2009 was a complicated yet a successful year!

There are probably not many of those who can sum up the previous year in such a way but it was really true for restaurants. Contrary to the predictions, most of the 50 highest-ranking restaurants in Estonia survived the year. Moreover, there were several events that took the restaurants involved to an entirely new level on an international scale.  

One of the abovementioned events was the menu provided in cooperation between Roman Zaštšerinski, chef of Ö, and Hans Välimäki, chef of Dominique. Both of the restaurants held a dinner where a half of the dishes were prepared by one of the chefs and a half of the dishes by the other chef.

Roman’s dishes were a good match to those of Hans’ that have been awarded with two Michelin stars. Ö realised that the best restaurant in Tallinn is able to pursue cooperation with restaurants that are far more renowned and highly acclaimed without being outshone by them.

We can not wait to hear the next news.

Chedi, our flagship of exotic cuisine, first hosted Kiin Kiin, a colleague from Denmark who has been awarded with one Michelin star, and then paid a return visit to Copenhagen. Estonian gastronomy is so diverse that it should not and could not be represented by restaurants specializing only in Estonian cuisine.

The fastidious regular clients of Kiin Kiin as well as the harsh Danish food critics had only words of praise for the food. It became clear that Chedi is a restaurant that makes a trip to Tallinn worthwhile and Estonia is becoming a legitimate destination for food tourists.  

Last year Peeter Pihel and Kristo Malm, the duo of chefs at Pädaste manor, took restaurant Alexander of the manor literally to an unprecedented level. Their cuisine of the Baltic islands is making waves not only in Estonia but in all countries around the Baltic Sea.   

The culmination of the year was a three-day pre-Christmas guest menu in hotel l’Europe in Amsterdam. The dishes of the islands served with the accompaniment of live opera arias provided a highly emotional cultural experience.

The spring will bring an expedition-like tour on islands of the Baltic Sea, held with a view to learning more about local traditions, discovering new local raw materials and delicious old recipes.

Finally, there is yet another proof of the good level of Estonian restaurants. Where, a magazine published in St. Petersburg ranked the restaurant month of Estonian Tastes as the best restaurant event of the city.  

The new year is already well under way. All signs indicate that it is going to be less complicated and even more successful. We live to see!