Here’s how to get hold of that very special bottle of wine that you see at your friends’ place.A fortnight ago K. and I were invited to have dinner with some good old friends of his, Peter & Kristel. We had a lovely meal, drank some good wine (and pomegranate juice) and watched holiday pictures from South Africa, where the couple had spent the New Year’s Eve. It was my first visit to their place, so I was shown around the house (lots of lovely art, a captivating fish tank). Before we continued with biltong and fig compote, we stood for a while next to the couple’s wine collection.It was then that K. spotted a precious bottle of Burgundy: Clos de la Roche, Patriarche Père et Fils (Beaune, 1992). K. is into wine, big time, so he came up with a cunning idea.So it happened that last...
The people behind the Estonian Gastronomy Award, SilverSpoon, have named Stenhus the Best Gourmet Restaurant in Estonia for three years in a row now (2004, 2005, 2006). And I can see why. It's a charming venue with wonderful atmosphere and gorgeous food. I was definitely sold the moment I stepped down those medieval stairs, and when I saw that they had have a Menu Estonie, I knew it was my kind of place. A bit pricey, granted, but well worth (my bf's) money. K. took me there last July, when I was still an expat-Estonian, so a special 'Estonian menu' at an upmarket restaurant was instantly appealing. I love Estonian food - especially our way with mushrooms, our humble grain porridges and fluffy mousses, hearty soups, and the simple desserts consisting of wild berries. But in the fancy...
One of my favourite restaurants back home is Olde Hansa, the Medieval Restaurant of Tallinn. The name highlights that Tallinn used to be a member of the Hanseatic League, a medieval network of trade towns in the Northern Europe. Olde Hansa is a fun and wonderful restaurant in a huge medieval warehouse, just off the Town Hall Square in Tallinn's Old Town. I like the candlelight medieval atmosphere, I like the music, I like the food (their thick mushroom soup is divine!), their slightly OTT medieval pub style service. I simply love the place and it's one of the restaurants I always try to visit when at home.Few years ago they started selling spicy sugared almonds outside the restaurant (above), and public events around the town. These have become a huge success both among the numerous...
Late last Friday I had a chance to put on my prettiest frock and highest heels, adjust K's tie and sit into a cab that took us to the annual (the first for me) Silver Spoon gala dinner hosted by the Gastronomy Society of Estonia. The show began at 11pm and lasted until the wee hours of the morning. We enjoyed a lovely five course meal with matched wines (see the menu further down) and only left a little before 3am!!Here's a list of winners and nominees - might come handy for those of you planning to visit this little country of mine in the near future:)SilverSpoon 2006 winnersBEST COURMET RESTAURANTEgoist, Tallinn - nomineeStenhus, Tallinn - winnerPädaste, Muhu - nomineeBEST RESTAURANTBocca - nomineeGloria - winnerHouse - nomineeBEST CAFECafe Truffe, Tartu - winnerMüüriäärne kohvik,...
