Restaurant review: Sunn

5 05 2016

Restaurant Sunn

Restaurant Sunn is located at the edge of the Senate Square, directly opposite to the Helsinki Cathedral. The name of old building is also called Sunn, which has inspired the naming of restaurant. The view from the second floor, where restaurant is, is one of the best in Helsinki.

Sunn is open every day of the week serving brunch on Weekends, lunch and dinner. This gives the traveler a chance to see all the festive seasons with the locals including Christmas, May Day and Midsummer.

Actual idea was to try dishes from dinner a la carte menu, as there was also some interesting vegan options. But instead of a la carte, restaurant served May Day Eve buffet “Let’s party”. Should have guessed that because of the special day.

Starter buffet included many goodies, but as vegan choises were limited, restaurant served special starter edition to the table. Duck breast, curry chicken, salads and cheeses had main roles.

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The vegan starters were: Cabbage and broccoli, beet root and spinach, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and strawberries, and tofu and potatoes.  The tastier was the one with strawberries. This mixture worked well together.  The tofu and potatoes was missing something; some salt would’ve added enough flavor to this dish.

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Main courses, 3 options, were served to the table. Chose Whitefish ”Monte” with asparagus, cauliflower and spring onion sauce and pimped version of Asparagus, fried mushrooms and truffle-boletus foam.

As it is asparagus time, all main courses included that vegetable.

“Monte” might mean hill or mountain as dish was placed in layers on the plate, or not? However, fish was excellent, cooked as it should. Sauce tasted delicious and paired nicely with whitefish.

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Tofu can be paired with about anything, but in this case the combination was a bit bland.

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Dinner included also dessert buffet which included different type of cakes. As it did not offer so many vegan choises, also got one portion to the table.

Remember to ask window table and you can enjoy of one of the best views in Helsinki. Part of the windows open to narrow side street, so try to get table by window which opens to the Senate Square.

Senate Square

Buffet was average although the name was fancy, “Let’s party”. If you compare it to many other buffet’s available during May Day time, you could eat similarly everywhere.

Would be interested in to try a la carte, which was the original intention and still is in the plans.

Service was good and especially serving one starter and dessert to the table made it even better.

REVIEW: FOOD 3+/5 – SERVICE 4/5 – OVERALL GRADE 4-/5

The Restaurant

 

 





Restaurant review: Pirate Helsinki – Christmas buffet 2014

20 12 2014

Santa Claus - reijosfood.com

Santa Claus at Pirate Helsinki

Traditional Finnish Christmas buffet usually includes freshly salted fishes, roes, Christmas ham, casseroles and rosolli (beetroot, pickled cucumber, apple, carrot and whipped cream). Restaurant Pirate Helsinki serves instead of “basic” christmas food many rare delicacy traditional dishes.

Pirate Helsinki served 6th time Christmas buffet in cozy and vivacious athmosphere. This was our second visit in a row. Decision to reserve table was made right after our first visit last year.

Again, one of the most famous Finnish chef’s Markus Maulavirta, was helping in the kitchen.

Markus Maulavirta - reijosfood.com

Menu is unfortunately only in Finnish but it includes for instance herrings, roes, smoked fishes, game dishes and different type of side dishes. For dessert you can choose Finnish cheeses and sweet desserts.

Pirate Christmas restaurant menu - reijosfood.com

Only dish served to the table, first on the menu, Mushroom-truffle soup, was delicious.

Soup at Pirate  - reijosfood.com

All other foods and dishes were on the buffet tables. Because of the wide selection of dishes available, I am not going to bore you by writing detailed description and review of each piece of food tasted. Instead, picture is worth of thousand words.

Pirate buffet - reijosfood.comPirate buffet - reijosfood.com

Smoked Salmon at Pirate - reijosfood.com

Main courses at Pirate - reijosfood.com

Dessert Buffet at Pirate - reijosfood.com

Buffets can be insidious, you can eat too much and you notice it only after you have finished dinner. But if you decide just to taste small pieces of each food, then you can survive.

Pirate manages well in serving Christmas buffet dinner. In the summer time going is more simple but as relaxed.

One + more for the overall grade, if wine list would have been as luxorious as buffet. Three white and red wines do not necessarily pair with all available savory foods. We had for white wine Petit Chablis, which is enough “neutral” for most of the dishes. Of course beer would be one option as it is quite common drink with christmas time.

Petit Chablis

See you next year again!

REVIEW: FOOD 4,5/5 – SERVICE 4+/5 – OVERALL GRADE 4+/5

Merry Christmas - reijosfood.com

Pirate – Etusivu.





Restaurant review: Pirate Helsinki – Christmas buffet

20 12 2013

Santa Claus - reijosfood.com

Traditional Finnish Christmas buffet usually includes freshly salted fishes, roes, Christmas ham, casseroles and rosolli (beetroot, pickled cucumber, apple, carrot and whipped cream). Restaurant Pirate Helsinki did not serve casseroles but instead of that many rare delicacy traditional dishes.

