Celebrating New Year's Eve in Tallinn?!

This post is mainly for those food-oriented people in Tallinn who haven't yet decided where to celebrate New Year's Eve this year. Here are some alternatives worth considering - not paid ads, mind you, but events that some of my favourite establishments are throwing that I'd be happy to attend if I wouldn't be celebrating the New Year's Eve at home with my lovely K., our two adorable kids and some great friends.

What are your plans - in Tallinn or elsewhere - for the New Year's Eve? 

MOON ("Poppy" in Estonian) is a wonderful family-run restaurant just outside the city centre, in the outskirts of Kalamaja. It's run by the Zaštšerinski power-couple - he (Roman) is the head chef, she (Jana) is the hostess-sommelier, and they're assisted by another head chef, Roman's first cousin Igor Andrejev. They're inviting people to a 1920s inspired New Year's Eve party, with even more inspired menu and live music:

Warming welcome drink
Beetroot, cauliflower and whitefish roe "Martini"
Home-smoked eel, spicy carrots, herby brioche
Sauteéd lamb filet, mache, tomato and yoghurt
Pan-fried whitefish, tartare sauce, quail eggs, fresh horseradish
Duck and sauerkraut kulebyaka with mulled wine gravy
Warm chocolate cake with blueberry compote, sour cream ice cream, and meringue


55 Euros for a six-course meal per person, drinks not included
Reservation required: kohvik@kohvikmoon.ee

NEH is a atmospheric small upscale restaurant that I've blogged about before (see here). It's a truly seasonal restaurant that's only open from Autumn till Spring, when all the core staff packs their bags and return to their original premises at Pädaste on Muhu island.

The team @ NEH are inviting you to a dazzling New Year's Party.

NEH's New Year’s Eve Menu

Pan-fried scallop
Gotland black truffle & caramelized cauliflower
Bisque with Laeso langoustines (I had a chance to taste that dish at a recent special event, and it was truly flavoursome and lovely)
Roasted goose with smoked black plums and cranberries
red cabbage with juniper, Alvados glazed apples
Tridura cheese soufflé
walnut in birch syrup & pear compote
Sea-buckthorn chiboust with a golden shadow

Dinner and entertainment 70 € per guest
Matching wine menu 45 € per guest
Children under the age of 13 – 40 € per person
Reservation required: info@neh.ee
Dress code: Black tie

KÖÖK ('Kitchen') is a charming private restaurant in Tallinn's Old Town, with an English-born head chef Tim Bramich. They're inviting you to a festive feast, starting at 8pm and lasting till 1 am. The extensive buffet table features vodka-infused gravlax with bliny, spiced parsnip soup, proper English fish and chips, a rabbit Mole Poblano, and star anise flavoured chocolate mousse cake with mascarpone cream, among other dishes.

65 Euros for the dinner per person, wine is included (Prosecco and spirits cost extra).
Reservation required: info@kook.fi

Maison Pic, Valance, France (Restaurant review)

Sorry about the hiatus. We've just spent 10 days travelling (and eating!) in Normandie and Bretagne with our little family. While we unpack our bags and upload the photos, I'll share some photos from our last trip to France in August 2009. Back then we were still three - our daughter just 7,5 months old - and we had a chance to eat in two 3-star restaurants. Excellent meals both, and I'll start with Anne-Sophie Pic's restaurant, where we had a lunch, a full tasting menu and breakfast.

Anne-Sophie Pic (born in 1969) is the head chef at La Maison Pic in Valance, France. She's a third-generation la chef cuisinier of the family restaurant, which was previously run by her dad and grand-dad. She earned the third Michelin star already at the age of 37, and is one of the only two female chefs in France and of female chefs in the world to win the accolade. Earlier this year she was also named the World's Best Female Chef (you can read an excellent synopsis of her culinary credentials and history here). Even before that last award, I was extremely excited about the chance to have lunch and dinner at her restaurant. Valance isn't on most tourist routes, but as we were driving down from Lyon to our friends' wedding in Sauzet further South, it was conveniently on the way. Lucky me :)

Anne-Sophie with her dad and grandfather:


Upon arrival we had some nibbles in the courtyard, while our room was being prepared. From left to right: tomato and lemon macaroon, basil and ricotta sphere, peanut marshmallow, foie gras and apple:




That was a great alternative to the more usual nut selection:


After settling into our spacious room, we headed for lunch at Bistrot Le 7. The name Le 7 is an homage to Route Nationale 7, a famous motorway connecting Paris and Côte d’Azur (The French Wench has written more about it).


Le tarte fine croustillante de saumon salma, légumes croquants aux aromates (for me):


K. was very pleased with his tomato starter - Les tomates de variétés anciennes, crémeux de mozzarella di bufala - one of the reasons why he's so supportive of my grow-as-many-tomato-varieties-as-you-can hobby:


For the main course, I went for the veal dish - Le poitrine de veau, confite aux aromates, etuvée fondante de fenouils et poivrons rouges:


K. chose the cod - Le cabillaud, cuit sur la peau a la'huile d'olive,fondant de carottes des sables a la fleur de thym:


For dessert, I opted for the classic strawberry-basil combination - Le fraisier version 2009; biscuit pistache, sorbet basilic (for me):


K. opted for the cheese plate:


We were very pleased with our lunch - it was flavoursome and very pleasing to the eye.

We had a pretty late dinner. I apologise for the quality of the photos - there wasn't any natural light, of course, and we didn't want to use the flash. We opted for the News Menu (or Menu Actualités), which was the one of the tasting menues on offer.


