restaurant review: ö in tallinn, estonia

Outside Ö.

Restaurant Ö, pronounced ou with lips pursed, apparently means "night" because the "O" has 2 dots. I suspect it's also called Ö because they only have dinner service. 

Anyway, I went to Ö while visiting Tallinn during a much needed holiday because my interwebs research revealed that this place served good food. My pal, Mel, a former resident and still frequent visitor of Tallinn also recommended the place. With a personal and Internet recommendation, I was more than happy to check it out.

The Scene

Inside the restaurant.

Located within walking distance of the old town, I found the restaurant without any complication. Like a lot of the restaurants I've visited during my Baltics winter trip, Ö was fairly empty. I arrived around 7:30 pm without any reservations. Other than me, there were two other people there having what appeared to be a romantic dinner. They appeared to be foreigners as well.

The room was somewhat large and a portion of the dining area had a small view of the kitchen. 

The Food

• amuse bouche: dried elk (the dish did not have a significantly elk-y taste but the texture was dry); quail egg marinated in beets (a tasty dish with just a hint of beets); pork rinds with some jelly (the rinds were a bit stale and not as crunchy as I would have liked); warm beet juice (the best of the amuses because it tasted very refreshing).

Amuse bouche.

• cured duck (very rich) with smoked tomatoes (looked fresh and had a smoky flavor) and herb remoulade.

Duck.

• scallops (perfectly cooked, not rubbery, very soft and delicate) with scallop juice and roasted Apple (sweet) and apple compote (tasted tart-y).

Scallops.

• rye bread (dense). The gluten free bread seemed to me to be just a vehicle for the butter, which was creamy and soft (I loved that!) and topped with sea salt.

Breads.

• aged beef (cooked medium rare although it was a bit underseasoned in some parts and overseasoned in other parts) with red wine reduction that took several days to make (very concentrated and strong). The dish came with various root vegetables.

Beef.

• pre dessert: black currant sorbet (tasted very refreshing and tart-y) with white chocolate, Kamam (I'm not sure about the spelling but it was made of different grains including rye that was apparently fed only to pigs a long time ago), and crumble (which tasted sweet and has a crunchy texture). This dish was like a palette cleanser but, was also not like one because of the lingering sweetness of the crumble.

Pre-dessert.

• dessert: pear tart with lingonberries. The bottom of the dish had crunchy rice, and it came with a side of cinnamon sponge cake, which taste I don't remember. The dessert was served with a plate of pine stems, rocks and dry ice (the plate behind the dessert in the picture below).

Dessert.

• petit fours: macaron (tart and sweet and a bit hard), black currant financier (served hot but also a bit hard), cookie dough stone (sweet but a bit chalky).

Petit fours.

The Service

The server was friendly but formal. She spoke English (albeit a little big hard to understand). She was also very accommodating. One of the tasting menus had quail. But, because I already had quail at Neh the night before, I asked if I could have the beef from the other tasting menu. They told me it was not a problem at all. I definitely appreciated that.

The Price

For all that food, I paid €61 - not cheap but reasonable for a fine dining experience.

The Verdict

If Michelin stars were given in Tallinn, I suspect Ö would have received at least one. The food was enjoyable and I recommend a visit. But, I slightly preferred my meal at Neh, which was also cheaper. Whichever restaurant you choose, you can't really go wrong.

Have you dined at Ö? What was your dining experience there?