Eating in Tartu: Faster's Express

First Impressions

Are you hungry at 6 a.m. after a night of dancing? Do you have a hangover? Are all the bars closed, but still craving alcohol? We have a solution to all of these problems! FASTER'S! This concept is a winner! The opening hours of this fast food restaurant are truly amazing. On Fridays and Saturdays it's open until 7 a.m. and on other days at least until 4 a.m. As the name promises, the service is usually very fast. 

The Food

The menu has a wide selection of options: burgers ranging in size from small to XXL, wraps with a full grain option, pelmenis, fries and wonderful pieces of chicken and shashlik. You can grab and go, or if you are not in a hurry, there is the possibility of sitting in. As long as the restaurant is open you can buy alcohol even to go. The price are cheap, ranging from 1.30 euros of the cheese burger to 11 euros of the mega shashlik 500 grams combo meal. Even though Faster's is a fast food chain, the food is pretty good and tasty. Bokkila has never left Faster's unsatisfied.

Bokkila ordered:

Crispy chicken basket - Well, it is no lie - the batter of the chicken is crispy. In addition, the chicken itself is sooooo tender! I don't know how they manage to do accomplish this miracle. Garlic mayo is included in the basket. 5/5

Spicy crispy chicken basket - This is the spicier version of the above dish. The chicken is the same, but the batter has sesame seeds and a hint of chili. The dip is a good sweet and sour sauce. 5/5

Fries - The fries are regular fast food chain fries. 3/5

More About the Establishment at:

http://fasters.ee/

The Official Bokkila Score:

Eating in Tartu: Meat Market

First Impressions

A classy, modern and simplistic restaurant in the heart of the old city of Tartu. The are two sides to the restaurant: a cocktail bar and a restaurant side offering meat dishes. If you are after steaks, this is the place to be. The service is good and the staff often interacts with the customer, which is a nice change in the restaurant scenery in Estonia. One of the nicest restaurants in Tartu, it is always a pleasure to visit. On weekend evenings, one better book a table in advance, for the restaurant is often fully booked. A very nice place to go to with a group of friends, lots of things to share! 

Food

The menu consists mainly of different meat dishes, but there is fish and duck on the menu as well. Actually this is the only place in Tartu, where you can get a decent cut of meat. They offer a 1000 gram Tomahawk, which can be shared. The prices range from 6-23 euros. On weekdays, the restaurant offers a daily lunch, which costs 5.90 euros and often has the same standards as the regular menu. The restaurant also offers the best cocktails in Tartu. There is also a lovely option of ordering a huge strawberry margarita to share between friends.

Bokkila ordered:

Angus beef hamburger - This is a classic burger. The patty is 280 grams, and the beef is just delicious. The bun is self-baked, and the sauce in the hamburger has a nice and smokey taste. Bokkila recommends a medium plus temperature. The fries are excellent and are accompanied with garlic mayonnaise, which is heavenly. This is the best mayo Bokkila has ever had. 4.5/5

Chocolate fondant - This is the queen of all desserts. The fondant is perfectly cooked with a melting core. The presentation is a piece of art. The fondant is accompanied with home-made ice cream that just compliments it perfectly. 5/5

A giant strawberry margarita - The perfect strawberry margarita out there. The consistency is thick and the drink has actual frozen strawberries, which makes the taste extremely fresh. An amazing drink to share among friends, what an experience! 5/5

More About the Establishment at:

http://meatmarket.ee/

The Official Bokkila Score:

Jibba Jabba: Harlem Shake Tranny Edition!

Bokkila attended a Trannylicious Party and got the opportunity to participate in a Harlem Shake production. Here is the result of that fateful night.

Eating in Tartu: La Dolce Vita

First Impressions

In this restaurant you get the feeling of a traditional Italian restaurant. The atmosphere is of any restaurant in Florence, Rome or any other Italian city. The television in the corner shows Italian channels, most often the weather forecasts reminding you of the everlasting sun in Italy that you are not experiencing during the dark, long winter months in Estonia. The ceiling arches, checkered tablecloths, Serrano hams and Italian ice cream display are just screaming: "l'Italia, l'Italia, l'Italia"! The service is variable, sometimes the waiters are attentive, and sometimes not, which is quite normal in Estonia. 

The Food

The menu is authentic including antipasti, first courses, seconds courses and classic desserts. A finishing touch of authenticity is brought by the fact that the menu is written also in Italian. The pizzas are baked in an authentic wood-fired oven and it makes all the difference. The pizza menu is extensive, lasting several pages with white and red pizzas and calzones. The daily pasta and pizza cost 4.5 euros. The price range of the pizzas varies between 7-12 euros. Main courses are 10-20 euros.

Bokkila ordered:

Pizza Iberica - This is a heavenly red pizza with mozzarella, cured beef, Brie cheese and rucola. What a new and delicious outtake on a pizza! 5/5.

