Alex Eatery 1917 "The Chef's Table" - Turku Ruissalo

Last year, while biking around Turku's Ruissalo, we came across - by acccident or by chance - restaurant "Alex Eatery 1917". At an end of a remote road in a forest, a wooden house stood there overloking a small harbor. While my other half decided to have a look inside, I waited by the entrance reading the menu on the door declining ordinary stuffs like burgers, curries, pies, etc... Then wifey came back and said I really should come inside. So, reluctantly I followed her inside and then... *trumpets & drums*... a classy dining room "The Chef's Table". A large table U shaped with 15 seats and a menu reading like this: caviar, oyster, lobster, scallop, dry aged beef, champagne, etc... And in the middle of nowhere??? WTF!!! Of course the place was fully booked that day. So we decided to come back the next spring/summer to try it. And so here we are, one year later, june 21 "Juhannuspäivää" (midsummer day). The restaurant is run by chef Richy - an irishman with mauritian heritage - and his crew, and propose a 10 courses menu at a price of 120€/pers. All the ingredients used are locally sourced, with the exception of caviar (germany) & scallops (ireland). The menu ranged from ok to great. As for us, 10 courses are probably too much because after a certain point, flavors start mixing in the mouth and your tastebuds don't know for certain what you're eating anylonger. We finished up the diner with a degustation of irish whiskeys and a 100 years old cognac Grande Champagne at a cost of roughly 450€ for the whole package. If you don't want to spend that much, there's a second dining room with a sea view terrace, where you can enjoy the aformentioned burgers or apple pie at more reasonable prices. Certainly something different.

Craving for chinese noodles? - Noodle Story restaurant(s)

 We came across "Noodle Story" through ResQ (which is a great way to make one's own opinion at a discount price). Gotta say, their homemade noodles - fried noodles with bbq pork in our case - are to die for. Really, really yummi... and cheap (by Hki standards). 

Ravintola Pikku Hukka

Our restaurant curse has striked again! One of our fav gastro place in Helsinki - a local eatery in Herttoniemi named Pikku Hukka - will close its doors for good on may 12. We were tipped a few years ago by one of the owner's relatives, that hidden in an unassuming building stood a real gem. Unlike most local/neighborhood restaurants ("kortteliravintola" in finnish), Pikku Hukka did not serve the usual pizzas/burgers/meatballs combo, but rather, food on par with some of the very best places in town. For our last lunch there, we were treated with aspargus hollandaise, and pike perch beurre blanc with a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé. And all of these served on tables with white cloth and in stylish plates. An incredible bottle of Park-Borderies Cognac matured 10 years in japanese oak casks rounded up the meal. I mean, where on earth - or rather in Helsinki - do you find a small unassuming local joint, serving great bottles of Bougogne or Ribera del Duero on white table cloth? Aaaargh...

EDIT 9.5.2025

The very last dinner at Pikku Hukka before final closure. Deer Osso Bucco & boletus risotto with a sicilian red wine, and some wonderful matured cheeses from France and England with a red currants and cinnamon compote. God, we gonna miss this place sooo much. Boo-ooo... 

Grilling at a price - Restaurant Nabi Korean BBQ

So, we went to Nabi Korean BBQ last evening with some expectations. Since our days in Paris, we've been fans of  the korean "grill it yourself" concept. It's a sure ticket - well most of the time - for good food and good evenings with friends. Nabi is no exception. The food is truly yummi, ultra fresh and packed with great flavors, with the waiting staff helping you every step of the way to make your dinner as pleasant as possible. The only down is the price. We took 2 set menus at 69€ plus a few beers and a bottle of Jinro Soju (the mandatory korean booze) and our bill soared north of 200€. The same dinner in Paris would have costs us 130-150€ max. But it's Helsinki and it's not precisely a cheap city. Anyway, very good place to enjoy a korean bbq dinner if you have deep pockets, or choose a cheaper menu, or just drink water...

Ole in Tampere

If by any chance you're in, or soon to be in Tampere, and you like spanish food, go to Tampereen Kauppahalli (Tampere Market Hall). There's a small stall managed by a spanish guy from the Castilla y Léon region, dealing all sort of tapas. The guy is truly passionate about food and wines, and imports all his products directly from Spain (including the wines). If Jamon Iberico de Bellota with a glass of red wine from the Ribera del Duero is you thing, then, this is the place. Highly recommanded. (not sure if he speaks finnish as we only spoke spanish-ish with him).

