Tallinn Estonia
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Mumbai,Saturday, June 12, 2010 12 unwind htcafé Photos: Kalpana Sunder Chef Rene Uusmees (left)preparing a dish at the Meek restaurant in Old Town TALLINN ESTONIA TALLINN Russia Latvia GETTING THERE Thereare direct flights to Tallinn from Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Hamburg Helsinki, London, and Paris among other European cities. Estonia Air and KLM RoyalDutch Airlines and Air France fly from Mumbai to the LennartMeri Tallinn Airportwith stopovers. USEFUL INFORMATION ■ Thecity of Tallinn is on the banksof the Gulf of Finland, and situated about 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. ■ Beforeyou startsightseeing, getfamil- iar with the city using amap.And visit the Old Town first. ■ Work your waythrough the city by each section. Do not miss the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St Mary’s Cathedral or Toomkirik, Raekoda or the Town Hall which is nowthe Tallinn City Museum. Drawing from avariety ■Youmight also want to visit All-Linn or the Lower Town, which is one of Tallinn’s busiest shopping area. ■ Forinformation on getting around, Tallinn is such amix of culturesand cuisines that at some point youfeel trulyathome visit www.tourism.tallinn.ee Hanseland Gretel marzipan house. Old merchant houses have now TALLINN, been converted to medieval-themed ESTONIA restaurants with nameslikeOlde Hansaand Pepper sack. Olde Hansa KALPANA SUNDER seems to be morepopular with medievalmaidens in period cos- namedievalbuildingofthe Town tumes standing outside.The usual Hallpharmacy in the heart of the fare is game pot, wild boar,elk and Tallinn town square, Ivisit beer-marinated pork. Inside there IEstonia’s first garlic restaurant, arewrought iron fittings,wooden Balthasar.Thisrestaurant usesgar- benches with boar skins, hand lic in all its dishes, evenice-cream! painted murals, candlelit tables, rich Next Iheadtothe colourfulKalev tapestries, alute player, and a Marzipan Museum. Tallinn is sup- medievalstorewhereyou can buy a posed to be wherethis almond and Victorianlookinggown. The food is sugar delicacywas invented. In the rich with spices and tastes great museum there’smarzipan painted washed down with honeybeer. with food coloursand in avariety of shapes and figures —plates, ani- Understanding cuisine TheChocolaterie de Pierresells over50kinds of truffles,including one with vodka mals, birds, fruits vegetables,post- Rene Uusmees is ayoung Estonian Inside the colourfulMarzipan museum cards with views of the city, evena chef whoowns the MEEK restau- of ways. Besides Estonian cuisine, also doubles up as aceramic studio rant in old town. He explains that thereisMexican, Thai, Indian and and displays handmade pottery.You MEEK stands forModern Estonian evenMcDonald’s. At the swanky can enjoymunching on roasted cuisine and thathedrawsonlocal Meriton Spa Hotel, IhaveaChinese almonds sold in carts and the most producelikeEstonian cheese and lunch at the Asian restaurant Wok popular liqueur is the Vana Tallinn, meatand fish and eating habits, and Grill. Meriton’s also has acafé with ahint of rum and ataste of interpreting them in amodern way. serving the best French pastries in vanilla and other spices. His cuisine follows the seasons —in town and aSpanish tapas bar in Thereare morethan ten Indian summer it’s berries, fresh vegeta- shades of orangeand black. restaurants in Tallinn. One called bles, tomatoes, pikeand garfish; Maharaja, is smack in the centreof autumn is characterised by mush- Coffee and conversations the Town Square. In Old Town I rooms, apples, plums and cloudber- The cityhas manysubterranean headtoChakratomeet chef Venkat ries; and in winter he depends on cafés whereyou can spend acozy Indla from AndhraPradesh, who preserved vegetables and meat. hour overcoffee and cakes. Iespe- recommends aheartyMughlai meal. Estonian food has Scandinavian, cially enjoyedthe Chocolaterie de Ilie back on mirror-worked cush- Russian and German influences. You Pierre, which sells avarietyofover ions looking out of the brightly hued have to have astrong heart to taste 50 truffles including one filled with drapes at Old Town, feeling totally the local specialty—blood sausage. vodka. at home. The staple at every kitchen table The Bogapot is acozy,family-run Kalpana is aJapanese language seems to be rukkileib,the black rye café in Toompea, which serves fresh specialist and atravel writer based in Thefacade of Olde Hansa, amedieval-themed restaurant breadand potatoes used in avariety sandwiches, snacks and pastries. It Chennai..