Pirate Helsinki served 5th time Christmas buffet in cozy and vivacious athmosphere. Silent Santa Claus welcomed guests next to the entrance.

Menu is unfortunately only in Finnish but it includes for instance herrings, roes, smoked fishes, game dishes and different type of roots. For dessert you can choose Finnish cheeses and sweet desserts.

Pirate Christmas menu - reijosfood.com

Only dish served to the table, first on the menu, was chestnut soup, which was delicious. Mulled wine, however was not the best one tasted, as it was partly based on Wana Tallin liqueur.

Chestnut soup - reijosfood.com

All other foods and dishes were on the buffet tables. Because of the wide selection of dishes available, I am not going to bore you by writing detailed description and review of each piece of food tasted. Instead, picture is worth of a thousand words.

Pirate buffet - reijosfood.comPirate buffet - reijosfood.comPirate buffet - reijosfood.comPirate buffet - reijosfood.com

Buffets can be insidious, you can eat too much and you notice it only after you have finished dinner. But if you decide just to taste small pieces of each food, then you can survive.

First plate: roes, freshly salted fish and herrings

Second plate: not picture but included warm fish dishes

Third plate: raindeer and elk with parsnip pyre and boletus stew

Fourth plate: Finnish cheeses

Fifth plate: gingerbreads, gingerbread cupcake, macaroni, marmalades and chcolates

Pirate - reijosfood.comPirate - reijosfood.comPirate - reijosfood.comPirate - reijosfood.com

Pirate manages well in serving Christmas buffet dinner. In the summer time going is more simple but as relaxed. Chef Markus Maulavirta was helping in the kitchen which could be seen in the high level of buffet. One + more for the overall grade if wine list would have been as luxorious as buffet. Three white and red wines do not necessarily pair with all available savory foods.

REVIEW: FOOD 4+/5 – SERVICE 4/5 – OVERALL GRADE 4+/5

Santa Claus II - reijosfood.comMerry Christmas - reijosfood.com

http://www.pirate.fi/index.php?pinc=1&lng=joulu





Restaurant review: Royal Line lunch cruise

23 06 2012

With over 65 years of experience Royal Line has shown Helsinki from the sea. One can get familiar with the best views including the inner bay of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. One see many islands, the beautiful shores of old city districts, famous historical buildings, churches, icebreakers, harbours, villas, saunas and the zoo.  A traditional archipelago buffet is also available as well as short a la carte list which is understandable due to size of the kitchen.

1 1/2 hour lunch cruise is nice way to combine relaxed sightseeing and lunch if one wants to see Helsinki from the sea and has only one day to spend time in the city.

Decided to enjoy King’s menu which started with Buffet. It consisted of various herrings, salads, vegetables, pate, terrine etc. Herrings were delicious; focus on those.

Two different main courses to choose from. Pepper steak with a creamy pepper sauce and Swiss potato cake was good, especially pepper sauce was enough spicy which one does not get so often. Roasted Archtic char with carrot and butter, dill potatoes was well prepared. Fish was not roasted too much which is always good achievement.

King’s menu included for dessert Chocolate Dream. If you translate actual Finnish name of the dessert it would be Chocolate dream of Queen Lovisa Ulrika. Excellent and sweet combination of different types of chocolate. Changed one dessert to Rhubarb pie with vanilla sauce.Vanilla could have tasted stronger. Appearance of both desserts was tempting, excellent effort in so modest environment.

REVIEW: FOOD 3+/5 – SERVICE 3,5/5 – OVERALL GRADE 3/5

http://www.royalline.net/articles/551/

http://www.royalline.net/





Kattila – new Cuisine World at Linnanmäki amusement park

13 04 2012

Finland’s biggest amusement park Linnanmäki will open  cuisine world featuring the offerings of six renowned chefs. In addition to the primary target group of Linnanmäki visitors, the cuisine world Kattila will serve all urban people who value high-quality food made from premium ingredients.

Kattila comprises six restaurants serving fine examples of world cuisine. The experienced restaurant-keepers have a total of four Michelin stars between them including 2 Michelin star chef Hans Välimäki, but the restaurants’ price range should suit also for smaller budgets.

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Kattila restaurants are:

– Kuula – meatball bar (chef  Tommi Tuominen, owner of Demo and Grotesk)

Coccola – mediterranean food (chefs from Postress)

American Wonder (created by Hans Välimäki)

Ilona – Finnish restaurant (based on restaurant Aino concept)

Sushibar + Wine – Scandinavian desing and sushi

Caruzello – family buffet (created by Kim Heiniö)

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If you have visited amusement park Tivoli in Copenhagen, this sounds similar concept.

Linnanmäki will open its doors again for summer season on 21st of April.

(BTW, Kattila is Pot in english)

http://www.linnanmaki.fi/en/








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