Nolla
Nolla is a fine dining restaurant that produces zero food waste – its name is Finnish for “Zero”. The restaurant first opened in the Kruununhaka district but has since moved to Fredrikinkatu, where the stylish Serbian design tables and chairs and splendid modern Kustaa Saksi tapestries make it look brand new. The concept of Southern European fine dining based on seasonal organic ingredients created by Carlos Henriques, Luka Balac and Albert Franch Sunyer remains the same with its impressive tasting menu and minimal waste, but now the restaurant also boasts its own artisan brewery and a beer and wine bar that serves snacks without having to make table reservation.
Fredrikinkatu 22
Alexanderplats
Known from Maxill and the classic 90s restaurant Safka, Alexander Gullichsen and Sampo Kantele have created a French-style brasserie on the central street of Eteläesplanadi. The menu does not chase the latest food trends but rather indulges in European and Nordic classics: pike quenelles in a crayfish sauce, grilled Baltic herring, deer Wallenberg, cabbage rolls with spring lamb, cured whitefish, and chicken liver pâté served with poached pear. The wine list focuses on classic Central and South-European wines and the extensive beer selection includes special batches from the microbrewery of Helsinki's Perho culinary school. The interior with its art deco posters and classic Nordic furniture is simple and stylish, yet with a relaxed brasserie atmosphere.
Eteläesplanadi 22
Espa
Located in a prime location at the edge of the Market Square, the dream team behind this restaurant is Helena Puolakka, Eero Vottonen, Jyrki Sukula and Saku Tuominen – all well-known food connoisseurs. When devising the menu, the team listed all their favourite dishes, and this commitment really shows when they cook for their patrons. Espa's menu is a diverse compilation with influences from around the world, but also with a no-frills attitude and using many locally sourced ingredients and produce from small producers. Executed with a respectful philosophy, the dishes include tacos, salmon sashimi, skagen buns and elk stew. The beer and wine lists are just as diverse and visitors can pick their favourite drinks from classic Italian reds to natural wines and IPAs. And a great idea is that wines can also be ordered by the quarter-litre or half-litre if you don't wish to have a full bottle. Interior architect Hanni Koroma's ideas of a Nordic, minimalist space using pale wood and shingle walls bring air, light and classic comfort into the space.
Pohjoisesplanadi 17
Sikke’s
The popular restaurant neighbourhood at the end of Tehtaankatu welcomed a newcomer last spring, when Sikke Sumari and Pipsa Hurmerinta opened together a classic local restaurant by the name of Sikke’s. The menu includes classic dishes and flavours, yet always nearly with a small twist or something slightly new: herring is flavoured with rosemary and served on a bed of dandelions, while mozzarella is served with salted lemon and tarragon. Best of all, Sikke’s serves rabbit stew, which is a rarity in Finland, and the tartare is made from Finnish beef or horse meat. Sundays at Sikke’s are devoted to pastas in true Italian style.
Tehtaankatu 34
Piglets
The Töölö district has not had too many really modern fine dining restaurants or wine bistros, but Piglets in Töölöntori rectifies the situation nicely. The stylishly minimalistic restaurant serves contemporary European cuisine made from seasonal ingredients. Italian and Finnish influences are combined in many of the dishes – don’t be surprised to see lightly lemon-marinated fresh Baltic herring served with burrata or baby octopus with potatoes. The restaurant was opened by Marleena Niveri, the same person behind Le Petit Chaperon Rouge in Kanavaranta, so the wine list comprising quality wines from small European producers is as modern and stylish as the restaurant itself.
Sandelsinkatu 2
Söder
The newest restaurant by MasterChef winner Lotten Lindborg-Suhonen, Söder lets you compose your dinner from small dishes that you can share with friends, as is very much the trend. The exquisite dishes – “starters and desserts”, as the restaurateur herself puts it – are conjured up in the kitchen by Oliver Lauronen and are absolutely delicious. Definitely try the Neapolitan mozzarella di bufala and baby lamb tartare from the starters, and I hope last spring’s amazing rhubarb dish will make a return next year to the seasonal menu.