I loved the personal touches on the cutlery and dishes (see also the amuse bouche plate above):




Summer truffle:


Veal sweetbread:


Foie gras:


Lobster tail in a spicy broth:


I loved the cucumber crocant that accompanied this subtly flavoured fish:


Rinse-bouche: coffee granita with Limoncello foam:


A beautiful cheese board:


Mignardises:


A very pretty dessert with raspberry sorbet:


Overall the food was very tasty. We appreciated that Anne-Sophie Pic came to personally greet us at the end of the meal and speak about the difficulties of travelling and dining out with a baby :) She had seen our little daughter, sleeping at the Reception (we had asked about being allowed into the restaurant with the baby and they assured us it's fine and that they're happy to babysit the baby during our meal - which the kind receptionists ended up doing. Very thoughtful).

However, when looking at the visual side of the meal, it was all quite pared down and beige-brown (NB! I'm talking about dinner here!). We had another 3-star meal during our trip (@ Régis Marcon's restaurant), which was visually much more entertaining and impressive (our only other comparison is with lunch @ El Bulli in 2008). The only real 'eye candy' was the dessert.

Breakfast - croissants and other pastries, yoghurt verrines, some fresh fruit:








Oh, the hotel gave our daughter a little present - a green soft frog with Maison Pic's shawl. She loved (eating) it :)


Here's me, my daughter and the Chef, just before we checked out:


Would I go again? Yes, definitely - both for the food, for the hotel, and for the beautiful chef :)

Leib: Resto & Aed (Tallinn restaurant review)

I'll be doing a series of photo reviews of various restaurants here and there. 

Photo: Liina Vahter

Leib: resto ja aed (this translates as Bread: restaurant and garden) is probably one of the most atmospheric and stylish outdoor dining areas in Tallinn right now. We've had an exceptionally lovely summer with long, warm, light nights, and not much rain - and I've had the pleasure of spending few evenings at this place. The photos here are taken in late July, when my dear friends Emma & Michael were visiting from Edinburgh and I was keen to show that summers in Estonia can be so much nicer and warmer and drier than they were ever in Scotland :D

Leib was opened earlier this summer, when a group of young food and wine enthusiasts took over the former Scottish Club. There are two guys behind the restaurant - Kristjan Peäske (one of the best sommeliers in Estonia) and Janno Lepik (has worked in London's Babylon and Rhodes WI), and their mission is to serve simple food that's made from best and freshest ingredients and doesn't cost a fortune.

They've done well. The food is excellent and indeed, not over-priced. The service is extremely friendly and confident, the atmosphere really enjoyable. I'm worried a lot of the charm is based on their excellent outdoor seating area, but I do hope the place is just as charming when they move indoors for the cooler months.

Rabbit fritters with red wine mayonnaise:


The bread:


Puff pastry tart with rocket/arugula and ricotta cheese:


Fish of the day: pan-fried European perch with sautéed vegetables:


Pan-fried free-range chicken breast (may sound simple, but finding a free-range chicken in Estonia is quite a feat!):


Strawberry soup with ice cream:


Crème brûlée with rye bread crumbs:


Caramel kissel with blackcurrants and oats:


On a previous visit I enjoyed a cold clear tomato broth with herbs and curd cheese pudding with crispy rhubarb sauce, grilled lamb's liver. Definitely worth a visit, whether it's just the food or a glass of wine with something light alongisde. You'll find Leib's contact details here.

Eesti lugejatele: Nami-Nami foorumis on Leib: resto ja aed teema siin, nende Facebooki fännilehe leiate siit.

Pädaste moves to the city and becomes NEH

I've blogged about Pädaste, a luxurious manor house/boutique hotel on MUHU island, on Nami-Nami before - back in January 2007, when we spent a romantic winter night there. Since then I've been back for a quick visit couple of times on our way to Saaremaa. We also spent a very charming and delicious two days there back in August - sorry, never got around to blogging about it, but suffice to say that the food blew me away - it was extremely delicious and full of positive surprises.

However, the number of local and international tourists to MUHU island during the winter season drops considerably, and it's simply not financially viable to keep the manor house fully functional throughout the winter. So this season the chefs and staff of the Pädaste restaurant moved to the harbour area of the capital, Tallinn, and opened a charming little restaurant called NEH. They're placed in a little house on Lootsi 4, which also houses a small art gallery:


At the moment the house is surrounded and covered by snow and illuminated by fairylights - the winter came early this year:



K. and I were kindly invited to an opening dinner at NEH last Friday, where we had a chance to explore the venue, peek into the kitchen and enjoy a 4-course meal (amuse bouche, starter. main course and dessert) with matching drinks.

First, we had a chance to explore the ground floor, which has more of a casual feel:



then the first floor, which feels slightly more cosy and romantic:



and peek into the kitchen (NB! there's a chef's table for up to 5 guests just opposite the kitchen):



The meal we were served was delicious and we're certainly hoping to go again with friends very soon. For the first course we enjoyed a 62 C free-range egg with spiced Baltic sprats and salt-baked potatoes.


The main course was a meltingly soft veal's cheek with juniper-seasoned red cabbage and apple and celeriac cream:


The dessert - a custard with bilberry compote, cookie crumbs and thyme ice cream - all very delicious (I especially liked the subtle herbal notes of the ice cream):

(Apologies for not taking any pictures of the food - we were really enjoying chatting to the other couple at our table, Ede & Sten, and simply forgot about the pictures. The restaurant staff has generously allowed us to use some of their photos).

If you are in Tallinn and looking for a place to enjoy a romantic and delicious gourmet meal, then I'd definitely recommend paying NEH a visit. After all, they are only opened till March, when they move back to their real home on Muhu island :)

You can check out the menu options here (price excl. drinks are indicated):
lunch
dinner
Chef's table
Sunday brunch
drinks/wine list

NEH
Lootsi 4
10151 Tallinn
Estonia
T +372 60 22 222
E-mail: info@neh.ee