Ravioli caprino e pere - A light and creamy fresh goat cheese and pear ravioli. The ravioli is hand made and cooked to a perfect al dente. Every ingredient goes well together, complimenting each other. Best pasta in Tartu. 5/5

More About the Establishment at:

http://ladolcevita.ee/?lang=en

The Official Bokkila Score:

Eating in Tartu: Kohvipaus Cafe

First Impressions

This small, cozy cafeteria is located along the pedestrian street of Rüütli. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. This is a good option if you want a fast, cheap take away salad, though it is also possible to sit down and enjoy your meal. The staff is cheerful. It is always easy to pop by.

The Food

There is a variety of salad options from the salad bar and also small snacks, including wraps, cookies, muffins and smoothies. This is the ultimate grab and go place in Tartu. The prices of the salads vary between 2.50-4 euros. 

Bokkila ordered:

Caesar salad with smoked chicken / smoked salmon - A typical, old-school Caesar salad, exactly what you would expect of it. The dressing is full and plentiful. The salmon is very good. No complaints about the chicken either! A very satisfying salad time after time. 4/5

More About the Establishment at:

Kohvipaus on Facebook

The Official Bokkila Score:

Eating in Tartu: YliCool Cafe Lounge

First Impressions

As the name suggests, the restaurant is trying to be cool, and partly succeeding. The interior is clean and simplistic, very modern and Scandinavian. The restaurant lacks some personality, and the atmosphere could be more comfortable. Now it is more like an operation room had a baby with an Ikea catalogue. The service was adequate, but a bit distant. The dinner set was very imaginative and a lot of attention had been put into the small details. 

The Food

As a whole, the menu was unimaginative, and nothing caught Bokkila's attention at first nor even second glance. The prizes of the main courses vary between 12-19 euros. Soups, pastas and salads are 5-8.5 euros. The daily lunch is 5 euros. The restaurant offers gluten- and lactose free options, also sugar-free desserts. How modern!

Bokkila ordered:

Warm meat salad with red pesto and vegetables - The meat of the dish is pork, but you can change it to veil or chicken. The veil was chewy, but tasty. The salad was fresh and varied. 3/5

Vegetable pasta without pasta - In this dish pasta free pasta translates to slices of warm vegetables. In stead of a pasta, it is more of a warm salad. It is also possible to order this "pasta" with chicken, pork or veil. All in all rather bland, the vegetables used were quite typical, no surprises there. 3/5

Mango Coconut Panna Cotta - A dessert that would take you to the tropics. The tastes of mango and coconut complimented each other, light and creamy, a very fresh experience. This was more what we were expecting to have in this trendy restaurant. 4/5

More About the Establishment at:

http://www.ylicool.ee/menuu/

The Official Bokkila Score: 

Eating in Tartu: Mandala Restoran

First Impressions

The atmosphere is a bit bleak, but some effort has been put into making the restaurant feel Asian. Indian music is playing in the background. The waitress was pleasant and helpful when asked about the dishes. The service is fast. 

The Food

The restaurant offers Thai, Chinese and Nepalese dishes. There's a wide variety of choices. With the Thai and Nepalese dishes basmati rice is included in the price. The meat dishes are plentiful, there is enough for two. With the ISIC-card students get a 10% discount. The daily lunch plate is 3.30 euros.

Bokkila ordered:

Mango Lassi - What can Bokkila say: delicious. 5/5

Crispy Samosa - The filling of the pastry consisted of peas and mashed potatoes. The crust was nice and crispy and the filling was mildly spicy. The spice mix did justice to Nepalese flavours. It was pretty close to the real deal. 4/5

Cheese Naan - This is not the traditional type of naan bread you would expect. The 

bread was flatter than the usual naan, and the cheese filling tasted too western. It would have been better with a more traditional filling. 2/5

Crispy Beef with Capsicum and Garlic in Spicy Tomato Sauce - This was from the Chinese menu. It was moderately spicy, and had a Chinese flavour. The sauce was rather a soy based sauce than a tomato one, which wasn't a problem. The beef was crispy and there was a lot of it. 3.5/5

Masala Lamb - The sauce was unusually spiced, it was mild and smooth. The sauce was coconut-milk based and there was a nice hint of lemon grass that brought a punch to the dish. 3.5/5

More About the Establishment at:

http://www.mandalarestoran.ee/

The Official Bokkila Score:

Eating in Tartu: Cafe Crepp

First Impressions

The interior of the restaurant is cozy and the waiters are really, really friendly. Usually there's French music in the background and art displayed on the walls. The atmosphere is warm and homy. This is the restaurant to go to on a cold winter day and have a pot of tea. During the summer, the restaurant has tables on the street where you can observe the flow of Estonians passing by. 

The Food

The menu includes a set of salads, galettes (salty pancakes) and crepes. The prices of the salads vary between 5-10 euros, the crepes are 4.50 euros. The salads are the best in Tartu, because they are actually salads and not cabbage with mayo, which usually is the case in most Estonian restaurants. 