Uudenmaankatu 9
Bassi
It’s not often that a restaurant from the provincial city of Turku expands to the Finnish capital, but the seafood restaurant Bassi – famous for its epic seafood platter that can be shared among many – has done just that, taking over three-storey restaurant premises on the south side of the Esplanade Park. Its seafood platter consists of Arctic prawns, king crab, marinated octopus, langoustine, oysters, scallops and mussels. If that’s not enough, you can order the Seafood Platter Royal, which adds half a lobster. In addition to seafood dishes, the menu also has a few meat classics and vegetarian options, while the wine list has a nice selection of champagnes and quality sparkling wines.
Eteläesplanadi 22
VILLD
Specialised in wild foraged food and different preservation techniques, chef Ossi Paloneva is surfing all the current food trends. Located on Helsinginkatu, Villd turns to Finnish food traditions and ingredients, but the foraged berries, mushrooms, wild flowers, herbs and other plants turn into completely new flavours through Paloneva's drying, smoking, vinegar treating and fermentation. Plates might include spruce, lichen, polypody, lupine and chaga mushroom in the form of delicious and interesting dishes that can be enjoyed separately or as a tasting menu of five dishes.
Helsinginkatu 21
Skörd
Every self-respecting modern restaurant these days serves local seasonal foods, but Skörd is an ambitious small restaurant opened by Anton von Troil and Janne Kylmämaa on Fredrikinkatu that takes the modern Finnish local food philosophy and elimination of food waste to a new level. The only ingredient in the kitchen that is imported is salt – everything else is Finnish: the meat is wild game from small producers, the ice cream is made from sheep’s milk, and foreign spices have been replaced by dried plants and mushrooms. The menu features the likes of wild duck and deer, not to mention yellow beets and currants. The craft beers, ciders and even the berry wines and liquors are from the Noita Winery in Fiskars.
Fredrikinkatu 37
Hello Stranger
Hello Stranger in the city centre by the National Theatre is a thoroughly modern package that combines a fine dining restaurant with a cocktail bar and everything in between. British head chef Thomas Hudson relies on Finnish ingredients from small producers and international trends to create the likes of ceviche with berries and ox tongue with smoked marrow. The Hasselback potato and smoked pike roe gives a firm nod to Finnish traditions, while the grilled cumin carrots with labneh cream cheese and Yemeni zhoug sauce bow to the Middle East. The cocktails created by Mari Seppälä are inspired by Finnish nature, but the restaurant’s atmosphere is pleasantly international at the same time.
Vilhonkatu 6
Paisano
Paisano is a modern Filipino restaurant that opened in June on the corner of Eteläesplanadi and Korkeavuorenkatu. It has been created by the same people behind the popular Pobre, which opened a few years ago at the Kortteli restaurant complex inside the Kamppi shopping centre. The menu features small starter-like portions that can be shared and is based on traditional Filipino foods and flavours made from local ingredients but taking inspiration from around the world. For example, traditional Finnish white fish is served with seaweed and green chilies, while the dessert ingredients include calamansi limes and purple ube yam jams. The tropical flavours can also be tasted in its signature cocktails, while the wine list is much broader and impressive than typical Asian restaurants. The casual bar-like atmosphere makes it easy to stretch out the evening, especially since the quality-price ratio is excellent.
Korkeavuorenkatu 45
Old Boy BBQ
The restaurateurs behind Ragu and Shelter, Antti Asujamaa and Lennart Sukapää, got inspired about Korean food while visiting the country with Hanne Honkanen, who heads the kitchen. Together with Jan-Martin Rossi, they opened a rather authentic Korean eatery in Helsinki. The grilled meats, fish and vegetables arrive in the tables on a small ceramic coal stove where they can then be scooped up inside lettuce leaves. Seven condiments accompany the grilled goods, including kimchi-hollandaise, bbq pear and pickled wild garlic. The only thing missing is a Korean grandmother to cut the strips of meat with scissors, but the kimchi is made on the spot. There are also other Korean classics on the menu, such as seafood pancakes and a tartare served with pear. As for drinks, you can pick a strong Korean soju, or makgeolli rice wine, as well as suitable wines, sakes and Finnish microbrewery beers.
Ludviginkatu 3