A Restaurant with Coronavirus-Proof Glass Pods Opens in Tallinn

Tallinn opens its first restaurant with coronavirus-safe glass pods

After a 12.5 million euro major renovation, Nordic Hotel Forum is opening a new restaurant called Noho on Viru Square, featuring "japandi" style or Japanese and Scandinavian fusion cuisine, with eight glass pods serving as "private rooms" to minimize coronavirus risk.

According to Feliks Mägus, head of Nordic Hotel Forum, the completely renovated hotel will open during the first week of August. "In the expanded area of the former lobby bar, we will open a very distinctive restaurant Noho, where the finest tastes of Japanese and Nordic cuisine are prepared in an open kitchen visible to our guests," said Mägus, adding that the restaurant opening on Tallinn's central square is primarily aimed at local people.

Noho's new head chef is Timofei Monakhov, who most recently worked as head chef for Schlössle Hotels Group and Stenhus restaurant. "The conception and menu of Noho were also consulted by Riho-Bruno Bramanis, a great food enthusiast who has lived in both Japan and Scandinavia for years," said Mägus.

"In addition to exotic cuisine, Noho's special feature is eight heated glass pods seating 4-8 people each, placed on the street and separated from other visitors, designed by architect Indrek Allmann," added Mägus.

According to the head of Nordic Hotel Forum, special attention was paid to safety in the renovation of both the restaurants and the entire hotel. "We completely rebuilt the ventilation and other technical systems, and Nordic Hotel Forum is the first hotel in Estonia equipped with virus protection devices throughout the building. Additionally, as an extra measure of confidence for our visitors, we offer neck-worn air purifiers Respiray, developed in Estonia, which purify 99 percent of inhaled air using UV radiation.

Following the renovation, a second restaurant called Nomel will also open at Nordic Hotel Forum, primarily intended for hotel and conference guests. The restaurant Nomel, focused on pre-ordered events, breakfast, conference and group catering, features a private meeting and dining room equipped with a fireplace in the back that can be separated by doors.

Nordic Hotel Forum continues to maintain six beehives on the hotel roof in cooperation with Tallinn Environmental Department and Tallinn Beekeepers Association. "Our own honey can be enjoyed alongside breakfast directly from the beehive, and the restaurant name Nomel was inspired by the name Nordic and the Latin name for honey, mel," added Mägus.

Nordic Hotel Forum was renovated through a collaboration between hotel operator Nordic Hotels OÜ and building owner AS Kapitel. The hotel renovation project was designed by interior architecture firm Artaku, the building's interior architects are Kaire Kemp-Tišler and Ea Andla, and construction work was carried out by Merko. The hotel furnishings extensively used custom-designed furniture by Estonian designers. The hotel renovation was also supported by EAS through a business model change measure.

Nordic Hotel Forum is certified as a Green Key hotel, adhering to standards supporting sustainability and environmental protection.