Olde Hansa (Medieval) – Tallinn, Estonia (8/10)
Dec 23rd, 2006 by admin
Situated in a medieval merchant’s house just off Tallinn’s old town square, Olde Hansa serves medieval food in a mediaval setting. Although this might sound tacky and touristy, it’s actually an impressive experience and we ate here twice during our six day trip. The interior is dark and entirely candle-lit, with hand-painted murals and waiters and waitresses wearing what else but medieval costume. The service was extremely friendly, with everyone speaking perfect English, and the bilingual menus were extensive (you can see these online).
On both occasions, we had numerous mugs of delicious, dark home-made honey beer and a starter of oven-baked herb and juniper cheese. I decided to give the bear dish a miss (‘marinated in rare spices and cooked over a fire in honour of Waldemar II, the brave King of Denmark Also, cooked spelt cakes with herbs on the side’), because even though a certain number of bears are hunted legally for food in Estonia each year, I don’t think it’s necessary to eat bear just for the novelty factor. Bear was also incredibly expensive, three times more so than the dish I chose. For larger groups, there are also various ‘Feasts’ to choose from, featuring game such as elk, wild boar and rabbit.
I opted instead for the safer ‘Grand leg of duck in saffron sauce’, while my husband had the grilled salmon with forest mushrooms. These were served with five delicious accompaniments of vegetables and healthy grains (spelt with saffron, crusader’s lentil sauce, ginger turnip etc). Both dishes were hearty and filling, just perfect against the snowy weather outside. The meal ended with an exquisite rose pudding.
When we left after the first meal, we found the wooden figure of Hans outside on fire (from the lit candles by his feet), so after we alerted the staff, we were offered more honey beer, on the house. Olde Hansa is unmissable if you’re in Tallinn, and in terms of ambience and service is much better than its rival across the street, Peppersack. And for a completely different, world-class dinner, book a booth at Gloria…
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the Estonia restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact Details:
Olde Hansa
Vana turg 1
10140 Tallinn
Tel: +372 627 9020
reserve@oldehansa.ee
www.oldehansa.ee
Hi Helen,
Old Hansa was highly recommended by colleagues when I went to Tallinn last year. I was sceptical, as “theatre” restaurants are not my thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent food and service. I too had the duck and my companion had the bear. I was not game enough to give the bear a try (nor comfortable with the ethics of eating creatures which are diminishing in numbers), but it was described as similar to beef but with a strong liver taste.
Custard Bun – glad to hear you also had a good time here! I don’t like these types of places usually either. A colleague had the bear too. Maybe I’m not Chinese enough, but I also have problems with eating certain animals that are better off left to roam the wilds.
Helen Yuet Ling
We ate lunch at this restaurant on 25 August this year. Fabulous! The vegetarian dish in particular was absolutely lovely. My Australian husband even tried cinnamon beer! I would go again if ever I was lucky enough to be in Tallin.