Hiiu Grill

Mida öelda sellise koha puhul nagu Hiiu Grill (Vääna 2, Tallinn)?

Tegemist on keskmisest keskmisema kebab/burgeriputkaga ja söök mida seal pakutakse ei erista ennast teistes mööda Eestimaad laiali pillatud putkades pakutavast mitte millegagi.

Positiivseks võib nimetada müüapreili sõbralikku olekut ja toidu kiiret kättesaamist.

Kebab ise ei vääri mingit erilist kommentaari, liha on seesama mis igas putkas, paprikapulbriga kaetud friikad on sügavkülmast ja kogu kupatus on uputatud roosasse burgerikastmesse.

Eriti kahtlane asi on Maxiburger, mille puhul ei olnud võimalik tuvastada kas kotlet on kanast, seast, mõlemast või ainult sojast. Tõenäoliselt kõigest. Rupski-supreem.

Kas hea lugeja peaks sinna minema?

Ainult siis kui tõesti kuhugi mujale ei jõua.

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What can we say about a place like Hiiu Grill (Vääna 2, Tallinn)?

It's about as average as average can be and the food available does not differ in any way from what is available from similar little food sheds dotted around Estonia.

The positive part of the experience was the sale-girls friendly attitude and the fact that the food arrived rather quickly.

The kebab itself does not impress in any way, the meat is the same as in every kiosk and the paprika powder covered french fries of the deep freeze variety. And of course everything is drowned in massive amounts of pink burger sauce.

Especially questionable offering on the menu is the Maxiburger, as it's impossible to tell whether the patty is made from chicken, pork or soy. Probably from all of them, plus more. Meat byproduct supreme.

Should the good reader visit this establishment?

Only if you really have to.

Räägupesa

Lugupeetud lugejad.
Käesolev arvustus/tutvustus on ainult inglise keeles, kuna iga endast lugupidav Eestlane peaks tundma nii klassikalist Eesti Burksi, kui ka sellist toitlustusinstitutsiooni nagu Räägupesa.


Back to the 90's

For many locals these burgers are a trip down the memory line, as back during the infamous "Kiosk Era" this type of burger was just about the only type available. Räägupesa (Nõmme tee 53) is also one of the few places that has been continuously in business since 199-something and still serves their classics proudly to this day.

24h Food Mecca:

Räägupesa Burger, the venerable classic:

There is a meat patty somewhere down there, trust me. Yes, you get a fork, although a spoon seems even more appropriate.
I have often wondered where this curious custom of absolutely DROWNING the burger in sauce and vague cabbage mix was started. I mean, who thought that this is what people want.. or need? Back in the 80's, during the Soviet era this custom was definitely not yet around.. even burgers were not around and ketchup (a rare import from Hungary) was hardly ever found on the shelves of a shop. To get your hands on a few bottles required friends in the right places (like my parents had a friend in the buffet of the communist party headquarters), so drowning your food in it was out of the question. I have asked around, but nobody seems to remember their first encounter with the sauce monster..

Now back to this particular Räägupesa Burger. 

Is it good? This time i will not tell you, go try it yourself.
Let's just say it is an unforgettable experience.

For the fainthearted there is a far more conventional Grillburger available, as is Chicken Kebab, French Fries and some other stuff. Many people like them, but none of those has the heritage of the true Räägupesa Burger.

Grillburger:

Fries. Same sauce, same cabbage:

Go there, seriously.

Papa Joe

Papa Joe, asukohaga Sadam Turg (mis on väärt koht külastamiseks päris mitmel põhjusel) on tõenäoliselt ainuke ehtne Liibanoni söögikoht Eestis. Peamiseks põhjuseks Papa Joe'd külastada on ta Falafel, mis võib olla vägagi hea, eriti kui võtta see pitaga ja kõikide võimalike lisanditega, aga samuti on tal pakkumisel suurepärased oliivid (paremaid Eestis on raske leida), vägagi maitsev hummus, datlid ja muu idamaine kraam.
Ainuke kriitika mis pähe tuleb on fakt et Falafeli kvaliteet kipub olema kõikuv: mõnedel päevadel on maitse tunduvalt parem kui teistel. Kummaline. 

