Outlandish

Brunch is a concept that found its way to Finland at the turn of the first decade of 21st century. And within no time there were queues to some of the nicest bars and restaurants in the Turku and Helsinki center on Sunday mornings, a phenomenon which I thought I would never see in a country that relishes hangover on Sundays! I love brunches. No need to cook yourself, just drag yourself to a restaurant and pay and then fill up your plate as many times as you like! Usually brunches in Finland are like a classier version of a hotel breakfast; a buffet. But depending on the style of the restaurant, of course.  In the Eastern European countries the brunch culture hasn't been noted that much... yet. But little by little the habit is sneaking itself from the shores of Helsinki into Tallinn. And finally about a month ago I noticed that one of my ultimate favourite restaurants here, the aforementioned NOP, has started to serve brunch! Obviously I took the first opportunity...

Tallinn is a good place for a shop-a-holic. There are three big malls scattered around the small city (although Rocca Al Mare I wouldn’t recommend, very narrow selection of stores) and truck-loads of small boutiques from the tourist knick-knacks to the global high-end fashion brands. Viru Keskus is probably the most known of them all because it is situated right next to the Old Town, right in the center of the city next to the most famous and prominent building in Tallinn, the very ugly Viru Hotel, which also hosts the KGB museum (some rooms still have the old spy equipment left in them). But between the harbour and Viru Keskus there is an old and a very peculiar industrial area, Rotermanni Kvartal, which is also worth checking out. Rotermann offers something for everyone; if you are a foodie, like shopping, are interested in architecture or history, go check this area out! It is the most interesting mix of old industrial buildings and modern buildings consisting largely ...

If you like to choose your travel destinations according to food culture and great restaurants Estonia is probably not one of the options that pops to your head straight away. But it should be. Tallinn alone is bursting with world-class fine dining restaurants and awesome, innovative hipster cafés and restaurants. The restaurant that has been ranked number one in most travel apps and websites is Rataskaevu 16 in the middle of the beautiful Old Town and I must admit, I had nothing to complain last time we were there in March. The restaurant is in a very old stone building with narrow halls and small stone-walled rooms. The atmosphere there is quite dark but still cozy. Food is amazing of course and the most interesting feature is probably the toilet (at least the ladies’ one); it has a glass floor and underneath it there is a drop to a stone well. I’m not afraid of heights but in the toilet I didn’t feel exactly comfortable and I must admit I sat on the toilet sideways so that I ...

In Nordic countries organic food has been in hype for about 10 years now. But to find a quality and not over-priced organic restaurant there is not so easily done. Tallinn, the small capital of Estonia, has one of the very few really good organic restaurants: Nop. It is not just a restaurant but a café and a store as well. There you can find all sorts of treats (unhealthy as well as healthy) made from local ingredients by local producers. It isn’t located in the proximity of the Old Town, which means that most tourists never end up there. But it is not difficult to find, since it is in the very popular park area called Kadriorg, where the president also lives. It is a small, blue wooden house just off the main road Narva Maantee, which crosses right through the whole city, about 10 minute walk from the Old Town. The menu consists of loads of options: they have wonderful breakfast menu with fresh juices and smoothies and bigger portions for lunch that have ...

As we know the restaurants in the biggest and busiest tourist clusters are usually over-prized and more than often not worth a visit at all. We discovered this last weekend again when we were craving for some simple pizza and went walking around in the Old Town. Not knowing where you're going you often end up just anywhere close in the end. We found pizza on the side of the main Square and it really wasn't worth the Finnish prices. Thank goodness we had booked a table for Saturday in a place that was recommended to us: Restaurant Kaks Kokka (Two Chefs) between the Old Town and harbour. The place was a bit tricky to find. It wasn't on the street but in the inner yard behind a parking lot. But even though weather was absolute shit this place was worth walking around a bit! The decor was pretty simple and Scandinavian, with black and white and earthy colours, and huge windows facing the street. The lights were a bit bright and in your face but that was ad...