Simple pirukad in a hidden cafe
Nestled in the depths of Estonian House is this tiny cafe. It mainly serves the Estonian community and is not advertised anywhere, not even on its website nor in the building. Regardless, everyone is welcome. It is the only place in Toronto to get fresh Estonian foods.
Estonian cuisine is not very distinct. It is a cross between Russian, Swedish, and Polish food. From Russia and Poland, the heavy use of beets. From Sweden and Finland, lingonberry jam and smoked fish. From Poland, sausages and sauerkraut.
This place only offers breads and small snacks. When I visited, it was a week before Christmas and they were taking Christmas orders. The cafe was just a small takeout counter. There were only a couple of customers, all Estonians except for me.
The food
The specialty is pirukad, commonly translated as pies but I think they are closer to buns. They are the same as Russian pirozhki. 3 types are offered here: minced meat, bacon, and carrot (lihapirukad, singipirukad, and porgandipirukad). They are expensive at $2 each. Just imagine you are in Estonia — it’s the same price in Tallinn.
I got all 3. They were the same size: smaller than an adult’s palm. First up, meat pirukad.
The meat had a pleasing flavour and was not too dry. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the spices used. Perhaps it was nutmeg and pepper. There was a huge gap inside the bun, which means there was not enough filling or the pirukad should have been smaller.
The bacon pirukad had small chunks of bacon and potatoes. Texture-wise, the bacon is more like ham. It was all right, similar to the potato and ham buns you can get at Hong Kong-style bakeries.
The carrot pirukad was the most interesting of the lot. The flavour is clearly Baltic. The spiced carrot purée made my taste buds flip back and forth between savoury and sweet as I ate it. Filling was generous.
All 3 pirukad used the same dough. The exterior was slightly flakey, like a pie while the inside was really a bread. It tastes exactly like a bun.
The menu is small so I can list all the items here. These are subject to change. The latter half might only be available during the Christmas season.
- Pirukad (pies): $2
- Skumbria (fish in tomato sauce): $12
- Rosolje (beet herring salad): $8
- Kartulisalat (potato salad): $7
- Hapukapsas (sauerkraut, fermented cabbage): $6
- Kringlid (braided cardamom bread, called pulla in Finnish): $10
- Pohlamoos (lingonberry jam): $5
- Sült (aspic): $6
- Pate: $6
- Verivorst / tanguvorst (blood sausage and same sausage without blood): $24 per kg
The place
The cafe is in the basement of the Estonia House building. There is no signage outside or inside the building. Get to the lower level and make your way towards the back, below the banquet hall. It’s really meant for takeout. The building itself is a popular place to hold events. There are murals of Estonia and other artwork scattered throughout the building.
Verdict
Pirukad tasted like ordinary buns from Hong Kong-style bakeries but much more expensive. 6/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Estonian House Cafe
- Rating
- 6/10
- Recommended dishes
- Meat pirukad
- Prices
- Pirukad: $2.00 each. Various bulk discounts e.g. $10.50 for 6, $20.00 for 12, $33.00 for 20.
Skumbria: $12.00 - Address
- Estonian House, 958 Broadview Avenue
- Hours
- Tuesday to Saturday 1100h – 1500h
- Date of visit
- December 2019