You might have noticed that I have a liking for food. Especially when I travel though. Eating my way trough a country is my way to get to know all the little quirks which are worth knowing. So despite going out for dinner or lunch every day while traveling around Estonia, I manage to snack some more in between. Mostly I skipped breakfast to leave room for the real deal.
Let’s start with my overall best snack in Estonia, which was a grilled cheese sandwich from Kaval Rebane at the Baltic Station Market in Tallinn. The sandwich was a brioche and so buttery. It only had a slight sweet note which complimented the grilled cheese and especially the pulled rabbit inside. Not a fan usually of either pulled anything or rabbit, but this sandwich was outstanding! There was some kind of herbal salad on the side which gave the whole thing the necessary freshness. I washed it all down with a beer and have not forgotten this meal. When I go back to Tallinn, this is where I will head first.
the best grilled cheese with pulled rabbit @Kaval Rebane
On my way out of the market I passed unfortunately the Ristikheina Kovik, a patisserie shop which sells also sandwiches and so on. But I sat down for a piece of creamy, berry cake, some chai tea and felt actually ready to sleep after this. Heavenly!
mousse roll with cream curd and berries @Ristikheina Kohvik
The Bishop’s Castle in Haapsalu has a small coffee shop inside which I used to take a break from seeing the castle. Sitting down with a coffee and a smallish cake revived me to finish touring especially climbing all those stairs. The crumbly pie tartelett held an astonishing amount of whipped cream and seasonal berries. Just the right size for a quick break. Two bites and it was gone.
small cream pie with berries @Haapsalu
Dinner in Haapsalu was a small affair after my big lunch at Hapsal Dietrich. In the end I just wanted to get out of the house and eat something light. I settled on Wiigi Kohvik, a coffeehouse right next to the water. I ordered the mussels in spicy cream sauce. Unfortunately the sauce was not spicy and the mussels over cooked. The restaurant itself is very nice and I liked the sunset view on the water. You probably need to book a table or be there very early to get a place on the veranda.
spicy mussels and rosé @Wiigi kohvik
Before starting my castle tour in Kuressaare and learning all about the importance of Sareemaa I needed a bit of sustenance. Getting up early with no breakfast makes hungry. Right across from the castle moat is the restaurant Ku-Kuu which is located in the Kuursaal of Kuressaare. Here I ordered the island’s ‘Special’ which is Baltic sprat with potatoes, cottage cheese, an egg, salad and a red onion chutney. I had a similar dish in Latvia last year, or so I thought. The sprats are way smaller and have therefore less ‘meat’ on them. As nice as it looked, the biggest problem was the herbal salt on top. The cook must have been in love. Really too bad.
the island’s Special @Ku-Kuu restaurant
My last breakfast in Estonia was in Pärnu. After looking online on what was available at 8am I walked to Sõõrikubaar. It was open and had excellent donuts. This old fashioned coffeehouse has been here forever. Donuts are sold warm and per kilo price. Since they looked rather small I ordered three and with a cup of coffee that came to 2,50EUR. I steal, if I might say so. In the end one donut would have been enough. The dough is quite heavy and dense and although small, rather filling.
donuts @Sõõrikubaar
Overall Estonia left a really good impression food wise on me. Yours, Pollybert