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Papa Joe, located at Sadama Market (a fabulous place by itself for more than one reason) is probably the only real Lebanese food place in Estonia. The main reason to visit Papa Joe is his Falafel , which can be great if you take it with pita and with all the possible fillings, but that is by no means the only reason to pay him a visit: he also sells some of the best olives you can get in this country, rather tasty hummus, dates and other Eastern delicacies.

The only criticism i can think of is the variation in his Falafel: on some days it tastes quite a bit better than on other days. Go figure.

Loca

Loca (Tatari 1) langeb kohe kindlasti "Vajan süüa pärast rämedat reede/laupäevaõhtust joomingut" kategooriasse.
Kõige tuntum söögikoht selles kategoorias on tõenäoliselt Taco ja seda puhtalt asukoha pärast, kuna kõik muu selles kohas on nii viletsa kvaliteediga et sa peaksid olema täielik ignorant kui sinna sööma lähed.
Loca's pakutav kraam pole kindlasti mitte super, aga siiski parem kui Taco's saada olev kraam ja menüü on suhteliselt mitmekülgne: peale erinevate pizzade, burgerite ja kanatiibade on menüüs ka rohkem eksootilisi pakkumisi, nagu näiteks araabiapärased shaksuka, hummus ja kibe. Kahjuks langevad need oma midagi erilist lubavatele nimedele vaatamata ikkagi kategooriasse "friikad millegagi" ja neil on ka see tuntud tüüpiline rämpstoidu maitse. Burgerid ja Lomito (väidetavalt veise välisfilee burks, minu oma oli ÜLIMALT vintske) upuvad kastme sisse.
Ja siis hind: Sama raha eest on Tallinnas võimalik täiesti gurmee tasemel toitu saada (vaata seda postitust), aga tõenäoliselt mitte kell 4 hommikul.
Nii et kui juhtud olema varajastes hommikutundides vanalinnas (pool)purjus olekus ja otsid midagi millesse kõhus loksuvat alkoholi ära imendada, siis on Loca selleks tõenäoliselt parem kandidaat kui Taco.

Taustamuusikaks on reggae (on see positiivne või negatiivne oleneb juba täiesti sinust enesest).
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Loca (Tatari 1) falls firmly in the "Need food after heavy boozing on Friday/Saturday night" category.
The most well known joint in that particular category is probably Taco and that only thanks to its location, as anything else in that place is of such poor quality that you must be an utter ignorant fool to go to eat there.
The food in Loca is by no means great, but still superior to the offerings in Taco and the menu is relatively varied as well: next to more ordinary fare like various pizzas, burgers and chicken wings, you can also get a number of Arabic dishes like shaksuka, hummus and kibe. Unfortunately most of them, despite the promising names, are just "fries with something" and taste like any other generic junk food. Also, burgers and Lomito (beef file sandwich, mine was EXTREMELY chewy) are drowned in sauce.
Then there is the matter of price: For the same money you can have gourmet quality food elsewhere in Tallinn (check this previous entry), but probably not at 4 AM in the morning.
So if you happen to be in the early hours (semi)drunk in the Old Town and looking for a greasy bite to soak up all that alcohol, then Loca is probably a slightly better bet than Taco.

The music on the background is reggae (whether that is a positive or negative thing is entirely up to you).

Grill Kebab @ Veerenni põik

 
Kastmekoll elab kure juures.

Tallinna ühe suurema ehituspoe ESPAK külje all tegutseb juba paar aastakest ülilihtsa menüüga toidukiosk. Kolme toiduga menüüsse mahub isegi taimetoit (ok, see on kõigest friikad salatiga). Kebab on päris kana- ja kalkunilihast, ning õigel viisil pöörleva toika otsas küpsetatud. Mahlane ja täitsa mõnus. Friikad harju keskmised, aga õnneks siiski piisavalt krõbedad. Kogu tagasihoidliku toreduse aga surmab tohutu kogus ebamäärast majoneesi/hapukoore/ketšupi kastet, mille alla võiks peita surnud lehma. Müüjanna sõnul aga see klientidele meeldib, nii et ärge öelge et teid hoiatatud pole!
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The sauce monstrosity lives next to the stork.
 

