The Finnish Burger

Last day in Helsinki and burger free since two weeks when in Berlin so it was time to go for one. My friend Lauri recommended a place in the Esplanadi. The place Kämp a hotel and a restaurant, with a terrace overlooking the Esplanadi, and their own bakery to create bread and cakes. A rainy day in the Finnish capital, a few hours to kill and craving for a salmon soup was the perfect combination. 

Rainy Day in the Esplanadi

The Place

Got to the place ask for a beer while seeing the rain take over the city, checked the menu, Salmon Soup check, Kämp Burger check, local beer check. 

A local beer

The traditional Finnish salmon soup was excellent, creamy and well seasoned. The Kämp burger two options with mince beef or fillet of beef, I went for the fillet one, in top Dijon, cheddar cheese, and onions. It was an amazing surprise, the burger was top notch, one of the best I’ve had, the beef medium rare cooked as perfection, the balance of the especial Dijon with the onions quite good. The burger came with fries which were good soft inside crunchy outside. 

Awesomeness in a bowl of soup

The Kämp Burger

Last day of an amazing holiday and couldn’t leave Finland without trying one more time the salmon soup and lucky enough to find that spectacular burger. 

The Fillet Burger

Salmon reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Opposite” 

Waitress: Tuna on toast, coleslaw, cup of coffee. 

George: Yeah. No, no, no, wait a minute, I always have tuna on toast. Nothing's ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite of on toast. Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted, and a cup of tea. 

Elaine: Well, there's no telling what can happen from this. 

Jerry: You know chicken salad is not the opposite of tuna, salmon is the opposite of tuna, because salmon swim against the current, and the tuna swim with it. George: Good for the tuna.

Kämp

Brasserie

T: +358 9 58409530 

Neighborhood: Kluuvi
Helsinki

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Finnish Sapas

Sapas is the equivalent to Tapas or appetizers in Helsinki, and the best place to get these amazing Finnish treats is in Juuri. Authentic Finnish cuisine in small handmade traditional culinary delights. The place is loved and highly recommended by Finnish people or should I say Helsinkiläinen the Finnish take on Helsinkiners. I went for dinner one night and realised they were completely full, the only table they had was at a quite strange time two days later, my desire to eat in the place was so big that I couldn’t care less and took the reservation. 

Juuri

A nice local beer

Juuri

The menu has plenty of options, 14 sapas, 5 mains, and 6 different desserts. My objective was tried as much as I could so I went for the Sapas. First the seasoned mushroom soup and Jerusalem artichoke foam, the soup was nice, delicate, an excellent start for the meal. Then the smoked Baltic herring pate with red onions, one of my favourites, sausages a la Juuri with vodka mustard, simple but excellent. Egg cheese spiced with oregano baked on top of straws, nice. Roasted beetroot with chevre from Saloniemi and dill bread, delicious. And to get a little bit more substance, organic pork glaze with pickle cauliflower and to finish duck liver terrine on a toast with vanilla syrup, the pork was good as the rest but the duck liver was superb the star of the night. 

Foam Soup

Herring 

Sausages

Egg Cheese 

Roasted Beetroot 

Pork Galze

Duck Liver

Busy place, great food, nice local beers, and only 4.30 euro per sapa. Go Yankees! Or Come on Chelsea! If you are around is a must. 

Local Beers

Sapas Menu

The Bar

Duck reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Couch” 

Kramer: Anyway, Jerry and Elaine felt very badly about what happened to you, and they wanted you to have this. 

Poppie: What's this? A bottle of wine and a five-alarm chili? They're trying to kill Poppie? 

Kramer: Why, what? 

Poppie: Don't they know I have a gastro-intestinal disorder? If I would have any of this, I would die. Then Poppie's no good to anyone! This is a sick, sick joke on Poppie. How could you be friends with those two? 

Kramer: Well, we're not very close. 

Poppie: They owe me for those ducks. They were flown in from Newfoundland. 

Kramer: Oh, they got good ducks there, huh? 

Poppie: Oh, very good ducks.

Juuri

T: +368 9 635732

Finnish Cuisine

Neighborhood: Kaartinkaupunki

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Helsinki Street Food

The best street food you can find in Helsinki is probably in the Kauppatori market. Located in a central square near the Esplanadi and limiting with the Baltic Sea is the place to go if you want to try the Finnish spin to street seafood. 

Reindeer Goods 

Sea Food

The Market

I went basically every day while I was staying, had the chance to try fried Vendace, fried octopus and calamari. Also I couldn’t resist trying reindeer in different forms, so I had reindeer sausages and a some sort of meatball/burger patty. 

Reindeer sausages and meatball 

Vendace and Octopus 

Calamari

The food is simple, tasty, and cheap. Don’t miss it if you are nearby, and perfect to have before or after visiting Suomenlinna by ferry departing from the square. 

