Tallinn Trip – Beer and Barrel
The evening meal of choice was Beer and Barrel, selected as part of my usual kind “I’ll provide three restaurants that I like the sound of, but you lot can pick which one” offer. I managed to get us to the venue without any issues, which is fortunate because it was pouring with rain and I don’t think there would have been much tolerance for any incompetence on my behalf.
Thinking about the menu options, although I had obviously decided what I was having from the on-line menus before leaving the hotel. Bev prefers to wait until we get there and then ask 28 questions about the menu, but Steve and I rarely mention how she’s holding us up.
My first beer was the Reloaded from Tanker Brewery, taste of stonefruit and it was hoppy and rich.
My starter of the boar jerky, not the most exciting of dishes to be fair in terms of the taste and we thought that Ross had gone for the best option with the calamari.
The main course of chicken schnitzel with coleslaw salad, fries and a honey mustard mayonnaise was much better, with tender chicken and creamy coleslaw. It’s had to go wrong with breaded chicken, or at least, not without a degree of incompetence. This was a filling dish and I liked the crispiness of the coating.
The dessert of apple pie with ice cream and a caramel sauce was also suitably delicious with the crumble element giving some extra texture.
My second beer was the 10.5% ABV Black Pearl Tatakoto Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Barleywine which was boozy, chocolatey, Bourbony, rich and delicious. It’s not the lightest of beers of course, but it proved a rather lovely sipping drink.
It’s not the largest of venues, but the staff member was kind enough to give us the large central table which was handy for our group size. The service was attentive and polite, with the ladies in a group being delighted that they were served first. They’re like ravenous pigeons those two and, fortunately, Bev didn’t dither too much with the ordering on this occasion. The prices were reasonable and I liked the selection of craft beers which were available, something which had drawn me to the venue in the first place. It’s no real surprise that this establishment basks in a constellation of five-star online reviews, I’d merrily go back here again.
