DINING IN A PINTEREST BOARD
Tallinn, Estonia
With exactly 17 dishes on the menu that cover Entrees, Mains & Desserts, Paju Villa is definitely the IT restaurant in Tallinn at the moment. Another brainchild of the geniuses behind Noa, this restaurant is literally a Pinterest board. When I say Pinterest board, I really mean one. Chevrons, pastels like powder pink & mint, loft French windows, accents of rose gold and white marble countertops to set it off, this restaurant is pretty as a picture & the food is top-notch.
A concise menu can only be pulled off when every single dish is bang on. The confidence with which the chef executes this menu clearly shines through. We started with a watermelon & cranberry drink that came with a slightly torched lemon in a pretty-as-a-punch glass & their classic Noa drink that has accents of cucumber & pink peppercorns.
Then came the appetisers; ‘Paprika’ was indeed a large paprika stuffed with mozzarella, pesto & cherry tomatoes among other things. The flavours may sound usual Italian but the dish was anything but ordinary. It was fresh, light & just the right precursor to the heavy ‘Artisan Fries’. These fries are serious gourmet comfort food. A lofty grey wooden treasure box opens out to showcase thick, artisanal hand cut chips served with an umami pork belly with a Miso glaze, a peanut slave that came with shavings of Bacon & a Hoisin Mayo.
Fusion done right! We then had their ‘Surf & Turf Risotto’ which was a tangy tomato risotto that came with a heavy sprinkling of herbs & bacon wrapped prawns that were to die for! The salmon was a superb cut of fish, cooked to perfection served with kisses of pomp puree, daikon ribbons, kale & an apple reduction.
The dish that took the cake was dessert. Aptly named ‘Brioche,’ it was a small slice of toasted Brioche served with a disc of coffee crème, salted coffee condensed milk, Turkish yoghurt ice-cream, eggplant toffee & espresso jelly. When a dessert transcends the superficial flat taste of sweet and becomes something more, you know a lot of thought has gone into its conception. It was Art.
If you’re in this part of the world, I would highly recommend this restaurant for a fun & girly birthday brunch. Dress up; eat well. It’ll make your tummy & your Instagram feed very happy.