This very simple food shack has been around for years and is situated next to ESPAK, one of the biggest shops for construction materials in Tallinn. In the three item menu is even room for a vegetarian meal (ok, it's just french fries with some lettuce). Kebab itself is from real chicken and turkey meat and prepared properly – spinning on a stick. It’s juicy and pretty good. The french fries can only be described as mediocre. Unfortunately this humble but rather OK meal is murdered by a indefinite mayo/ketchup/sour cream sauce, the amount of which could easily cover a whole dead cow! According to the lady behind the counter this is exactly as the regular clients want it, so don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Vesivärava Grill

Update Jaanuar 2014: Vesivärava Grill, nii nagu ta allolevas artiklis kirjeldatud on, ei eksiteeri enam. Samas kohas asuval ja sama nime kandval ettevõttel ei ole mitte midagi pistmist endiste omanike-kokkadega ja nende poolt valmistatud suurepäraste burgeritega.

Burgerite kuningas

Tallinnas on üks maagiline, müstiline koht, enneolematu headuse koht. Daamid ja Härrad, me räägime muidugi Vesivärava Grillist (Vesivärava 42, Tallinn). Kui enamus tänavatoidu kohti Tallinnas on täiesti OK kui juhtud tühja kõhuga ümbruskonnas olema, siis Vesivärava Grilli tasub kohe kindlasti sõita absoluutsest igast linna nurgast. See koht on tõesti nii hea!

Miks siis nii, sa küsid?

Põhjus number üks:

Toorainete värskus ja kvaliteet. Värskelt kohapeal hakitud liha, värskelt küpsetatud saiad (Vesivärava Kohvikust), värskelt turult ostetud rohelised. Tallinnas on liigagi kerge leida restorane kus sa kalli raha eest toite sööd mis on valmistatud tunduvalt madalama kvaliteediga toorainetest. Vesivärava Grillis aga sööd sa täiesti topprestorani kvaliteediga toitu, ainult burgeri kujul – ja seda snäkkbaari hinnaga.

Ja põhjus number kaks on (loomulikult) kokkade meisterlikkus, millega nad nii grilli kui ka neid suurepäraseid tooraineid käsitlevad.

Me oleme söönud hamburgereid paljudes kohtades üle maailma: Berliinis, New Yorgis, Hong Kongis, Amsterdamis, kui nimetada vaid mõnda. Ja me võime väita ilma igasuguse liialduseta: Vesivärava Grill võib absoluutselt võistelda parimatega mida meie planeedil pakkuda on.

Jah, me teame et kusagil Saaremaal on üks paljude fännidega kuulus burgerivalmistaja. Jah, me oleme tema burgereid söönud.. ja me peame neid veel sööma.. aga praeguseks --

Vesivärava Grill on KÕIGE parem Eestis.

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Update from January 2014: Vesivärava Grill as described in the article below does not exist anymore. The place existing today at its original location has nothing to do with its original owners and the excellent burgers they made there.

The Real Burger King

There is a magical, mystical place in Tallinn, a place of unprecedented goodness. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are of course talking about Vesivärava Grill (Vesivärava 42, Tallinn). When most street food places are fine if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, Vesivärava Grill is worth traveling to, no matter in which corner of the city you happen to be. It is truly that good!

Why is that, you say?

Well, reason number one:

The quality and freshness of the ingredients. Freshly minced meat, locally baked buns, fresh greens from the market. In Tallinn it is far too easy to find restaurants where you eat expensive dishes made from far inferior produce, whereas in Vesivärava Grill you get top restaurant quality food in a burger form – for cheap snack bar prices.

And reason number two is (obviously) the mastery of the chefs at work, their skills in handling the grill and those fine ingredients.

We have eaten hamburgers in many places around the world: Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, Amsterdam to name a few and we can say without any exaggeration: Vesivärava Grill is up there with the very best the World has to offer.

Now, we do know that there is a certain famous burger maker in Saaremaa, with many fans, and yes, we have eaten his burgers.. and we do have to eat them more.. but as it stands now --

Vesivärava Grill is THE best in Estonia.

