The only place in the country where there is a proper sit down Indian restaurant is in Tallinn, the capital, where as far as I could ascertain there are three Indian restaurants in the Old City (the attractive bit that tourists visit). In addition I believe there is at least one other, possibly outside this area, which I didn’t find. I certainly thought I had found another when I saw the sign Kathmandu Restaurant but far from being Indian or Nepalese (despite a photo of two very Nepalese looking staff in the window) it was a Chinese restaurant. The menu offered such delicacies as Frogs Legs Peking Style, Crispy Fried Fish Hakka Style and the usual sweet and sour, Szechuan and Cantonese dishes with egg fried rice. Yes, definitely a Chinese restaurant without an Indian dish in sight.

Of the three Indian restaurants two - The Tanduur and Elevant - are next door to each other. The Tanduur at number 7 Vene is conspicuous by having a tandoori oven outside (on the opposite side of the road) and a man cooking tandoori chicken, chicken tikka kebabs on long skewers and Nan. Diners can sit at the tables outside and this is particularly popular at lunchtime when many people prefer just a kebab to a full blown Indian meal. It is also relaxing just to sit at the tables outside just for a beer and watch proceedings (no meal necessary to sit outside).

The restaurant itself is through an Indian gift and artefact shop and down stairs. A small fountain greets you as you descend into the peaceful atmosphere of the comfortable restaurant which seats 36. It is said to be Indian owned although there was no sign of any Indian presence amongst the staff - even in the gift shop or the man using the outdoor tandoor. The menu lists many standard dishes, such as Korma, Kofta, Biryani, Madras, Masala and even Jalfrezi. In addition there are dishes not found on usual Indian menus, such as Hot Pot Chicken, Braised Chicken, South Indian Chicken Curry, the American sounding Maryland Chicken and the interestingly named Chicken Tarzan (Chicken with capsicum, onion, tomato and cream sauce). The starters are mostly a variation of kebab while breads (Kulcha, Nan etc) and Rice (Pillau, Plain) are standard stuff. All main curries seemed to be 149 EEK (Estonian Krone), which is a fraction under £6, while kebab starters are about 85 EEK (£3.40). Uncharacteristically I stuck to more familiar dishes rather than experiment with things like Tarzans or Maryland Chicken and it was fine. Perhaps not quite so hot as often found at home but tasty nonetheless and the Tandoori Chicken was well marinated.

Prices not particularly cheap by Estonian standards - particularly those outside the tourist area of Old Tallinn - or even ours for that matter as a modest meal for two (starters, two mains, one vegetable side dish, rice and Nan) would come to somewhere between £25 and £28 without drinks (£1 per ½ litre). Nevertheless, a nice restaurant.

Far more interesting however is the one next door - Elevant - at number 5 Vene. This is up a narrow, old fashioned iron spiral staircase to the first floor which reveals a spacious room with very large tables and big wickerwork chairs. It seats about 50. The menu was most interesting with things like Catfish Curry (140 EEK/£5.60), Baby Octopus Curry (232 EEK/£9.20), Crocodile Curry (460 EEK/£18.40), Moose Curry, Moose Korma, Wild Boar Korma, Wild Boar Biryani. It made the Duck Curry look positively mundane! There are other, more standard offerings but these exotic variations took my eye. However, interesting though they looked and comfortable though the restaurant appeared we had decided only to try one of the Indian restaurants, which was the Tanduur next door. But next time I won’t be able to resist.

The third Indian restaurant is Maharajah at the corner of the main market square of Raekoja Plats. Like the Tanduur this is also downstairs and the single waitress (local Estonian) at lunchtime (when it was empty) told me it is Indian owned and has an Indian chef. It looked comfortable with pleasant decor and seats about 30. Although I didn’t eat there I looked through the menu which looked a fairly standard list of curries at prices similar to the Tanduur.

The only other place in Estonia where one can eat Indian food is at Parnu - a pleasant coastal town about half way between Tallinn and the Latvian border. As recently as July this year (2001) a fast food restaurant offering Indian, Chinese and Thai dishes opened at Ruutli 31. It is called Sue’s Asia and is owned by an Indian (Rajinder Chaudhary) who owns several restaurants - both Indian and Thai - in the Baltic states (his restaurant in Tallinn is a Thai restaurant - Sue Ka Thai). More of Mr Chaudhary’s other restaurants under Latvia and Lithuania.