Birthday dinner in Tallinn

Hubby’s birthday fell on a Friday this year and as we both happened to have that day off work, we decided to take an overnight trip to Tallinn and celebrate there. We hopped on the Eckerö ferry in Helsinki at 9 am and arrived in Tallinn at 11:15 am. I had considered booking lounge seats, but it turned out a cabin was cheaper, so I ended up booking a cabin for us both ways. That way we didn’t have to “fight” for seats in the public areas of the ferry, had a place for our luggage, as well as a private bathroom. It was raining when we arrived in Tallinn so despite the fact that our hotel was only some two kilometers from the harbor, we decided to utilize a taxi. I had booked one night at Metropol Spa Hotel in a superior room and we were lucky enough that our room was ready when we arrived at the hotel. Once we got settled in the room, the rain had stopped so we decided to walk to Fotografiska Tallinn that is located in the Telliskivi neighborhood.

The walk was nice, and we checked out the Balti Jaama Turg on the way. Our absolute favorite exhibition at Fotografiska was Alison Jackson’s Truth is Dead, which was both funny and thought-provoking. I also found Kirsty Mitchell’s Wonderland interesting and there were some extremely beautiful pictures that I would be happy to hang on my wall, but in my opinion it became a bit repetitive after a while. Once we had seen the various exhibitions it was lunch time. We ate at Kivi, Paber, Käärid (Rock, Paper, Scissors), which turned out to be an excellent spot to enjoy tasty food. We started with Tortilla Chips with Avocado Cream and Salsa and both had a soup to follow. Mine was Creamy Tomato Soup with Oat Cream and Roasted Almond Flakes and hubby’s Spicy Vietnamese Style Soup with Duck. If you are ever in the Telliskivi area, I can recommend Kivi, Paber, Käärid both for food and drinks.

After lunch we strolled back to the hotel and once there utilized the spa facilities. The spa featured four different saunas (Finnish sauna, aroma sauna, steam sauna and salt-steam sauna), four Jacuzzis, a pool and a pool-side bar. We found the spa to be nice and relaxing and at least on a Friday afternoon it was not too crowded. Soon it was time to prepare for dinner and once we were all dolled up, we headed out again and walked to the restaurant.

I had booked a table at Restaurant Tchaikovsky located in the Telegraaf Hotel. As we were a bit early, we decided to have a drink at the lobby bar. Once it was time for dinner the bartender took us to our table and brought our drinks as well. The restaurant was lovely and the service impeccable. We decided to try the six-course degustation menu with wine pairings. The menu consisted of Tsar Blini with a Trio of Caviar: Osetra Caviar, Golden Pike Roe and Trout Roe, Venison Tartar with Cranberries, Black Radish and a Cream of Horseradish, Truffle Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Scallop and Crispy Black Bread, Cod with Pumpkin-Quince Puree and Oyster Beurre Blanc Sauce, Roasted Pigeon Royal Filet and Confit with Grilled Sweet Corn and Madeira Sauce, and Plum-Hazelnut Chocolate Cream With Cardamom Sauce. We were also served a small amuse bouche to start and a palate cleanser after the fish course. The menu had just changed that very day and we were the first customers to have this new degustation menu, so the waiter was very interested in what we thought of the various courses. The wine pairings worked really well, and we appreciated that the pours were half pours, as sometimes when you have a wine package you end up getting quite soused. The menu was extremely well planned and for once the courses were small enough so that you could enjoy the whole menu without feeling stuffed already half way through. All in all, I must say this was one of the very best degustation menus and wine pairings we have experienced. We will definitely return to Tchaikovsky as we are very interested in seeing what their spring or summer menu is like.

We had a good night’s sleep and an adequate breakfast at the hotel the following morning. Then it was time to check out and walk to the harbor to catch the noon ferry back home. This was a lovely way to celebrate hubby’s birthday and a welcome little break from the daily grind.