Peking

For the weary traveller, sick to the stomach of foreign cuisine, there's only one sight more comforting than the neon-yellow arches of McDonalds - and that's the sight of a good old-fashioned Chinese restaurant. In fact, whereas most Westerners have never been to China, few of us couldn't recount the average Chinese restaurant menu off by heart... But at Peking you won't just find the same old spring rolls and scallion pancakes. Delicious seafood is their specialty and exotic dishes like shark in coconut sauce, marlin with mango, monkfish in ginger-garlic sauce, and king prawns in peanut butter are the order of the day. Whether it's the house specialty Peking Duck, or more traditional favourites like pork in sweet and sour sauce that makes your mouth water, you'll find plenty to get your chopsticks round here.

I don't know who the owner of this restaurant is, but he or she should get some new staff in, particularly those who were serving on 19 August 2010. See Tallinn life for further reviews, but we went here twice and were reasonably satisfied. The third night - and remember we had tipped quite generously like the silly foreigners we are - we were met with an overtly hostile response, such that we walked out. We are three middle aged and respectably dressed people, and this was an empty restaurant each time we visited. Two of the meals on the two nights were standard ok sort of westernised Chinese fare, but on each night one of the meals was above average ("sizzling chicken curry" on the second night). To me, if you are the manager of an empty restaurant when every other restaurant in Tallinn is full, and you are doing food that is above mediocre, you should ask some serious questions. Get rid of the boot faced madam who tells you where to sit, I would!

It is strange to enter this restaurant on a Saturday evening in the middle of the tourist season in Estonia and then find out you're the only guest here! The servant girl (Estonian?) is not really interested in you as a customer. But about the food I have no complaints. The dumplings (won-ton or in Russian pelmeny) are good and so is the lapsha (better name is chao min). It is said that you can recognize a good Chinese restaurant by the fact when Chinese themselves go there for their meals, but here was nobody. A pity, I think they deserve better!

Well, may be it is the oldest, however history did not pave the way to maturity...
The key word in our description would be "Bad"
First of all there was no any sign of the Chinese presence, either among waiters or among the chefs.
It was rather Russian-Estonian version of the Chinese food...Bamboo shoots were unsuccessfully substituted by fried ...fresh cucumbers and frozen beans from the nearest supermarket. This was called "Beef with vegetables" - recommend to avoid it... Rise was not cooked properly as well, it was almost impossible to eat it with chopsticks.
Second, it was bloody cold inside (we were there in the beginning of January) and local staff, knowing that problem very well, offered us personal heater when we already put on our winter coats while at the table.
Next negative surprise was cutlery: steel European knives, forks and spoons, absence of traditional Chinese souses on the table and so on.
To crown negative impressions - together with the bill the waiter brought us the news: credits cards terminal was out of order, at least for the last 3 attempts, and advised us to round the corners for the nearest ATM (however, on my insisting to try the terminal it appeared to work OK)
Conclusion: if you are in nice mood inspired by the views of the city, or you love Chinese cousin - DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT...