Tchaikovsky

Black walls, antique leather bound books and thick picture frames may not be everyone's take on design that feels comfortable, but it's my take on that. No worries, even if you don't like that sort of stuff, you will be pleasantly surprised - the space is not stifling or over-whelming. Could be the solarium style glass ceiling that gives the whole place an airy feel.

I do have a reservation about restaurant Tchaikovsky and it is this. Once again a Tallinn restaurant is in a hotel and even though it's staffed with polite competent people and designed nicely enough to dress up for the occasion you'll always end up with big group of hotel guests in jeans and polo shirts. I'm not blaming them, they're probably here on business and just walked down from their rooms.

But it does ruin the whole eternally enjoyable symbiosis - the fusion of French and Russian cuisine. That last one is a quote mash-up originating from their own website.
I just long for elite restaurants that are not with a hotel.


The food is good, pricey but good. For a chef's welcome treat we got a foie gras and black truffle mousse that left us wanting for more. There was something else, but I don't recall what it was. It doesn't matter, the taste of that mousse is still with me.

Now here comes the best part - their soups... and the soups are served with pirozhki, well you need to order them. All together they only have two soups they serve:
Cold Okroshka with veal tong, sorrel dock and apple and Borsch with sturgeon and herbs. TCHAIKOVSKY PIROZHKI are a must, they used to offer one with duck liver and raisins. That was heavenly, I don't know why they stopped. In any case the Sauerkraut and smoked mackerel ones are also excellent.

I love the borsch here, but if you're ordering it to be taken back in time and expect something that grandma made, you could be little disappointed. This is not your typical thick hearty soup that you could be used to. No, this is a modern classic with a twist - the salacious way they serve it. The bowl arrives without the broth, so that what you see in the beginning is beets, herbs and sturgeon neatly stacked. Then they add the broth from a pitcher and the color of it...it looks like Pinot Noir.

The main courses are little on the expensive side, but just wonderful. It seems the main guy in the kitchen loves foie gras and so do I. The person in charge of all the sauces definitely knows his or hers trade.

When it's time for desert I'm usually stuffed and oh yeah look out for their Vodka shot glasses - huge - sneaky. One thing, I'm not a big fan of their wine list pricing policy, since I shop at the same whole seller and can do basic math.


Tchaikovsky is one of the best restaurants in town.