WingStopp

WingStopp (Kunderi 23, Tallinn) on suhteliselt ebatavaline lind meie suurepärase linna kulinaarses taevas. Kuigi USA stiilis kanatiibu pakutakse küll ka mõnes teises Tallinna toitlustusettevõttes, on WingStopp siiski ainuke, kes puhtalt Tänavatoidu kategooriasse langeb. Pesitsedes ühe endise keldripoe ruumides Kunderi tänaval, on nende põhiline modus operandi kaasamüük, siiski on ka võimalik kohapeal süüa, eelduseks et sa väga üüratut kogust ei telli, kuna lauad on väiksed (ja ümmargused).

Ja nüüd siis tiivad ise.

Võtsime nii Traditsioonilised Tiivad (ilma krõbeda koorikuta), kui ka Krõbedad Tiivad. Krõbedad Tiivad osutusid suurepärasteks: Koorikul oli täpselt õige krõbedus ja liha sees mõnusalt mahlane. Koos saadaval olevate erinevate dippikastetega (soovitaks neist kõige enam mee-sinepi varianti) kõlbaksid need tiivad täiesti mõne uhke Lõunaosariikide tiivaempooriumi menüüsse.

Kahjuks ei saa sama öelda Traditsiooniliste Tiibade kohta. Võib-olla ei olnud meil lihtsalt õnne, aga neid tiibu saab kirjeldada ainult kui seisnud, üles soendatud ja kuivad.

Ka eelroad/ampsud polnud eriti hästi välja kukkunud. Jalapeno Ampsude juures ootasime seda mõnusat silmi märjaks tegevat, nina jooksma ajavat (järgmisel päeval pärakat kipitama panevat) teravust, seda aga polnud kusagil leida. Kui teravust mõõta skaalal 1 kuni 10, siis need Jalapeno Ampsud saavad 1, või lausa 0.. ehk siis tegemist on pigem friteeritud juustuampsuga. Sibularõngad olid pisut etemad, lihtsalt koorik oli liiga paks ja sibul ise vaevu äratuntav.

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WingStopp (Kunderi 23, Tallinn) is a relatively rare bird in the culinary skies of our fine city.

Although US style chicken wings are served in a couple of establishments in Tallinn, WingStopp is the only one that can be classified as Street Food. Located in a basement in Kunderi, their main modus operandi is take-away, however you can eat in-house as well, provided you do not order humungous amounts of wings, since the tables are rather small (and round).

Now the wings themselves.

We took Traditional Wings (without the crunchy crust) and Crispy Wings. The Crispy Wings were wonderful: The crusty coat had the right crispiness to it and the meat inside was juicy. Complemented by a variety of dipping sauces (we recommend honey-mustard), these wings would not be out of place on the table of some fine chicken wing emporium in the Deep South.

Sadly we can not say the same about the Traditional Wings. Perhaps we were just unlucky, but the only way to describe them is stale, re-heated, dry.

Unfortunately the appetizers were not that great either. When ordering a Jalapeno Bite (or anything with jalapeno) we expect a nice sharp kick, that tear inducing, snot loosening (and sphincter burning) goodness. Sadly none of that was present. On a scale 1 to 10 the Jalapeno Bite scores spiciness level of 1, or even 0, making it no more than a deep fried cheesy poof. The onion rings were a bit better, just that the crust was far too thick and the taste of onion far too weak.

Tänavatoit Helsingis * Street Food in Helsinki

Üritan selle postituse lühikeseks jätta, kuna see blogi on ikkagi tänavatoidust Tallinnas. Siiski, hea on teada mida maitsvat pakutakse Soome lahe põhjakaldal.

Tegelikult võiks kõik kokku võtta ühe sõnaga: Kallis. Helsingi pole mitte ainult kallis meie standardi järgi, see on kallis linn ükskõik millise standardi järgi. New Yorgis, Amstedamis, Hong Kongis, nendes linnades saab sama raha eest kolm korda söönuks. Ja ärgem üldse alustagem õllehinnast!

Üks väga positiivne asi Helsingis, mida kindlasti mainima peab, on teenindustase. Kuigi me siin vabanesime soviettokupatsiooni ahelatest juba aastal 1991, ei taha soviett-stiilis teenindus siiani kohe kuidagi hinge heita. Teenindustase on tolle ajaga võrreldes muidugi ikka vägagi suurte sammudega paremuse suunas liikunud, siiski aga on tänaseni küllalt kerge ennast Tallinnas leida söögikohas kus personal on ebaviisakas, teenindus aeglane (mida nad ometi teevad seal köögis?) ja toit kehvake. Helsingis on suured naeratused, kompleksivaba jutuajamine ja kiire teenindus. Tore!

