From Peru to Asia

Want to try another excellent restaurant in Helsinki? It's not that easy to make a choice. But why not try Pastor this time?

The new owners hava turned the former home of Cuba on Erottajankatu into a beautiful restaurant and bar. The menu here is a mix of different word. The food is based on the Peruvian kitchen but also has influences from East Asia and Spain. All this together forms an excellent combination for a great meal.

If you want to get the best experience you should go for one of their set menus that consist of four, six or seven dishes. But be aware that in contrast to other fine dining restaurants the portions here are quite big and seven dishes might be quite a challenge to finish.

The food is excellent and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Pastor is definitely worth a visit. Give it a try. And to be on the save side better make a reservation before.

Enjoy!

Lunch at Bronda

Are you up for something a bit out of the ordinary for today's lunch? Then an excellent choice would be Bronda, the new restaurant of Tomi Björk (Farang, Gaijin, Bulevard Social).

The modern European restaurant on Esplanadi is already design wise worth the visit. Bronda has a timeless yet welcoming and cozy interior and a very surprising architecture. In difference to the neighboring Kasarmikatu that ascends towards Kasarmitori the restaurants stays on an even level which gives it a unique look. But Bronda is of course mainly about the food and not the look.

And that is, as expected from BW restaurants, exquisite. For lunch you can go with a single main dish (around 18 to 20€) or chose a two (25€) or three (29€) course menu. You can choose from three starters, three mains and two deserts. The lunch offers are changing constantly. They give a good first impression of what Bronda has to offer also for later visits for dinner.

As Bulevard Social also Bronda is oriented mainly towards the Southern European kitchen. Bronda impressed with fresh and pure ingredients and a very skilled way of both preparing and presenting the dishes.

The lunch menu is highly recommendable and especially the desserts are amazing. But come hungry. The portions are surprisingly big and size wise one main dish would probably be enough.

All together Bronda offers an outstanding quality. It lacks the surprise aspect of Farang and Gaijin though. For a wonderful lunch or dinner experience it is definitely a save bet though.

By the way you can also just come to Bronda for drinks. A big part in the front of the restaurant is reserved for the bar.

Picnic deluxe at Taste of Helsinki

Next week the Taste of Helsinki starts again. From June 12 till 15 you can get either a lunch or dinner entrance. On Taste you can get creative and make your own menu from some of the best restaurants in Helsinki. Enjoy some amazing food while listening to come live jazz tunes and having some good wine.

 

Now it's time to buy your ticket. The first sessions are already sold out. Taste of Helsinki is a great oportunity to try the best food Helsinki has to offer.

Enjoy!

Excellence at EMO

Are you searching for a really good, stylish restaurant with amazing food and nice service? Then check out EMO in Kasarmikatu.

This relatively new place just around the corner from Esplanadi is the perfect place for a wonderful dinner experience. EMO has a really short menu of all together ten courses. But they are all fantastic. 

I highly suggest, if you are two then get the ten course menu and share it. This way you get to experience everything EMO has to offer. Go on a journey through the best the European kitchen has to offer.

Btw. all the ingredients used at EMO come from small producers and farms around Europe.

And of course don't miss out on the wonderful wines they have. The list is long and the selection really good. Get some recommendations from the staff.

You can also come to EMO just for the wine. Next to their restaurant they also have a nice and cozy wine bar that even offers some delicious EMO snacks.

Enjoy your evening!

Dinner with a Michelin Star

Ravintola Ask is without a doubt one of the best restaurants in Helsinki. And that is not just according to my humble opinion. The Michelin jury agreed and awarded the small restaurant in Kruunuhaka a Michelin star.

Ask is run by the couple Filip and Linda who together with their staff are doing an amazing job of making your evening an unforgettable experience. 

Ask offers a list of eight outstanding dishes and gives you the opportunity to choose four out of them or go for the whole menu. If you have the time (about three to four hours) go for the full experience. You can also choose a wine menu in combination with the food. Single wines are a good choice as well. But in any case ask for their recommendation. All their wines are carefully selected and have their own story.

When it comes to the food be prepared to be amazed. The dinner starts of with two small greetings from the kitchen to give you a first hint of what is still awaiting you. 

At Ask they don't need many words to explain their dishes. The menu doesn't reveal to much. The food here speaks for itself.

All their ingredients that come from farmers and producers are organic and biodynamic.

If you want to experience Ask for yourself don't forget to book a table in advance. The restaurant is quite small. And if you are planning on having all eight courses don't be there too late. It takes a while.

Enjoy and have a wonderful time at Ask!

An explosion of taste

If you want to go fine dining in Helsinki, the place to go is Farang. This is no doubt the best restaurant in town (as also the readers of CITY Magazine agree). 

Farang serves modern Asian cuisine and is run by the famous chef Tomi Björk. He is know through several cooking shows on Finnish TV.

If you come to Farang first time you should order one of their tasting menus. They contain of seven to nine courses that are each an experience. The menu starts with cold starters like Cha Plu leaf with smoked trout.

Among the warm courses could e.g. be the the Veal Cheek ′Seremban′ with slow braised veal cheeks, aromatic chili vinegar broth and mint-sprout salad.

As a last course a delicious sweet treat like ‘Hola Hola 6′ with thai style marinated fruits, sweet peas, lime, vanilla-coconut cream and mandarin mango sorbet awaits you.

With every tasting menu comes a wine recommendation. But you can also start your Farang experience with one of their delicious cocktails.

Don’t forget to reserve a table at least a week early. And calculate with around 80 € per person if you go with a tasting menu. You can of course also order each dish separately.

A relaxed Sunday at the Casino

In Kulosaari east of the center of Helsinki the restaurant Casino is awaiting your visit. The traditional building was built in 1915 and is located next to a sailing harbor on a small island that is connected by bridge to the main land. From the restaurant and especially from its terrace you have a beautiful view over the small bay. At this time of the year you can observe lots of birds while enjoying your drinks.

You can come there for a fancy lunch or dinner or just to have a drink. You can of course also rent the place for weddings, birthday parties and such.

Being one of the oldest and most exclusive places in Helsinki the prices are high but don’t really differ much from what you pay in the center of Helsinki.

The location has the big advantage that you don’t have any city noise. Therefore it is not that well connected by public transport. You have to take the metro to Kalasatama, continue with bus line 16 and walk the last 500 meters.