First of all big thanks to Taste of Helsinki founder Barry MacNamara for organizing ticket change from Friday to Saturday and inviting us to opening ceremony for invited guests. Due to work obligations outside Finland we had to suspend the participation by one day and therefore could not either join the opening ceremony on Thursday.
Taste of Helsinki is a culinary festival, which takes you on a journey through the gourmet flavours of some of the best restaurants in Helsinki and Finland. It is also unique chance to get familiar with fine dining restaurants at the same time without paying high prices for gourmet food. We participated third time, the same number of times the event has been organized. This year the weather has been typical Finnish summer, rainy and cold. Challenging for outdoor events.
Below you can find pictures with comments of some of the best small dishes restaurants served.
Bertha: Cod, bean, scallops 5-/5
Excellent combination, cod and scallops was served as a crispy croquette by Tampere restaurant
Juuri: Terrine of cured perch 5/5
Perch is one of the best Finnish fishes and served like this on of the best portions
Bistro o Mat: Anise spiced salmon with prawns and avocado 4+/5
Fresh spiced salmon and shrimps are always tasty but anise flavor was hidden somewhere. Kirkkonummi is home town of this restaurant
Smakbyn Åland: Fish tartar from the Baltic, crayfish and white fish roe 4,5/5
Excellent ensemble from restaurant in Åland owned by celebrity chef
Emo: Crab cake with fennel 5/5
Bull’s eye, maybe the best of the best, croquette tasted of crab and fennel accomppanied perfectly
Postres: New potatoes and anchovy butter 4/5
New potatoes belong to Finnish summer and butter was tasty but too simple compared to any other portion
Emo: Spring chicken with spring cabbage 4,5/5
Chicken skewer was grilled in front of you, with some more spices would have been unbeatable
Postres: Smoked salmon in Can and Postres archipelago bread 5/5
Makes you drooling, Finnish summer hit and should be available from supermarkets for Mid Summer fiesta
Farang: Coconat caramel pork 4,5/5
Farang knows how to use spices, long queues all the time proved time, pork maybe too much kassler (pork loin) type
Bertha: Chocolate, banana, Brazil nuts 5/5
Happy endings! Lucky we did not miss this one. Unfortunately so many starters did not allow more dessert portions
Plan was also to taste Oscar Hot Dog with veal, asparagus, and giant prawn from Kaartin Hodari & Hummeri, but the queue was so long all time. In the cold wind it was more convenient to stay sheltered from it.
To summarize, all tasted portions were impressive which can be seen from the points. I really hope that there will be 4th Taste of Helsinki because plan is to visit there twice. Quite difficult to try all portions at the same day. Also have to taste olive oils which were available at the fair. And wines, Kung Fu Girl Riesling and Miss Harry, paired well with dishes tasted. Vindirekt, the importer of these wines, made also best offers for glass of wine.
Event itself gets 5-/5 points and only cold weather was the reason for not giving 5. With sun shine it would have been 5+/5.
There will be separate post about champagne Taittinger tasting later.
Reijosfood 
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