A strong restaurant recommendation in Tallinn: Restoran Cru

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Central location, stylish ambiance, great food, professional service and excellent value for money? Restoran Cru in Tallinn ticks all the boxes!

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While we might have only spent two days in Tallinn, you think we settled for "just" Noa Chef's Hall and Salt? 

Oh, no.

We also manage to fit Restaurant Cru into our schedule - I mean, we didn't come all this way to diet, now did we?

(For the stat-oriented among you: the most recent White Guide lists Cru as the 7th best restaurant in Tallinn; a position it shares with Ribe).

The chef at Cru is Dmitri Haljukov, Estonia's representative at Bocuse d'Or competition, though advertizing it on a blackboard parked next to the entrance does seem a bit... well, cheap.

Another thing that only adds to that is the way the menu features photos of the dishes. Gimmicks like that make (at least) me think of Turkish tourist traps - not a particularly attractive association as far as I'm concerned. 

However, the serenely stylish ambiance of the restaurant, combined with the welcoming and knowledgeable staff impresses immediately.

We kicked our leisurely lunch off with Cosmopolitans (à €7), which I've recently re-discovered after having finally recovered from completely OD'ing on them in the late 90's (just admit it - you know exactly what I'm talking about, right?) 

And you know what? It's a classic for a reason. 

Luckily my taste was very compatible with that of my date (the fellow blogger who charmed me already over our lunch at Salt) which meant filling the table with all the goodies we wanted. 

I started with wild boar aspic accompanied by quail egg and pickled mushrooms (€12). 

A very strong performance, though it was definitely a rillette, not an aspic. Rather surprisingly our waitress recommended pairing it with Champagne (Ernest Rapenau Brut, €9) and let's face it - when have I ever said no to Champagne? 

Champagne turned out to be a great pairing for my other starter, too (well, I'm not going to pass on pulpo, am I?); a wonderfully summery octopus carpaccio (€14). 

The dish would have benefited from a component to lend it acidity and as such, more complexity though (in the form of a dressing, perhaps?), as octopus carpaccio in itself doesn't really have a taste and all the greens on the plate just tasted... well, green.

My just-in-case-Chablis (€10) was also a very good match for the dish. 

My companion started her feast with quite possibly the most enchanting of all the dishes: Estonian feta cheese salad beautifully assembled as a cake (€11), which, with the accompanying tomato compote, was intriquingly sweet to a point of being almost dessert-like. 

Oh and oh.

The mains didn't fail to deliver, either. 

As my date feels every bit as passionately about offal as I do, I was thrilled when she picked the liver dish on the menu. As a result I decided to go for the roasted Icelandic scallops with Hokkaido pumpkin and aromatic apple (€21).

I must say, though, I'm still a little intrigued as to what the "Old Cow" (€19) would have entailed? 

An awkward error in translation... or a bitter bovine finally killed by lonely decades as a sad spinster?

The scallop dish was such a delight with its soothingly gentle flavours and beautiful combination of textures.

Airy, yet earthy. 

What a treat. 

Flambéed deer liver, served with roasted onion confit and cherry and Kriek sauce (€15) was a tad too raw for our taste (our bad though - we didn't realize the liver would be sliced that thinly).

The flavours of the dish were wonderfully deep, dark and comforting - more than spot on. 

It only took me a nano second to settle on the dessert. Just seeing the name on the menu made hearts flutter out of my eyes.

Créme brûlée with smoked bacon meringue (€6). Man, oh, man. 

The only thing that stopped me from ordering the dessert for 3 more times was a vague notion of common decency that I felt obliged to uphold considering it was only noon. 

(And yes, I still regret it).

And in case you doubt my objectiveness in the matter, just take a look at my date's expressions. 

Told you so. 

Exactly that divine. 

One thing Estonians seem to love even more than choir singing is the local black bread. They love it to a point they put it in everything they can get away with. Including ice cream. I really wish they didn't.

Black bread ice cream with cherries and hazel nut cream (€6) was far too malty for me, but she liked it. 

Hey, ho. 

But pretty it was - like everything here. The lengths they go to ensure the presentation is every bit as impeccable as the execution of all the other aspects of each dish... beautiful.

Our dessert wines (Pedro Ximénes for her, a Sauternes for me; both à €7)  were spot on as well - thank you for our waitress for this, too. 

My lunch (a cocktail, 2 starters, main and a dessert; each 4 dishes with wine pairings) came to €88.50. So, while Cru is definitely not the cheapest option for a foodie traveller in Tallinn, it is far from the most expensive one either. 

Then again - in case you were looking for recommendations for a grotesque Medieval theme restaurants, Chinese all-you-can-eats or €1 burgers, you'd probably be reading someone else's blog right now, wouldn't you?

With its central location in Tallinn Old Town, excellent value for money and stylish overall experience, Restoran Cru really ticks all the boxes. 

Definitely worth a visit!

Any of you familiar with restaurant Cru? What are your favourites in Tallinn's vibrant restaurant scene?

