Pädaste is a modern manor

In olden times, the glory days of the manors, the squires were internationally well-known people who through their activities brought fame to this region. The manors were an example to the local people of how to run things at a larger scale and more prominently. The well-restored Pädaste has once again taken to fulfilling the old function of the manors.

In the section of luxury hotels Pädaste is probably the best-known Estonian hotel in the world, if prizes and acknowledgement are anything to go by.

As an exemplary manor Pädaste is developing and perfected each year. The news of this summer are the two restaurants. Alexander in the main building is a gastronomic restaurant meant for the evening culinary pleasures. Meremaja is for simpler but no less delicious daytime meals.

A special mood will strike you the moment you step into the yard of the manor. The view on the bay is alluring. The yard itself is well-groomed and respectable as appropriate to a manor. It is special people who work and visit here.

The manor is restored in an excellent manner. The use and promoting of local food is a new model. On pre-order, for example, you can have an agreeable amount of the real island beer waiting for you, and there are countless corners in the territory of the manor where you can enjoy drinking it from a real piggin. One more idyllic than the other.

The chef Peeter Pihel, a local man, who as it is customary to the islanders has been around the world and is now employing the things seen and learnt away at home.

Pädaste is a place of luxury. A complete opposite to the big city hotels where people often only spend a few hours at night. Every moment that can be spent in Pädaste definitely should be spent here. The restless soul finds peace here.

The farm building near the edge of the manor’s territory that has been restored in a modern style is an experience on its own. In terms of conveniences it does not in any way come off as second best in comparison with the manor building. The rustic chic yard and of course the house itself provide a unique accommodation experience.

Pädaste is not cheap. But nothing that good is cheaper anywhere. Spending a few days at Pädaste deserves saving money for. The experience is worth it.

The highlights of the Pädaste experience are the dinners at the restaurant Alexander with its renewed menu. The menu is very short but changes every month. Every single ingredient and idea originates from the island itself and the nearby islands.

Turning a traditional everyday dish into its gastronomic version is the highest level of culinary art. In today’s environment of haste and competition menus are too often filled with tests instead of thought out and worked out dishes.

That’s probably why there is less to choose from but more to experience in Alexander’s menu. The “Herring in tomato sauce” in the picture is like an edible form of a short story from contemporary history. Estonians understand it without words, the foreigners however need the whole story explained to them while eating. Fortunately the “original” can be bought from the local store at any time, so the comparison can also be carried out in the language of flavours.

The ”Hapurokk” from Muhu in the dessert menu reaches further back in time. An ordinary and very simple old treat has been turned into an ultramodern delicacy.

Each dish in Alexander’s menu has a story. If it is possible for a lunch or dinner to be a history lesson then that’s what the meals at Pädaste certainly are.

The flavours of Pädaste can also be taken home now. The Pädaste Gourmet products are made at the manor. The salad dressing, hazelnut honey, lime-tree bloom and cowslip tea, and the different pastries help revive the delicious moments of Pädaste at home.

If you get addicted, then, as appropriate to a modern manor, everything can be bought also from the online store of the manor or from the food department of Tallinna Kaubamaja.