We have been to Moon twice for dinner, the first time back in 2019, and our most recent visit was in mid-October 2022. While our experience and knowledge of Moon is therefore quite limited, both times we enjoyed excellent food and delicious drinks, all served in a very warm and comfortable environment by very friendly and efficient staff. This alone is enough to highly recommend the restaurant to anyone looking to enjoy elevated Russian/Slavic food, but as they are also totally dog-friendly, it is a great option for those visiting Tallinn with their furry friends.
First, in terms of food, the menu offers a somewhat limited selection by today’s standards but given the extremely high quality and unique nature of each dish, we felt it was actually a wide selection. In our experience, many restaurants of this quality (Michelin recommended), where considerable time is taken to create each aspect of the dishes, the selection is often limited to 3 or 4 options for each course. Moon offers 5 or 6 small snacks, about 8 starters, 7 mains, and 5 desserts. Overall, the menu is not so vegetarian friendly, but there are vegetarian options available for each course.
While we have been twice, this review will deal with our latest visit (October 2022) as our memory of the first visit is patchy. To start with, we shared the Vodka marinated salmon with horseradish sauce (€9) along with the complimentary home-made bread. The salmon was very fresh and the dish was served beautifully, but compared to traditional smoked salmon, the flavour of the salmon itself was very subtle. However, the sauces and other elements of the dish were delicious, and visually, it was a work of art on a plate. The breads were also delicious, and we had to restrain ourselves from filling up on bread alone!
Next, we moved on to wild game chebureki with adzika and marinated cherry plums (€13) and the handmade siberian dumplings (pelmeni) in a mushroom stock (€15). The wild game chebureki, which is a kind of pie, was wonderfully crispy, yet light and not greasy. The filling was not as gamy as we expected, a good or bad thing depending on your taste for game, but either way, it was lovely. The adzika sauce and marinated cherry plums were a perfect side, offering a delicious contrast in flavours. This dish is highly recommended. Next to the dumplings. These are actually from the main course section, but we enjoy them as a shared starter, and there was not even a raised eyebrow form the staff. The dumplings were amazing; much lighter/delicate than many we have had, the meat filling was very delicious and well-seasoned, and the mushroom stock was deep and rich. Not to be missed in our opinion!
Moving on to the mains, we had the chicken à la kiev with potato puree, kohlrabi-spinach salad and hazelnut dressing (€18) and the roasted whitefish with muscat squash and cottage cheese patty and tartar sauce (€20), and both dishes were excellent. The Kiev was succulent on the inside, crispy on the outside, not greasy at all, and the garlic flavour not overpowering. The potato puree was pure heaven, and the vegetable salad offered a delicious contrast in texture. The fish was also delicious with amazingly tasty sides and a wonderfully tangy yet light tartar sauce. If we had one criticism of the fish dish, it was that while it was described as roasted, there was no crispy skin or crust, but I have the feeling it was roasted whole, then taken apart. Either way, delicious, and both dishes are very highly recommended.
We were so full by the time we finished the mains, even though they all sounded yum, we skipped desserts, thus, the next part will deal purely with the drinks.
We started with two Negronis (about €7 I think), which were possibly not quite bitter enough for us, but as we were still drinking them when the salmon arrived, this was not a bad thing. We then had a couple tasty local beers each throughout the course of the meal (A la Coq Imperial Gold – €5), which were served nice and cold. I finished with a delicious (and very welcomed) Spanish brand (Fernando de Castilla Solera Reserva de Jerez – €5).
As for excellent the service, throughout the evening, the staff were very friendly and attentive, but not overcrowding. They seemed to know exactly when we wanted to order something, allowed a prefect amount of time between courses, and served everything with a smile.
Overall, we very highly recommend Moon to anyone looking for a unique, delicious, and welcoming experience while in Tallinn, be it with a furry friend or not. The total bill was an extremely reasonable €113.
| Number of Visits | 2 |
| Last Visit | October 2022 |
| Dog Policy | All dogs welcome |
| Websites | https://restoranmoon.ee/en/ https://www.facebook.com/kohvikmoon/ |