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Restoran Cru
Viru 8
Tallinna

tel. +372 614 0085

info@crurestoran.eu

www.crurestoran.eu

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ANYONE FOR SECONDS?

       

SHARING IS CARING!

10 fascinating facts about Estonia - how many did you know?

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Estonia is a country full of surprises. Did you know these 10 fascinating facts about Estonia?

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While only home to some 1,3 million inhabitants, Estonia welcomes annually about twice as many tourists into the country. Last year 3.32 million tourists stayed in the country - around half of them my countrymen (Finnish).

Estonia, located just across the Gulf of Finland, is #1 foreign destination for a Finnish tourist; year in, year out. In Estonia we're the single largest market, the second one being the Russians. 

Several daily ferries from Finnish capital Helsinki will take you across the gulf  - quickest ones will get you to Tallinn in 45 minutes; cheapest ones will only set you back around €9 for a return ticket. 

(For more information please see Eckerö Line (cheapest), Linda Line (quickest) and my favourite Viking Line ).

For those, who've ever had the opportunity to visit Estonia, the country has pretty much become synonymous with its charming Medieval Old Town - one of the best preserved ones in Europe.

Luckily most of it was saved from total destruction during WWII by the fact that the Russians turned their attention to Finland and bombed down most of Helsinki instead.

(You're welcome.)

Over the recent years people have started to discover Estonia beyond the capital and Saarenmaa and Pärnu are among destinations definitely worth exploring.

Surrounded by the quaint cuteness of the Old Town (yes, every bit as picturesque you'd expect from a UNESCO World Heritage Site!) it's easy to forget what a modern and progressive city Estonia actually is.

What makes all this even more impressive is pace the country has leapt forward in the past couple of decades.

Here are 10 fascinating facts about Estonia, our Southern neighbour.

1. In Estonia women rule

Estonia is exceptionally female - men only constitute around 46% of the country's population. That means for every 100 women there are 84 men. 

The only country ahead Estonia in these statistics is North Mariana Islands (an US territory located in Pacific Ocean). 

The life expectacy for an Estonian woman is a whopping decade longer than that of a man. Perhaps all that vodka won't make you live forever, after all...?

Country's current  (and fifth ever) president is also a woman: Kersti Kaljulaid was elected for the job at the end of last year.

In proportion to their small population, Estonia has also apparently also given the world more supermodels than any other country in the world. 

2. Estonia is one of the most literate countries in the world (yes, literally)

In global comparison of 200 odd countries Estonia is one of the most literate countries in the world. 

The literacy rate among the adult population is an impressive 99.8% - second only to Latvia or (dependig on who you're going to believe) North Korea (?)

3. Estonia is as international as they come

Estonia is geography's equivalent of George Clooney - everybody seems to want a piece of it.

Throughout her history Estonia has been part of Denmark (1227-), Sweden (1560-) and Russia (1710-).

One of the things dating back to the Swedish reign is the underground network of tunnels located underneath The Old Town.  According to tradition some of these hundreds of secret passageways are yet to be discovered, but almost 400 are now open to public (for more information please see here ). 

Russia granted Estonia autonomy in April 1917, though Lenin & Co. never expected Estonia to harbour any dreams of independence in the manner of Finland. 

Following Finland's suite, however, Estonia declared their independence in February of 1918... and did manage to hold on to it for the next 22 years. 

In 1940 Russia got their greedy claws on her again and Estonia's fate was sealed for the next half a century.

4.  Estonia - twice as independent

As a result of the previously mentioned events Estonia gets to celebrate their Independence Day twice. 

The first one (February 24th) marks the declaration of independence back in 1918, the second (August 20th) honours the day when they finally managed to reclaim it after the fall of the Soviet in 1991.

5. Estonia - the little IT giant 

Skype is only one of the things invented in Estonia (as, actually was the space food!).

The country's big on technology: computer programming is being taught even in primary schools and free Wi-Fi is availabe in most parts of the capital Tallinn.

6. Estonia - home to first e-lection in the world

Estonia was also the first country in the world to adopt electronic voting (no, not when casting votes at Eurovision Song Contest but actual political elections).

The progressive coalition government that came to power back in 2001 first explored this option at municipal elections of 2005. 

Only 2 years later same method was adopted for the parliamentary elections, too. 

7. Estonians feel they are a Nordic country, not a Baltic one

Owing to their history Estonians have perceived themselves as culturally closer to Nordic countries than to the Baltics. 

So, as the country was getting ready to adopt their new flag back in 1918-1919, some of the contenders featured the same blue, black and white colours as the current flag, but in the cross-design familiar from the Nordic countries' flags.

The thought of reinventing the flag has still not entirely died out: last time the idea was introduced in the country was in 2001.

8. Tallinners go for free

In January 2013 Tallinn became the first EU capital to provide free public transport to her residents. 

In order to qualify for this, one has to be an officially registered resident of Tallinn and not so surprisingly the population of capital has grown significantly over the past years.

Then again, so have city's tax revenues and the well-being of local businesses. Way to go Tallinn!

