Restaurant review: Meche

2 06 2013

Aperitives

Right away to shared number one place with exotic specialty HEAD OF PORK!

Meche was opened a year ago in June 2012. Food is based on European, mainly Finnish, cuisine and menu is seasonal and frequently renewed. Eating is a social event, starters and main course side dishes are to be enjoyed together between friends, around a table. We did not order Head of pork, but if you decide to do so, notice that both diners or 4 diners must share it and it has to be ordered two days beforehand.

Restaurant Meche is quite difficult to discover because there is no sign on the street, only window stickers to be noticed from the street when you drive past it and look for the restaurant carefully. Name comes from the street restaurant is located, Mechelininkatu.

For starters ordered “small plates” which can be shared among diners: OLIVE BREAD AND AIOLI, LANGOUSTINE AND TOMATO, LAVARET AND POTATO, LANGOUSTINE CARPACCIO and GAZPACHO WITH SHRIMP. Olive bread you should order anyway because it was marvelous due to tasty bread crust and olives. Because Laungoustine and tomato was warm waiter suggested to start with it; one of the best starters ever eaten! Lavaret was as good as it should be, basic Finnish spiced fish. Langoustine carpaccio was supplemented with perfect veggies and spices hiding well raw langoustine. Suggest you order Gazpacho only for your self because it is difficult to share; you may not even want to share it….All starters were well balanced and affordable priced. You might even want to take them all and forget main course.

 Gazpacho

For main courses had “big ones” CATCH OF THE DAY and BREAST OF DUCK. Fish of the day was pike perch which was maybe a little bit too salty. Side dishes included pieces of chorizo sausage. Maybe for fish it was too complicated but for duck excellent. Duck was well prepared, really tender. Black currant sauce for the duck was perfect companion. Fresh salad was to be shared among diners.

Pike perchDuck

For desserts ordered “small plates” CHOCOLATE AND MINT and RHUBARB AND ALMOND. Both ended dinner in style. Mint ice-cream was one of the best restaurant ice creams ever eaten.

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Although Meche was quite empty due to graduation parties it has winning formula. Excellent Finnish food supplemented with European savors and professional service. Wine list is short but all wines are carefully selected, no “me too” wines at all. Was going to order Spanish rose wine Radix Syrah from Bares Palta which was on the web wine list but unfortunately it was finished. Maybe next time can try it and look back on a holiday in Spain. Instead had German riesling and glass of Italian red wine suggested by the waiter for the duck.

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

Meche

http://www.meche.fi/en/index.html


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Categories : Food, Helsinki, Restaurant, Restaurant review, Travel, Wine

Restaurant review: Brasserie Kämp

7 08 2012

Hotel Kämp is a historical hotel in Helsinki. The hotel was originally built in 1887 by Carl Kämp. The building was demolished and the facade was rebuilt in 1965. The headquarters of the bank KOP were situated in the building for almost three decades, until 1995. A major restoration project, started in 1996, culminated in the reopening of Hotel Kämp in 1999 as a Luxury Collection property of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. A shopping centre, Kämp Galleria, was also opened within the same city block. All rock and pop stars spend their nights in Hotel Kämp. Last week Bruce Springsteen, the Boss, was there.

Dining at Hotel Kämp gives a possibility on a culinary journey from East to West. Eastern food is offered in restaurant YUME , where you can enjoy modern Asian hawkers- and finger food with a Modern Asian Temptations -concept. Brasserie Kämp offers a wide range of European food brasserie style and Kämp Bar offers you the unique cocktails; in fact mainly champagne, wine and beer which customers usually order. Bar is also very popular on Friday and Saturday evenings. You can also enjoy Sunday brunch at Brasserie Kämp. After building heated terrace a year ago you can dine “outside” all year around like in many brasseries in Paris. In the 2nd floor there used to be a la carte restaurant Signe for almost one year but it did not seem to exist anymore.

A la carte list is short which makes ordering easy, if you find suitable dish. Recommend to order gourmet “fast food” like salad or hamburger which is really luxorious. Especially French fries are maybe the best in the city.

Wanted to challenge kitchen and decided to order for starters ARTICHOKE RISOTTO Goat Gryere flavoured artichoke risotto rucola and SALMON CARPACCIO AND SCALLOPS Red Grapefruit vinegrette flavoured Salmon Carpaccio and fried Scallops with Asparagus salad and Le Grûyère AOC cheese. Taste of risotto was ok but quite mild. Main problem was wetness, it was like soup which risotto’s usually are not. Smelt cheese or lots of olive oil; difficult to taste. Scallops were perfectly fried as they were not like gum ball’s. Unfortunately not any more hot as they shoud be.  Salmon carpaccio is always delicious.

For main courses ordered CATCH OF THE DAY Fresh Fish of the Day which was Whitefish and season vegetables and Cord-fed Chicken Grilled Corn-Fed chicken served with Pumpkin puree and Barley, Madeira Sauce. Whitefish was roasted with professional way which enabled to eat also skin of the fish. Almost half of the season vegetables included lentils, maybe not so seasonal. Chicken was great, not too dry and pumpkin puree was delicious. Barley should be used more often in dishes as it was used in Wanha Makasiini few days earlier.

You could order cakes from the cake trolley but was too full. Green tea and coffee served from luxorious set of dishes ended dinner with glamour.

Brasserie and Cafe Kämp is perfect location to observe passers-by on Esplanadi promenade. You can also watch swanky cars parked front of Hotel Kämp or driving to the hotel garage.

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

http://www.hotelkamp.com/brasseriekampbareng


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Categories : Restaurant, Wine

Restaurant review: Gastone

1 07 2012

Note! Kitchen under construction until Christmas 2012!

Restaurant Gastone represents Italian kitchen with style. It is privately owned one of the best Italian restaurants in Helsinki. In the summer one can dine at the small terrace. Inside tables are quite close to each other and at busiest time it might be quite noisy.

Home made bread with olive oil is always served as soon one has placed the order. Wide selecion of Italian wines to choose from the wine list.

For starters ordered Carpaccio organic beef carpaccio with parmesan cheese and aioli and Capesante marinate al lime e gamberi tigre Lime marinated Scallop, Grilled Tiger Prawn and Aioli. Carpaccio was tender and but not frozen as it might sometime be. Would have changed aioli to plain olive oil. Scallops are better when they are fried, prawns were a little bit too salty.

For main courses Pasta del pescatore Fresh Linguine Pasta with Tiger Prawns, Octopussy, Garlic and Herbs and Arrosto di Salmerino con sughetto di zafferano Roasted Arctic Char, saffron Broth and Fennel. For the fish ordered one of the four available side dishes Patate novelle alla Gastone Gastone Summer Potatoes.
Pasta was delicious though it was a little bit over cooked. Fish portion included also onion which was not listed and neither waitress mentioned about it when asked. Archtic Char was also a little bit over roasted.

Ristorante Gastone has proven to be genuine Italian fine dining restaurant. Would have given 4 for food in several earlier visits.

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

http://www.gastone.fi/eng/index.html

On the other side of the street locates Grill Glöd https://reijosfood.com/2012/04/01/dinner-at-grill-glod/


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