Mida siis pakutakse? Ikka päris head staffi.

Näiteks selline koht nagu Cholo (Lönnrotinkatu 9, Helsinki). €9.80 ostab sulle suure jämeda looomaliha, kana, või taimetoidu burrito. Taimetoidu varianti me ei proovinud, kuid nii loomaliha, kui kanaversioon olid väga hästi tehtud, mahlane liha millele lisaks oad, riis, salat, mais, tšilli jne. Soovitame soojalt.

Ja kindlasti tasub ka proovida Cafe Bar No 9 (Uudenmaankatu 9, Helsinki) huvitavat menüüd. Meie valisime menüüst põnevate nimedega nuudliroad: krevetid suurepärases karri-kookospiimakastmes ja teine kiirelt pannitatud loomaliha üliterava tšillikastmega. 9 Eurot portsion tähendab et Helsingi standardi järgi olid need toidud peaaegu tasuta! 

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Since this blog is about street food in Tallinn, I will try to keep this short. Still, it's good to know what the street food is like on the other side of the gulf.

I guess we could sum it up with a single word: Expensive. Helsinki is not only expensive by Estonian standards, it is expensive by any standards. Whether in New York, Amsterdam or Hong Kong, the same amount of money will buy you three times the amount of food in any of those cities. And let's not even start about the beer!

A hugely positive thing that definitely has to be mentioned is the quality of service. While in Estonia the shackles of Soviet occupation were thrown off already in 1991, the Soviet style service appears more difficult to get rid of. Sure the level has improved by leaps and bounds in the last two decades, but in Tallinn it is still all too easy to find yourself in an establishment with unfriendly staff, long waiting times (what on earth are they doing there in the kitchen?) and crappy food. In Helsinki it is all smiles, casual complex-free conversation and fast service. Nice!

So what is actually on offer? Some pretty damn good stuff.

Like Cholo (Lönnrotinkatu9, Helsinki) for example. €9.80 will buy you a fat burrito with either beef, chicken or vegetarian filling. Now, we didn't try the vegetarian version, but both beef and chicken were done very well, nice and juicy, and complemented by beans, rice, lettuce, corn, chilly etc. Highly recommended.

Or why not try the rather interesting menu in Cafe Bar No 9 (Uudenmaankatu 9, Helsinki). We tried excitingly named stir fried noodle dishes, one with shrimps in an excellent curry and coconut milk sauce and the other quickly stir fried beef in very hot chilly sauce. And at 9€ per portion they are practically for free, according to Helsinki standards!

Boksipeatus

 

Boksipeatus (Veerenni 54,Tallinn) on suhteliselt uus nähtus meie suurepärase linna burgerimaastikul.

Kohe Järvevana tee kõrval, mis on vist tähtsaim ida- ja lääne-Tallinnat ühendav arter, on ta asukoht näljaste müügimeeste ja muude rooli taga elavate isendite püüdmiseks ideaalne. Boksipeatuse hoone, ümberehitatud endine Googie-arhitektuuriga bensiinijaam, on õnneks ka ümbritsetud korraliku suurusega parkimisplatsiga.

Aga siis toit. Menüü on suhteliselt tüüpiline teeäärse söögikoha menüü ja burgerid on, nagu arvata võib, kõige populaarsemad palad sellel.

Põhimõtteliselt pakub Boksipeatus kahte sorti burkse: odavamad Juustuburger ja Kanaburger (mõlemad kanapihviga) ja kallimad veise/sea/müsteeriumliha pihviga Grillburger ja Jalapenoburger (Kalaburger on ka, aga see ei loe). Kanapihviga variandid on tavalised, kohe ununeva rämpstoidu esindajad, Grillburger ja Jalapenoburger on need mida tellida, nende kahe ainsaks omavaheliseks erinevuseks on marineeritud jalapenoviilude kohalolek (või puudumine).