9. Estonia is all about sport

Estonia has invented a new and rather courageous sport of their own called kiiking, which means standing in a massive swing and then swinging around full 360 degrees. In addition to this they've also proved their prowess in traditional sports as well.

For instance country's Olympic success has been nothing short of phenomenal considering its tiny population.

The flatness of Estonia (highest peak is a mere 318 metres from the sea level) makes it a popular training terrain for cross-country skiers also from outside the country's own team, though boy, do they cheer for their own. 

The day after Kristina Šmigun-Vähi won two gold medals at Turin Winter Olympics of 2006, every single pair of skis in the country sold out. 

10. Estonia - land of meteorites

In proportion to its tiny size, Estonia is the has more meteoric craters than any other country in the world. 

The biggest one can be found at Kaali crater field in Saarenmaa and measures 110 metres wide and 22 metres deep. 

+ One for the road

While Estonia has won Eurovision Song Contest only once (2001)  you can leave it to them to make it a historic one.

The other half of their entry, Dave Benton, was the first ever black artist to win the contest. 

How's that for trivia? Any of you familiar with Estonia? Where did you go and what were your favourite places?

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Sfiha - Arabic mini pizzas ( kosher, gluten-free)

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Sfiha, Arabic mini pizza is a perfect choice for meze table... or picnic. You can even make these on BBQ! 

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Hebron, located on West Bank, is sweating in the sweltering August heat. It's far too hot to be outside: temperatures are well and truly above 40ºc . The air stands still and the dry, hot wind, occasionally making an appearance to lazily blow sand around offers absoutely no relief.

The kitchen in the home of the Palestinian family that's adopted me offers a welcome shade. The mother of the family is clapping her hands excitedly: her own daughters can't stand cooking so she's grateful to finally have landed a daughter who shares her passion. 

There's someone she loves more than me, though: Nigella Lawson. Proudly she displays a technique for chopping up spring onions she picked up from Nigella Lawson herself; using a pair of scissors from Nigella Lawson-collection. 

Huddled around the kitchen table we drink tea and exchange recipes and stories behind them. Laughter echoes in the room and the cigarette smoke slowly slithers its way towards the ceiling. 

Mama Tarawa has invited me over, her only wish being that I teach her to "cook like Nigella". She on the other hand can't contain her confusion upon learning that her new prodigée, born and bred halfway across the world at the Arctic Circle, has never made sfihas. 

"You don't know how to make sfihas"? she repeats, incredulously. "What do you eat back there, then?"

Yeah, well. If I had anything to do with it, that'd be sfiha. 

Sfiha, Arabic mini pizza, is part of pizza family's Levantine branch. As fas as the consistency and flavour go, it's closely related to its Turkish cousins; lahmacun and pide.

Over in the Palestinian territories I've encountered two versions of sfiha: in the other one the the base is topped with a yogurt-based meat mixture but this, I think, is infinitely the superior one. 

Traditionally the meat used for these is lamb, but in case you're having difficulties getting your hands on some, you can just use beef.

In addition to Middle East these treats have found a passionalte following inn Brazil of all the places, too. 

And now, habibi, it's your kitchen's turn!

Makes 15

Sfiha - Arabic mini pizzas:

The base:

7 ½ dl all-purpose-flour (gluten-free if needed)

1 tbsp of dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

5 ½ tbsp oil

2‒2 ½ dl warm water

Topping:

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

500 g ground lamb (or beef)

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tomatos, finely chopped

2 tbsp quatre epices- spice blend or bokharat-mix

1 tsp salt

2 handfuls of finely chopped parsley

1 dl pine nuts, lightly toasted

a couple of tbsp oil for frying

To serve:

lemon wedges

For the base combine the dry ingredients. Then add 4 tbsp of oil and and finally water, continuously mixing until you're left with a smooth, elastic dough that won't stick. Slather rest of the oil on top of the dough, place in a clean bowl, cover and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise.

In the meanwhile prep the topping. Heat oil in a pan. Sauté garlic and onion over medium heat until onion is soft and translucent. Then add meat, bring the heat up and continue cooking until the meat is properly browned. Add the spices and continue cooking for a couple of more minutes. 

Add the pomegranate molasses and tomatos into the mix. Lower the heat and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. 

Fold in parsley and pine nuts. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

Pre-heat the oven to 225ºc. Leave the tray in the oven and, once the dough has doubled in size, prepare the bases.

Divide the dough in 15 portions and roll into circles of about 15 cm in diameter. Transfer on parchmens (4-5 on each) and leave to rise, covered with a tea towel, for half an hour. 

Top the bases with the topping, leaving about 1 cm edge uncovered. Press the topping onto the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. 

Transfer the parchments onto the hot tray and bake, until the sfihas are golden brown - depending on the oven 8-10 minutes. 

Drizzle with lemon juice and serve.

Equally delicious served hot or at room temperature, which makes these perfect make-ahead delicacies for picnics or get-togethers with friends!

Any of you familiar with sfihas, Arabic mini pizzas? Or have you already fallen in love with lahmacun or pide?

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ANYONE FOR SECONDS?

                 

SHARING IS CARING!