Last evening in Tallinn and last restaurant. Ribe is located right next to the Telegraaf where I’m staying and I walked past it dozens of times during my stay, glancing at the menu but nothing more.
Initially, on the recommendations of the waitress of Ö I intended to try another restaurant belonging to the same owner but unfortunately it was full. There is no shortage of good restaurants in the city, so I set off thinking that I would find one, and at worst that I still had the very famous restaurant of my hotel that I had not tried.
And then I pass the Ribe for the umpteenth time and look at the menu a little more closely. The frontage all in simplicity attracts much less the eye than those of others to such an extent that one wonders with which range of property I am dealing with. A closer look tells me that the promise seems very honest as well as the price and that there is no reason not to give it a chance.
The concept
The concept of Ribe is very simple: local products and French cuisine.
It seems that it works because since its opening in 2007 and behind a facade without show, Ribe is regularly noted among the best properties for gourmets in Estonia.
The setting
The property is located in the Old Town of Tallinn, just a few steps from the Telegraaf Hotel, thus towards the outer edge of the Old Town.
It has a terrace.
The interior is very simple, sober, classic…
There is also a room downstairs, perhaps more suitable for a group or a more intimate dinner.
The menu
Starters
Desserts
And there are two set menus.
Main courses
A 3/4 course menu
I’ll take the chef’s menu.
Main courses
The chef’s menu.
To accompany the aperitif I am brought potato chips (homemade) with something that is halfway between sauce and chicken liver pâté. It’s fresh, light, and very tasty.
The bread and butter that accompany the meal are also homemade.
And I forgot the pictures!
We go back to the heart of the matter with the creamy pea and garlic pesto soup.
All accompanied by prosecco since I chose the wine pairing.
The waitress takes all the time necessary to explain the dish and the reason for the pairing with the wine.
She insists in particular on the presence of garlic. As I had already guessed during my dinner at Balthasar there is a very practical and rational reason for this. This is a region where few vegetables and fruits grow so when they have something easy to grow that is good they put it everywhere;
My verdict: the garlic spices it up very well without “eating” the taste of the rest. As for the egg I don’t see its contribution to the taste, its vocation is rather decorative in my opinion.
Then comes the beef tartar with parsley and pickled mushrooms.
It is served with a sweet red chianti to offset the acidity of the pickles and to complement the parsley.
The meat is melting, light and fresh sauce with chanterelles. Finely chopped it is very easy to eat.
Then comes the pan-fried foie gras with its berries compote and brioche.
It is served with a cherry wine which, as it is cherry, cannot be called wine.
The foie gras lacks a bit of consistency even for pan-fried, it goes to pieces as soon as you touch it.
On the bright side, it forces you to eat it with the cherry and pistachio sauce and it turns out great. With the cherry wine on the side the match is perfect.
Now it’s the turn of the lamb with kolhrabi, spinach and lamb tongue.
Let’s be honest I didn’t know what kolhrabi was before this dinner. Google will teach you that it is also called German turnip and that it is neither more nor less than cabbage.
The lamb flavored with truffles is a real delight. The “green” sauce is useless and, too sweet, the kolhrabi is a bit out of place. As for the tongue mentioned in the menu, I think it must have been used to make the sauce.
The accompaniments were too much as the lamb alone was so good.
It is served with a local cider that is much drier than French cider. Surprising!
We are approaching the end…with a nice cheese plate.
For the picture I moved the tile that was hiding one of the cheeses.
The cheese is served with apple wine. It’s very surprising…. and it goes perfectly well knowing that the cheese is served with applesauce.
Then dessert: white chocolate with strawberries, Greek yogurt and violet sorbet.
Finally I will have a long discussion with the waitress about their choice of wines, the French influence on their cuisine etc.
She will make me taste two local liquors
An apple brandy (it’s like garlic they seem to like a lot).
A local Whisky (Rye) local
The atmosphere
A very classic setting, tables spaced out. It’s simple, clean, no fuss, it’s not trying to be trendy at all and I really like it.
I was a little disturbed at first by the music, which was a little loud for my taste, but I got used to it. And then finally some 80’s ballads is still nice, isn’t it?
The service
Impeccable. At the right pace!
I appreciated that the waitress took the time to explain each dish, each wine, their pairing, the origin of the ingredients…
And in terms of wine, she was very knowledgeable, able to give me the identity card of each wine on the menu and a lot of anecdotes.
Bottom line
Maybe my best meal in Tallinn. I had the chance to visit three very good restaurants but I liked the Ribe for its simplicity, its decision not to go for a complicated cuisine even if innovative and on the contrary to simply bring a French touch to local dishes.
On the other hand, even if the food is the same, it is no longer a Nordic or Scandinavian cuisine but rather a French/Fusion cuisine.
What you need to know to look smart at dinner parties
While Ribe has been ranked among the best restaurants in Estonia since its opening and in Scandinavia since 2015 (even though technically speaking Estonia is not Scandinavia…), its wine list is also award-winning, which is less obvious in the region.
Don’t look for the French influence of the chef in his origin, he is Slovak. On the other hand, he worked in London with Hélène Darroze at the Connaught (among others).