Bokkila ordered:

Warm Chicken Salad - The dressing is mustard-based, but it doesn't overwhelm the salad. The chicken is tender and utterly delicious. The ingredients of the salad compliment each other. The salad doesn't leave you hungry, it'll keep you stuffed for hours. 5/5 

Caesar Salad - This salad consists of a heavenly combination of chicken, bacon, a garlic-dressing, croutons, salad and four pieces of tomatoes. The salad is one of the best ones in Crepp, it's worth ordering. 4.5/5

Notice: 4 pieces of tomatoes

Nutella-Mascarpone Crepe - The consistency of the crepe is dense and tasty. There's enough of filling, which by the way is quite delicious. The crepes are served with ice-cream and whipped cream on the side. What a fabulous dish!

More About the Establishment at:

http://www.crepp.ee/food

The Official Bokkila-Score:

Eating in Tartu: Sheriff Saloon

First Impressions

Effort has been put into the interior of the restaurant: old posters of wanted outlaws, movie posters of old westerns and wooden booths. Country music is playing in the background and waiters have westeren-inspired outfits. The service is fast and very friendly, which is rare in Estonia. All dishes range from 5-20 euros and cocktails from 4-6 euros.

The Food

The menu has burgers and tex-mex-inspired dishes. It's the only place in Tartu, where you can find tex-mex on the menu, but it's not up to scratch. Hot wings are HOT, which, again, is rare in Estonia. In Bokkila's opinion, the burgers are the best in Tartu! There's a wide selection of burgers and you have the option of one to four patties. The sauces are home-made and they are plentiful. The beer was cold.

Bokkila ordered: 

BBQ Beef Fajita - The sauce was good and the meat was mediocre, definitely not the finest tex-mex experience, but not the worst either. 2/5

Fajita-Beef Burger + Grilled Vegetables: The beef patty was flavourfull and the sauce was delicious. The biggest downside of the burger is the bun, which is not grilled at all and is an ordinary, store-bought bun. The grilled vegetables are fresh and actually grilled, unlike the bun. Good seasoning, a nice side for the heavy burger. 4/5

French Fries - The restaurant serves steak fries, which are well-seasoned. Good basic fries. 3/5

Mango Mojito - The drink is very sweet and the taste of mango is strong. The drink doesn't resemble a mojito that much: there are some mint-leaves in the drink, but there isn't any raw sugar. The the taste of rum is a bit rough for the taste of mango in the drink. Even though it's not an actual mojito, it's an ok mango-flavoured drink. 2.5/5

More About the Establishment at:

Sheriff Saloon on Facebook

The Official Bokkila-Score:

Jibba Jabba: Eternity is a Long Time to Die Hard

Bokkila had the rare opportunity to preview the upcoming Halloween-theme sequel of the Die Hard -series. Bokkila is sharing this exclusive trailer with you! 

Eating in Tartu: Yakuza Sushi Bar

First Impressions

The restaurant is located on the top floor of Tasku shopping centre and it serves an Estonian take on Japanese food. The menu includes a selection of sushi, woks, teriyaki skewers and other Japanese dishes. The restaurant is located next to a movie theatre, and this makes the atmosphere of the restaurant rather busy. On a busy day, be prepared to wait 30 minutes to an hour for your meal. As with many Estonian restaurants, after the first order you're pretty much on your own, so don't expect active table service. 

The Food

In general, the sushi was unevenly cut and asymmetrical, some of them had a lot of rice, while others had only a feebly thin layer of it. The construction was weak. When dipping the sushi into the soy sauce the sushi instantly developed a life crisis and fell apart. Wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger were the standard offerings. Beer was lukewarm. 

Philadephia Maki, Sake Inari Maki and Red Mitsubishi Mak

Bokkila ordered:

Noggano Maki - This was one of the best sushi. It's definitely not authentic Japanese sushi, but if you are a Bokkila, this deep-fried monstrosity will tantalize your taste buds and clog your arteries. 4/5

Ikura Maki -  This sushi didn't deliver on its promise. The was supposed to be fish roe and Japanese omelette, but all you could taste was the overwhelming flavour of cream cheese. This was a disgrace. 0/5

Philadephia Maki - A reliable sushi. The cream cheese compliments the salmon well. 4/5

Red Mitsubishi Maki - Oh god, here we go again. An experience Bokkila would like to forget. The tuna was rough and the taste was just not fresh. The sushi didn't taste of much but what it did taste of was unpleasant. 0/5

Sake Inari Maki - This was a great experience. The taste was excellent and the consistency of the sushi was pleasant. The fried  tofu and the salmon were a good pairing. 4.5/5

Chukka Maki - With this sushi, the taste was there, but the overall execution wasn't. Seaweed tasted great, but there wasn't enough of it. 3/5

Noggano Maki, Chukka Maki, Ikura Maki. Notice the unevenness of the sushi.

More About the Establishment at:

http://valeks.eu/en/

The Official Bokkila Score: