Restaurant review: Muikku Terrace (Savonlinna)

21 07 2013

Sokos Hotel Seurahuone Savonlinna

Muikku Terrace in Original Sokos Hotel Seurahuone offers views over the Saimaa lake, the Savonlinna Market Square and the town. On the terrace in the 6th floor main food portions are vendaces (muikku in Finnish), which are fried in lots of butter. This used to be problem because the whole place was covered with grease. Due to that we have avoided Muikku Terrace but decided to try it now because we stayed at the hotel. Luckily there was less grease in the restaurant this time.

Muikku Terrace

The hotel itself used to be independent but was acquired a year ago by local cooperative business and was changed to Sokos hotel.

Restaurant is open only in the summer time and really popular during Opera Festival period in July. You can not make table reservation, just wait for free table as many has to do. Savonlinna Opera Festival is phenomenom and in some areas beats Verona. Recommend to visit if you are travelling in Finland.

You can choose from Muikku’s on wooden platter with lemon, salad and a baked potato or Muikku’s on wooden platter with lemon without side dishes. Ordered both of them.

Muikku platterMuikku platter

Not so impressive, best part was baked potato with sauce. Vendaces were crisp but would have required more salt. Amount of vendaces was enough to take your hunger away. Service was relaxed and quick. Anyway, Muikku Terrace is in a way must place to visit in Savonlinna. You can also try vendaces at Market Square which is really popular on summer sunny days.

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

http://www.sokoshotels.fi/en/hotels/savonlinna/restaurants/

http://www.operafestival.fi/en

Savonlinna


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Taste of Helsinki 2013

15 06 2013

Taste of Helsinki

Second Taste of Helsinki was arranged on 13-16.6.2013. Some of the restaurants had changed, this year present was 12 restaurants: Aito, Ask, Bistro O Mat, C, Demo, Gaijin, Juuri, Luomo, Muru, Olo, Smör and Toscanini with 36 tapas sized dishes to choose from. 3 out of 12 restaurants have Michelin stars (bolded ones).

Pleasant memories from last year and of course high expectations now.

On Saturday the amount of visitors was less than year ago and ordering food was therefore quite quick. We were in the first setting; maybe starting time was too early at 11.00 and wind was freezing although it was sunny day.

First ordered Smoked bream, potatoes and ramsons (Ask) and “EARTHQUAKE” – Organic egg 64,7°C with mushroom toffee (Luomo). Bream was basically, not so common Finnish fish to use in restaurants. Earthquake did not convince. Sweet toffee with salty egg did not match together at all. Of course it is tour de force to cook egg right but it did not help in this case.

Taste of Helsinki

FOOD REVIEWS: Ask 4/5 – Luomo 2/5

Then tried FRIED FRESH LAMB SAUSAGE, spring vegetable salad and mustard sauce (Muru) and  SALMON from Rørvik with spring potatoes from Merimasku (Olo).  Sausage was tast but a little bit chewy, had to bit few pieces too long. Salmon was best starter, fresh and perfect match with side dishes; best part of Finnish cuisine!

Taste of Helsinki

FOOD REVIEWS: Muru 4-/5 – Olo 5-/5

For “main” courses started with BRAISED WILD BOAR, turnip, carrot and spruce sprout (Aito). Delicious, all side dishes were perfect match. Only problems with plastic cutlery was carrot which was a little bit too raw for them and maybe a little bit too salty meat.

Taste of Helsinki

FOOD REVIEW: Aito 4,5/5

Then tasted SLOWLY BRAISED CHEEK OF CORN FED PORK, champignon, truffle and wrinkly carrot (Demo). Excellent braised pork and delicious sauce. Fresh Finnish vegetables supplemented ensemble.

Taste of Helsinki

FOOD REVIEW: Demo 4,5/5

Third food was NECK OF WILD BOAR with false morel pie and sauce of raspberry leaves (Juuri). This wild boar was best of “main” courses. Perfect composition and taste. Not too much side dishes, focus on itself.

Taste of Helsinki

FOOD REVIEW: Juuri 5-/5

Only dessert enjoyed was TOSCANINI’S TIRAMISÚ (Toscanini). Safe choice because did not want to try too exotic portions. Sorry for the finger, wind tried to throw away cardboard plates all the time and had to secure photo for few seconds.

Taste of Helsinki

FOOD REVIEW: Toscanini 4+/5

Did we were more critical now but chose really excellent portions last year. Of course you might make some mistakes when choosing from 36 dishes but would have liked to rank all tasted ones over 4,5. But enjoyed and congratulations to Olo and Juuri for excellent performance. Let’s see if there will be third year for Taste of Helsinki.

And again, lot’s of Markka’s spent! Do not budget anything as you shall exceed your budget anyway. Have fun, do not try to think too much coins.

http://www.tasteofhelsinki.fi/en/


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Restaurant review: Brasserie Kämp

1 05 2013

Vappu at Brasserie Kämp

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. A shopping centre, Galleria Esplanad, was also opened within the same city block.

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 two years ago you can dine “outside” all year around like in many brasseries in Paris.

May Day (1st of May) is typical day for enjoying lunch buffets. Had May Day lunch served to the tables at Brasserie Kämp. A la carte list was short which made ordering easy; two starters, two main courses and two desserts. Foccacia and bread were grea compliments to start lunch.

Starter

Starters were QUAIL & SPRING CABBAGE & APPLE Quail terrine, poached egg of quail, poached spring cabbage, apple compote, apple purée, apple “ donut “ and ASPARAGUS & SHRIMP & KUMQUAT Sitrus- marinated white asparagus, green asparagus, kumquat, smoked shrimps, shrimp crème and cress

Both dishes were ok, but dissapointment for taste was obvious. Quil was tender and tasty, BRAVO! Shrimp starter was difficult to understand, what was the clue? Small portions but tasty….Unfortunately we did not understand all flavours of dishes, especially aspargus was not as we expected.

DSC03843

Main courses were LAVARET & NEW POTATO & PARMESAN Roasted lavaret , new potatoes, peas, radish, spring onion, zucchini, caper, parmesan veloute and DUCK & MOREL & POMEGRANATE Duck confit,, baked potato filled with morels, potato, shallot and chives, shallot crème, pomegranate and pomegranate-duck stock.

Cooking of lavaret was excellent; basic fish flavours. Duck confit was delicious, really well cooked. Could have eaten much more…..

LavaretDSC03845

Tried both desserts CHOCOLATE & DRIP BREAD Araguan- chocolate mousse, drip bread ice-cream and RHUBARB & STRAWBERRY & MEAD Marinated rhubarb, strawberries and mead sorbet.
Both desserts were great; Sauli Kemppainen and his team had really made their best. But using of milk was not so clear,,,,

StrawberryChocolate

Brasserie 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. Latest celebrity visitor at Hotel Kämp was Justin Bieber on 25th April!

BUT; May Day is a little bit difficult occasion to compare restaurants and dishes. Because of 1st of May we decided to be modest. Unfortunately we would give only 3+ for food if this would be normal lunch. Anyway, were were able to listen nice male choir singing for us.

Choir

DSC03857DSC03874

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

Normal lunch, only 3+ for food! But we like international athmosphere…..

http://www.hotelkamp.com/brasseriekampbareng


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Restaurant review: Gaijin

30 03 2013

Gaijin is Japanese word meaning “non Japanese” or “alien. As well as Farang is a Thai word for foreigner and especially for Europeans “non Thai”.

These both words are used in the restaurant names of Farang and Gaijin, second restaurant of chefs Tomi Björk and Matti Wiberg. Gaijin offers flavours by combining traditional Japanese and Korean dishes with foods from North China. Most of the dishes have been designed to be shared, usually two set menus with possibility to order wine packages. Because Gaijin is popular place you must prepare to reserve table enough early. And restaurant seemed to be full after 5 PM.

Restaurant was honoured with Bib Gourmand by Michelin Guide next year after opening in April 2011 and again 2013. It is located on the corner of Bulevardi and Yrjönkatu next to third restaurant of Björk and Wiberg, Boulevard Social.

We decided to trust on Chef’s skills and ordered tasting menu named MENU GAIJIN. BUT … table reservation started at 5PM and after  2,5 hours we should leave. BUT… we just finished and asked for coffee/tea and got 15 minutes extra time. BUT… after dining several times at so great Farang we were a little bit disappointed with the intensity of flavours. BUT….

MUSSEL

green shell mussel, yuzu-mirin dressing, pickled noodle

Gaijin Mussels

Excellent performance by the chef. One of the best experiecens of the dinner.

PORK BUN

pork belly, kimchi mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, soft bread

Prok Bun

Quite big soft bread made wonder if this was fast food but it was not. Nice!

SASHIMI

sashimi of the day

Sashimi

Sashimis were great. Finns and Japanese are close to when it comes to raw fish. Could eat more….!

FOIE & UNAGI

glazed eel, duck liver, nori-bread, cherry

Lady is not keen on foie gras, no problem. Otherwise quite tasty portion.

MISO SALMON, APPLE & LEMON

‘saikyo’-miso marinated salmon, apple, cucumber, pickled daikon, lemon jam, walnut, marinated roe, truffle-dashi broth

Miso Salmon

For Lady most prefered dish. OK for me, but expected more flavours.

CHICKEN UMEBOSHI YAKITORI

grilled chicken marinated in sweet plum soy

Chicken

Chicken was pretty OK but it lacked some taste. Unfortunately two pieces were raw

SESAME, GINGER & SOY SCALLOP

fried scallop, sesame-soy dressing, spring onion, seaweed caviar

Scallops

Again, nice BUT……You can create more taste of scallops if you fry them a little bit more

MONGOLIAN LAMB HOT POT

braised lamb neck, grilled and smoked fennel, lamb broth

Lamb

Great meat especially in Easter!

 

GREEN TEA & WHITE XOCO

green tea flavored white chocolate mousse, meringue, granny smith apple, szechuan pepper

DessertDessert

Dessert was best part of dinner. Usually Japanese do not eat dessert but these were really delicious

Restaurant Gaijin is cozy and relaxing place to eat. If you decide to order Menu Gaijin, best time to enjoy it is after 8PM. We started dinner at 5PM and should leave at 0730PM. There are dining slots for customers as in many other restaurants today. We were too slow. Go to Farang if you like spicy food, dine at Gaijin if you prefer milder tastes; beginning of journey to more spicy world.

Service is great as you could expect and served by copy cat cute waitresses. They know wines and food which is important.

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

http://gaijin.fi/?lang=en


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