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A spot that everyone seemed to be talking
about when it was new.

Kuurna is very different from other restaurants in
Helsinki. Its small size (22 seats) and a bit grungy
look, paired with skill and passion for their product,
the food, make Kuurna's two young, enthusiastic
chefs the owners of the most popular new restaurant
in Helsinki.
 
The house (er .. little cottage) is full, night after night.
There is an open (anything but fancy) kitchen, a
"rough" vaulted ceiling, and not a lot of space. The
chefs double as servers, although they do have one
waiter. The going is sometimes a bit clumsy, but
homey, intentionally eschewing any pretentiousness.
 
The plates are simple, but skillfully prepared, from
fresh, high quality ingredients, some greens from
their own garden, with some of the fish promptly
delivered by fishermen from the day's catch.
 
The small menu changes weekly, and offers just
one choice of either a vegetable, fish or meat starter
and entree. A three course dinner costs 32 Euros
and a 2 course dinner 27 Euros. A really good deal.
And it gets even better when you consider this:
 
The wine list is one of the few reasonably priced
wine-lists in Helsinki. What makes this truly
commendable is that the wines on the list are not
"cheap" wines, and the variety is very well thought out.

The Emilio Moro Ribera is very attractively priced
(it definitely needs to breathe a while), as is the
Billecart-Salmon Champagne. The broad range of
producers and regions virtually assures a satisfying
match.

Those willing to spend to satisfy their demanding
or refined wine tastes can also obtain satisfaction
with the Gevery-Chambertin offering, or, on the white
side, the Condrieu. The wine list displays a hip side,
with an offering from Alvaro Palacios in Priorat, makers
of the muscular "L'Ermita" which can bring hundreds
of Euros per bottle, food friendly Shiraz from the
Barossa valley and of course the never miss Allegrini
Amarone.
 
Both chefs have worked in London, and brought to
Helsinki not just what they learned as chefs, but
something that we have missed there for years:
different seatings.
 
Numerous times we have witnessed patrons
without reservations trying to get a table at a half
full Helsinki restaurant (where we were already
dining), only to be turned away because the
"restaurant is fully booked". No amount of pleading
has helped.
Then, during the course of the evening, we have
witnessed the empty tables stay empty for hours -or
for the remainder of the evening.

We have seen this happen in all levels of Helsinki
restaurants, including some of our favorites, and
have been puzzled over the poor business sense
of turning (groups of) patrons away, only because
a restaurant has a  reservation for table a few hours
later -or not.
 
So, kudos to Kuurna for the seating policy, even though
it comes with a Finnish twist: strict enforcement of
non-lingering.
 
Kuurna is located in beautiful Kruunuhaka, "just behind"
the Presidential Palace.

The sign outside the restaurant states plainly ”Ravintola”
( the Finnish word for Restaurant), but this is the place.

Address:
Meritullinkatu 6, 00170 Helsinki
Tel:+ 358 (0) 9 670 849, info@kuurna.fi

These talented people also own the popular restaurant  

close to the Esplanade Park. Its theme is
the four seasons, and the pampering of all
the senses: the beautiful design, the best
ingredients and a seasonally changing look
of the interior.

The space is divided into four rooms: the Water
Bar as the “living room”, the Garden Room, the
private Wooden House above, and lastly, the
Veranda.
Address: Kluuvikatu 2, 00100 Helsinki,
Tel:+358-9- 5761 1718

Summer Terrace on North Esplanade

     

Fresh fish in a beautiful, traditional atmosphere. Havis
specializes in fish an shellfish but offers also meat and
vegetarian dishes. Havis seats 54 people in its two vaulted,
muraled rooms.

Our friends (sophisticated diners, who have eaten in both casual
and in some of the best and finest restaurants all over the world)
had quite a disastrous experience on their return visit to Havis.
The service was rude and indifferent, from the first (missing)
"hello". In addition, the service was quite amateurish, with
seemingly zero knowledge about wine.

The food was either salted to such extremes that it was virtually
inedible, or, in case of a salmon entree, so over cooked that
it was totally dry. The other entree,which was cooked to correct
doneness, was also way too salty.
The wine that had been ordered, never arrived. After first having a
hard time getting the wine order right, the waiter came back,
a looong time after the appetizers had been served, announcing
that the restaurant had run out of the (expensive) wine (which was
on the menu).

When the diners complained about the devastating saltiness,
the response was (vis-a-vis the appetizers): "Yes, we know.
Obviously the chef poured a bit too much salt into the pot."
When the diners complained that the entrees were also way
too salty, the waiter ignored them.

We will add a link to a detailed review later.

seats 40.

 "A Café and Restaurant in Grand European tradition."
Address: Pohjoisesplanadi 29, 00100 Helsinki
Tel. +358 9 5840 9530

serves very good food, combined
with good, no-nonsense service. That makes
this dessert loving restaurant a good choice both
for dinner or lunch. The prices are, especially
compared with the quality, very reasonable.

Again, a place where locals like dining on
their own dime.

Postres strives to offer well thought out
dinner & lunch menus that are topped with
one or more desserts.

The lunch consists of a 3 course menu
that offers 2 choices of each course. It
is served Tu-Fri, for 22€.


Good location:
Eteläesplanadi 8, 00130 Helsinki
Phone: (358) 9 - 663300
Email: info@postres.fi

reasonable prices.
Local foodies talk warmly about this place.

The lunch menu changes daily
offering single dishes or a 2 & 3 course menu
that includes a salad, main course & dessert.
On top of that, an espresso is included.

The 2 course lunch is 3 Euros less than the 3
course lunch. A bargain any way you look at it.

Address: Unioninkatu 18,  00130 Helsinki
Tel/fax: +358 (0)9-666 366,
chef@laplace.fi

Address: Uudenmaankatu 16-20, Helsinki
Tel:+358-9-644 981
Lunch: Mo-Fri 10.30 AM - 3 PM

Tel: +358 9 1357 287, e-mail:safka@safka.fi

Fun, reasonably priced, casual restaurant
for evereyone who likes -surprise, surprise-
garlic.

The food is reasonably priced, but the patrons' 
opinions are mixed at best. Last time we dined
here, it was pretty tasty. 

Cozy, warm rooms (in need of someTLC),
with huge, vaulted windows facing the street

a.k.a. Keittiö & Baari Juuri (= Kitchen & Bar Root )
Traditional Finnish food in a "fresh, new way".
Specialty: "Sapas", i.e. Finnish Tapas.

Korkeavuorenkatu 27, 00130 Helsinki
Phone:  (358) 9- 635732,  Email: ravintola@juuri.fi  

and the great Punavuori neighborhood.

Address: Fredrikinkatu 22, 00120 Helsinki
Phone: +358 9 651 939,
Cell: +358 50 591 4579
Email: jan.berg@kolumbus.fi

SUMMER RESTAURANTS (on islands around Helsinki):






SAARI = ISLAND in Finnish.