The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi

EDIT: I have heard that this restaurant has unfortunately closed! Tallinn has such a lively food scene that it’s difficult to keep up! Tempted by the thought of a steamed bao bun, my mom and I made our way to the trendy Kalamaja district.

We arrived at restaurant Fabrik straight from the harbour, coming by ferry from Helsinki. Feeling quite hungry, we decided to take a taxi. It’s not an impossible walk away but it can take around half an hour, so we saved a bit of time this way as well. After our meal, we walked to the Old Town, as the Old Town gates are not far.

The restaurant looks stylish but quite inconspicuous from the outside. In summer, there is a terrace on the lane on the side of the restaurant. The terrace was difficult to imagine with all the snow covering the streets of Tallinn.

Inside, you will find a modern Scandinavian type decor mixed with some subtle retro chic.

First, we had some homemade bread with olive oil which is baked in the bakery next to Fabrik. We just ate it all up so quickly that I failed to take a photo. It was fresh and soft – just like bread should be in restaurants but often isn’t.

I had the bao with pork belly and wakame. I am a huge fan of bao’s and I also love wakame. And imagine that with tender but slightly crispy pork belly. Inside, to my delight, I found ginger. All I can say is yum. At first I was thinking – one bao? But it was so filling that I certainly wouldn’t have needed another. It looked beautiful and tasted fantastic.

My mom had the lamb patties with warm Greek yoghurt and roasted cauliflower. In addition sultanas on top. This dish had the kind of North African/Middle Eastern thing going on with the spices as found in the restaurant Sandro in Helsinki. I am not a big fan of lamb but this tasted divine. The yoghurt had some chili to give it a little kick. It seems to me that cauliflower is the trendiest veggie of this time – have you noticed the same? My mom, a fan of lamb, was very pleased with her dish and I didn’t mind having a bite either.

We both regretted being too full to try out the extraordinary cakes the bakery Gustav offers. You can buy some to go as well but as we still had the whole day ahead of us in Tallinn, we had to leave them behind.

A beautiful restaurant and divine food. Affordable prices and friendly service. What else do you need? I would love to visit for dinner or maybe in summer for coffee and cakes on the terrace. Fabrik is my new favourite and thus my rating is 5/5.

Address:

Vabriku 6
10411 Tallinn
Estonia

Have you had a chance to try out Fabrik yet? What is your favourite place to eat in Tallinn?

xx