A large, traditional food market on the water’s edge,
in the town centre
Amazingly fresh and delicious seafood
Endless atmospheric hallways featuring all manner of different foods
Story cafe provides a high ceilinged sanctuary amongst the many stalls
Built in 1852, located in the town centre
Shot of Helsinki Cathedral taken from Uspenski Cathedral hill
Right by the Cathedral, a place to get a proper coffee
They know the difference between a piccolo and a flat white
The food options are also really tasty
A variety of siphons and pour-overs are available in addition to the usual espresso based drinks
Throughout this trip I was pretty much caffeine dependent. My body clock had still not fully readjusted to UK time and already I had thrown it back into chaos, by visiting a country where it got dark at 2pm London time. I had five of these flat whites in the space of a day. They were uniformly excellent.
I’m a sucker for details. These porcelain ‘milk cartons’, sitting on a metal cooling plate, are the kind of thing that makes me smile
An ornate Finnish orthodox cathedral,
located on a waterfront hill, overlooking the city
Crossing the bridge from the town square to the island where Uspenski Cathedral is located
At this point, my jet lag kicked into overdrive. I don’t know if I was just me being influenced by the sight of water but it honestly felt like the ground was swaying violently beneath me. I’ve felt similar before but never to this extent
Thankfully the feeling subsided as I walked up towards the amber glow of Uspenski Cathedral
I love how the sky seems to be permanently blue in Scandinavia
Another hipster coffeeshop serving excellent coffee,
located on the waterfront in a warehouse beneath Uspenski cathedral
The place was wall to wall with people huddled up in various nooks and alcoves so I didn’t take pics of the inside. The staff were very friendly and the coffee was great. The place definitely had a strong feeling of being a ‘scene’ hangout.
Dia de los Muertos coffee cup
Highly accomplished cocktails in a boutique hotel setting
The bar was a fantastic recommendation from the staff at the Hotel Indigo. This is definitely a hotel that I would consider staying at in future, given the attentiveness of the staff and the quality of the drinks. Massive bonus points for featuring my first CCR Horse spotted in the wild!
The menu was plotted on a chart with various axes used to determine your ideal drink
I didn’t need a chart to tell me that I wanted an aged negroni before dinner. Hand cut double frozen ice cubes, a perfectly cut orange peel and most importantly of all… a perfectly mixed drink.
Spis
A very intimate restaurant, featuring cutting edge Finnish cuisine.
Informal and friendly service from young, tattooed staff.
I was slightly apprehensive when approaching Spis. This was my first time ever going to a fine dining establishment alone. I thought that the experience might be awkward but actually it turned out to be really fun. It sure beats ordering room service or getting a sandwich somewhere
A very tiny and… rustically decorated space. I was very lucky to get a table on such short notice
Amuse bouche
Vegetables as second amuse
I can’t remember what this was at all. Very good sauce camouflage.
Most courses came with a miniature bread pairing
Every dish was delicately and creatively plated and most highlighted vegetables in some shape or form
Love the stemless Riedel glasses
This superb cod dish was rather unusually paired with the red Spätburgunder Rosenberg 2009. The combination was surprisingly good
Cucumber and juniper sorbet before the second main course
This dish was good but my main memory at this point was noticing the server’s Jersey Shore tattoo and getting into an in depth conversation about that
This dish looks like a squirrel relieved itself on some snow
Some form of chocolate extravaganza. Things were getting a little hazy at this point between the jet lag and the very generous wine pairings
Coffee and mignardises, served on a giant lego brick (naturally)
A Helsinki institution with a huge selection of fresh cakes and sandwiches
The café was super busy on Sunday morning, with people flocking to the brunch buffet. That didn’t really appeal to me, so I opted instead for these fresh open faced salmon rye breads with giant, fresh capers. They were fantastically good.
