Vertigo and hotel Klaus K in Helsinki joined forces.

It was not a merger in the economic sense. We do not write about business news!

The hotel in Helsinki and the restaurant in Tallinn were brought together by interest in wines. “Helsinki is closer than Pärnu!” Imre Kose has promoted the idea of the twin-town of Helsinki and Tallinn that has been mentioned before now and again.

Mark Skvorc, the American-born owner of hotel Klaus K, knows how to make his hotel and Helsinki interesting from new angles. This time it is the same Austrian wines at the two restaurants of two different towns on two consecutive days.

The unusual idea was accepted well. The opening night was sold out and a notable crowd immediately arrived from Helsinki too.

The weather did not do a favour to the joining of the two towns and froze the ship traffic between the cities in ice. Plenty of fizzy welcoming drink was consumed while waiting for the Finns; the mood was cheerful when it was time to sit down at the table.

The combination of the venison appetizer, Grüner Veltliner and créme brulée was as unexpected as the whole joint event of Vertigo and Klaus K. Dishes like that are the reason why we go to Vertigo again and again.

This dish is supposed to be a sign of tight times. No foie gras or duck liver, simple beetroot will have to do!

This is the moment of truth for the chefs. They have to demonstrate their skills, not fall back on the exclusivity and quality of the ingredients.

This moment of truth is not a drama for Vertigo. The duck liver is prepared and served instead of goose liver still with a good mood and voilà. There is no shortage of skills and knowledge. The dishes are more interesting than ever before.

The whitefish saltimbocca, the warm spinach and fennel salad and the grape and grappa sauce. The names of the dishes are still whimsical.

Two different wines are brought to the aid of the modest whitefish to add taste nuances. It is the right moment to draw attention to the matching of food and drink.

Kamptal and Vienna (yes, the vinery is located within the borders of the city of Vienna!) that are not very widely known here introduce themselves in the best way.

Bramble tertlet and white chocolate and ginger mousse or in other words our own bramble in a very good company.

The yearning to know which dishes the Finns are going to offer with the same wines is quite unbearable. If it was possible to go to Helsinki instead of Pärnu tomorrow, we would get going immediately.

We will be looking forward to the future joint events of Vertigo and Klaus K.