Pihv ise on väga õhuke. Õnneks on menüüs ka XL versioonid, ehk siis 1 Euro eest saad muidu identiteetse burksi vahele ekstra pihvi. Me soovitame seda. Pihv on tehase massitoodangu tüüpi, kuid on päris maitsev sellist tüüpi pihvi kohta. Ülejäänud burger on ka päris hea: peekon pole kuivaks lastud, juust on korralikult oranž (nagu peab), salatileht on värske ja kurgiviilud meeldivalt krõmpsakad.

Ja nad panevad ka saia grillile, lihtne asi mis teeb burksi tunduvalt maitsvamaks, kuid mida enamus burksitegijaid Eestis täiesti müstiliselt ei mõista teha.

Proovisime ka friikaid ja mundris kartuleid, kuid mõlemad pole tegelikult mainimist väärt: pehmed, jahused, koheselt ununevad.
Positiivne tähelepanek: Boksipeatuses puudub mikrolaineahi.

Raadios mängis Sky Plus (jälle).

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Boksipeatus (Veerenni 54,Tallinn) is a relative newcomer to the burger-scene of our fine city.

Situated just off Järvevana Tee, the main artery connecting east and west Tallinn, its location is excellent to catch the hungry traveling salesmen and other behind the wheel types. Their building, a converted Googie-esque former gas station, is surrounded by a positively huge parking lot as well.

So what about the food? The menu is quite typical for a roadside establishment and burgers, unsurprisingly, are the most popular articles on it.

Basically Boksipeatus offers two types of burgers: the cheaper Cheeseburger and Chickenburger (both made with chicken patty) and the more expensive beef/pork/mystery meat patty based Grillburger and Jalapenoburger (there is also a fishburger but that one doesn't count). The chicken patty versions are your usual representatives of utterly forgettable junk food, the Grillburger and Jalapenoburger are the ones to go for, the only difference separating these two is the presence (or lack of) of pickled jalapeno.

The meat patty is very thin. Luckily XL versions are available, for 1 Euro more you get two patties in otherways identical hamburger. We recommend that. The patty is also of factory mass produced variety, but is actually quite tasty as far as these kind of patties go. The rest of the burger is pretty good as well: juicy bacon, the processed cheese is nice and orange (as it should be), the lettuce is fresh and the pickle crunchy. And they put the bread on the grill as well, a simple thing that makes the burger immediately a lot tastier and something most burger joints in Estonia mysteriously fail to understand.

We also ordered fries and potato wedges put these were nothing to write home about: soft, mushy, instantly forgettable.

Also worth mentioning: they do not have a microwave.

The radio played Sky Plus (again).

Nõmme Kebab

Klassika.

 Nõmme Kebab (Jaama 3, Tallinn) eksisteerib juba tosin aastat, mis Tallinnas tähendab põhimõtteliselt sama nagu igavesti.

Asukohaks on väike puumaja Nõmme keskuses, palkseintega söögitoas on kolm lauda, lett ja ülilihtne menüü: valida on kas kebab pitaga või kebab friikatega, mõlemad variandid on saadaval nii suure, kui väikse portsionina.

Tütarlaps leti taga oli sõbralik (mis pole Tallinnas üldse mitte iseenesestmõistetav) ja söögi saime kätte kõigest mõne minutiga.

Suured portsionid on ka tõesti korralikult suured, kindlasti piisavalt suured keskmise meessoost näljase jaoks. Väikseid variante soovitaks pigem daamidele.

Liha Nõmme Kebabis on väga hea: Suured mahlased tükid päris liha (siga), mitte see rasvaga immutatud papi moodi ollus, mida paljudes kebabikohtades pakutakse. Siin on korralik kraam.

Friikad ei ole jämedad Belgia/Hollandi tüüpi, vaid peenikesed McDonalds'i tüüpi. Maitse ja krõbedusega on kõik korras. Liha ja friikad on kaetud suure hulga hapukoore/majoneesi kastme ja ketšupiga, ning toiduhunniku otsa on kühveldatud korralik kogus marineeritud sibulat.

Sibul ise on suurepärane, aga järgmine kord kui tellin siis küsin kindlasti vähem kastet ja ketšupit, kuna standard pannakse neid nii ohtrasti et selleks ajaks kui jõuad oma taldrikutäie alumise kolmandikuni, on friikatest ja soustidest moodustunud ühtlane happeline plöga (plögastumine pitaga varianti ei puudutanud).

