for drinks at a really kitsch bar Manna la Roosa which I just couldn't walk past without having a look inside first (good excuse to have a Napue and Hendricks gin and tonic. It's an old wooden house with all the weirdest things hanging off the walls. So cool in a weird and colourful way.

Around the corner is a modern Japanese restaurant Ozo owned by a Finnish guy which has just recently opened it's doors. It was quiet inside but we still decided to give it a go. The interior is really cool with moss and plants on the walls and they don't only serve sushi. We chose a 5 course menu for two. I really hope people find this restaurant cause it was really worth the travel. The 5 course tasting menu cost only 58€ for two persons including a glass of wine each...now that's cheap. It was the perfect dinner to end the trip and I'm so happy we found this place. Now I see that it even includes a 6th dish, a dessert :) Definitely a must visit next time I go again.