Market reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Pez Dispenser” 

Kramer: Want one? Yeah, I just bought it at the Flea Market. 

George: Hey, what goes on there, exactly? 

Jerry: You don't know? 

George: No, I…-I…-I know... I know... 

Jerry: You think they have fleas there, don't you? 

George: No 

Jerry: Yes you do, Biff. You've never been to a Flea Market, and you think they have fleas there. 

George: All right, I think they have fleas there. So what.

Kauppatori

Market

Neighborhood: Kaartinkaupunki

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Fine Dining in Helsinki

I couldn’t resist going to Helsinki’s two starred Michelin restaurant Chez Dominique and try Hans Välimäki creations. During the last six years Chez Dominique has been in the top 50 recommendation from the UK magazine Restaurant. The chef offers a fusion between Nordic and French cuisines, and the more exiting for adrenaline junkies is their mystery menu where you go blind being led by Välimäki. 

The Place

Inside

My visit was during lunch hours, nice decor playing with the light and the bright white colours. So my journey began with an amuse bouche, the beef tartare elegant presentation and full of flavour. Next the appetizer, Nordic shrimps with watermelon, sublime, the combination of the watery fruit with the shrimps worked in perfect balance. For main a baby lamb with parsley and a truffle pure, it was unbelievable, I felt in love with this dish, lamb perfectly cooked. To end the experience a carrot cake with ice cream, I’m not too much of a sweet tooth but I could have eaten this dessert all day long. But as any big show an encore was in need, so the grand finale was actually a cinnamon macaroon with orange marmalade. 

Beef Tartare 

Shrimps 

Lamb 

Carrot Cake

Macaroon

The food was excellent, the experience unforgettable, and the service spot on, in conclusion a work of art, is easy to see why Välimäki has kept the two Michelin status since 2003. 

The view 

Red to pair the lamb

Work of art reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Apology” 

Elaine: The female body is a work of art. The male body is utilitarian. It's for getting around. It's like a Jeep.

Chez Dominique

T: +358 9 6127393

Nordic and French cuisine / Fine dining

Neighborhood: Kaartinkaupunki

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A typical Finnish Supper

My first experience with Finnish cuisine was a really late diner. I was catching up with a friend from my MSC and he asked me to go with him to move his boat from one marina to another one at the opposite side of the city. When we arrived to the other marina it was basically midnight, good thing that there are late restaurants in Helsinki and when I say late they keep their kitchen open until around 3am. 

Marina

The restaurant we went was a traditional one as per my request. Manala in the heart of the city between the National Museum, the Parliament, and the Rock Church (Temppeliaukio). I went for hard core local cuisine, Salmon soup and Reindeer. 

Manala

The place

The Lohikeitto (salmon soup) I immediately felt in love with it, amazing flavour the creamy based soup with the salmon is a perfect match. As a main Poronkäristys (Manala sautéed reindeer) quite good, the meat a little bit dry but with the mash and the lingonberries you have a nice combination. 

Lohikeitto

Poronkäristys

A perfect start for a week in Helsinki, even though the place wasn’t my first option but glad that the circumstances took me in that direction. 

Salmon reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Implant” 

Kramer: Come on Jerry! 

Jerry: Oh, how can you be so sure? 

Kramer: Jerry, are you blind? He's a writer. He said his name was Sal Bass. Bass, Jerry! Instead of salmon, he went with bass! He just substituted one fish for another! 

Jerry: Look, you idiot, first of all, it's Salman, not salmon! 

Kramer: Jerry, Jerry, you're missing the big picture!

Manala

T: +358 9 58077707

Finnish Cuisine

Neighborhood: Kamppi

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A Week in Stadi

I spent my final week of late summer holidays in Helsinki. The city is perfect for relax, full of green areas, the city spread across islands and peninsulas surrounded by the Baltic sea, with the traditional saunas and spa, and good culinary centre. 

Tuomiokirkon kappeli

Things not to be missed are spending half day in the Suomenlinna fortress, eating street sea food in Kauppatori (market square), have a stroll in Sibeliuspuisto (Sibelius park), wander around the Esplanadi, delight yourself with a salmon soup or sauteed reindeer, relax in a Finnish sauna, have a drink in the Ateljee bar enjoying the a 360 view of the city, and visiting the Temppeliaukio church. 

Temppeliaukio Church

Sibeliuspuisto

Suomenlinna

Finland reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Robbery” 

Good food, excellent atmosphere, and terrific party, definitely coming back in the future. 

Elaine: Listen, Jerry, this place is falling apart. You have no hot water, you can't have soft cheese... 

George: Let's not forget the radiator, the steam has been on here for ten years; no human can turn this off. 

Elaine: Jerry, come on, you're doing OK now, you should at least take a look at this place. You shouldn't have to live like this. 

Jerry: Like this? You just said, you wanted to live here. Elaine: Well, for me it's a step up. It's like moving from Island to Finland.

Helsinki

Finland

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