Kuid see on ka ainuke kriitika selle muidu igati korraliku kõhutäie kohta. Ei midagi peent, ei mingit “käsitöö/kohalik päritolu/jätkusuutlik” fancy-schmancy't, lihtsalt aus, odav, maitsev lihane kõhutäis.

Ka väärt mainida: taustamuusikaks olev raadio (tõenäoliselt Sky Plus) ei ole liialt kõvaks keeratud, nii et jutuajamiseks pole vaja häälepaelu pingutada.

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A Classic.

 Nõmme Kebab (Jaama 3, Tallinn) has been around for a dozen years, which, according to Tallinn standards, means just about the same as Forever.

Situated in a small wooden house in the borough of Nõmme, it sports three tables, a counter and the simplest of menus: you either have kebab with bread or kebab with fries, with the variation of both being available as a small or a large portion.

The lady behind the counter was friendly (not always the case in Tallinn) and our food arrived in just a couple of minutes.

The big portions are positively huge, definitely big enough for an average male eater. The small portions on the menu are more suited for the ladies.

The kebab meat in Nõmme Kebab is excellent: big juicy chunks of real meat (pork), unlike in many other kebab places where the “meat” resembles cardboard pulp soaked in crease. Not so here.

The fries are not the Belgian/Dutch style fat fries, rather the McDonalds-esque thin type. Taste and crispiness are pretty good. The fries and meat are covered in copious amount sour cream and mayonnaise based sauce and ketchup and everything is topped off with lots of pickled onions.

The onions are excellent but next time I will be ordering my kebab with less sauce and ketchup as she likes to literally drown your fries and meat with them, with the consequence that by the time you reach the lower one third of your plate, the fries are reduced to a wet sour goo (the variant with bread does not suffer from this sauce soaking).

But that is about the only criticism I can level on otherwise an excellent meal: nothing fancy, none of that “artisanal/locally-sourced/sustainable” thing going on, just a cheap, honest, good meaty meal.

Perhaps also worth mentioning: the background music (most likely Sky Plus) was not overly loud, making conversation on a normal vocal level entirely possible.

Toit Tallinnas: lühike sissejuhatus || Food in Tallinn: a short introduction

 

Oo, Tallinn, keskaegne Disneyland Soome lahe ääres.

Olles õnnistatud vägagi ilusa Vanalinnaga on toonud kaasa selle paratamatu needuse, mille all kannatavad kõik maailma turistisihtkohad: kogu vanalinn ja selle ümbrus punnitab kõrge hinna eest keskpärast sööki pakkuvatest restoranidest, kes kõik loodavad külastavate masside taskutest oma osa saada.

Tallinn pole muidugi mitte keskaegne muuseum või lõbustuspark, kus elavad ainult ettekandjad, giidid ja kahtlasi teenuseid pakkuvad neiud. Tallinn on ikka päris linn, kus elavad päris inimesed ja need inimesed tahavad süüa.. hästi süüa.. ja normaalse hinna eest.

Nii et oled sa üks nendest kohalikest kes otsib midagi hamba alla pärast rasket tööpäeva, või midagi millesse absorbeerida alkoholi pärast reedeõhtust joomingut, või oled sa külaline kes on liiga nutikas selleks et pseudo-folkloorses kostüümis ettekandjalt 20 Eurone “Rüütli kotlet” tellida, me loodame et see blogi aitab sul leida selle järgmise maitsva ampsu Tallinna tänavatel. 

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Aah, Tallinn, the medieval Disneyland on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Being blessed with a rather beautiful Old Town has brought along the unavoidable curse from which all tourist destinations around the globe suffer from: Restaurants serving bland food at high prices are mushrooming all over the town, every single one hoping to get their share from the wallets of the visiting hordes.

Now, Tallinn is not just a medieval museum or an amusement park, inhabited only by waiters, tourist guides and young ladies offering dubious services. It is a real town, inhabited by real people (about 400 000 of them, give or take) and these people want to eat.. and eat well, and have value for money.

So whether you are one of those locals, looking for a quick meal after a hard days work, or something to soak up all that alcohol after a Friday night binge, or perhaps a visitor who is far to clever to order a 20€ “Knight's cutlet” from a waitress clad in quasi-folkloric costume, we hope this blog will help you to find that next tasty bite on the streets of Tallinn.