@ Koto Bento by the Sea

Restaurant Koto Bento only does Bento boxes for lunch - around 10 to choose from -  and Izakaya menu  for dinner. (Bento is a japanese lunch box - on the other side is Laajasalo)

Not quite the streets of Bangkok - Restaurant Ahaan Tam Sang

In Itis "Eatis Ravintolamaailmaan", restaurant "Ahaan Tam Sang" - along another Thai restaurant located on the other side of the 2nd floor -  proposes a selection of Thai street food. I'm not a huge fan of thai food as I prefer the more subtle vietnamese cuisine. But the smell coming out of the kitchen, plus the many thai or asian customers seated all around, and a very persuasive and determined Saila got the better of my hesitation. There's a fairly large choice of thai dishes, along with some japanese ramen soups. The cooks all look thai, which in my book is a good sign, and the prices are reasonable. 

So is it any good then? Well...

"Moo Ping Boh Ranh" or grilled pork skewers with "Nam Jim Jaew" chili sauce. 

The meat was reasonably tasty and spicy, but was way way too salty. It was like eating a piece of chewy salt lump. Ruined an otherwise good starter.

"Pad See Ew Sen Yai" or stir fried rice noddles with pork, egg, onion, pak choi, paprika & soy sauce. 

Good but nothing special. A bit on the bland side and a lack of character. Generic.

We got this dish by mistake because of an order mix up by the kitchen. The wrong dish was a "Pad Thai Tam Sang" or strir fried rice noodles with pork, egg, sprout, spring onion, peanuts & tamarind sauce. 

We did sample it. It was like noodles in a very sticky sugary tomato like sauce. Not good at all.

Then finally after complaint, we got our original order: "Pad Sen Udon Kee Mao" or strir fried spicy Udon wheat noodles with pork, egg, holybasil, chili & soy sauce. 

The best of the lot. Tender Udon noodles, tasty sauce and the right amount of heat. Excellent.

In a nutshell, this place is a hit and miss. At best ok for a quick lunch, but not so for a dinner.

Turkish breakfast delight - Cafe Sabich

Back in october 2022, we ventured in Kontula to try a Syrian restaurant (see message below "Real Deal"). After that lunch, while strolling among the many ethnic restaurants, cafe and shops in the subway area, we did notice a turkish cafe -  "Cafe Sabich", who looked particulary interesting because 1. it was full of customers, which is always a good sign, and 2. because it does turkish breakfast. So, a few weeks ago, we decided to have a go and try it. For 9,50€ you get an omelette with turkish spicy sausage, turkish yogurt seasoned with spices, 3 different kind of cheeses, boiled egg, turkish cold cuts (beef salami & chicken kinda mortadella), tomatoes, cucumber, olives, butter, jams, turkish bread and tea. We did finnish the breakfast with a strong turkish coffee. At that price, you get an incredible value for money as the meal was full of flavors with fresh ingredients, a very friendly service and a super clean place. Easily on par with most breakfast you can find in city center and/or hotels, and at a fraction of a price. One last thing, they do breakfast all day long!

Unique - Cafe Moors

We went last weekend to Puhos shopping center to refill our stock of turkish/middle eastern spices, breads, and all kind of exotic things we can't find elsewhere. On our way back to Itis subway, we stumbled upon Cafe Moors. Now let me stop for a second. To my knowledge, there isn't a single moroccan or tunisian cafe or restaurant in Helsinki. Some time ago, there was one in Espoo who has now changed ownership, and has been transformed into a turkish restaurant, and there's another one in Herttoniemi, although this one is a mix of different cuisines, including pizzas!

Now back to Moors, this little joint has been open for about 3 months, the owners coming straight from Morocco. The great thing with moroccans (and generaly with people from North Africa) is that most of them speak french. So the contact was easy and after 5min. we were chating like old friends. Beside different beverages like traditional mint tea, you can enjoy pasties or even breakfasts (which look fab, at least on photos) . But the real treat is that you can order in advance real moroccan dishes like tagines or couscous (and by couscous I mean the real thing with semolina, veggies, meat, broth and sauce). And this exactly what we did. We came yesterday evening to have a moroccan diner with a chicken couscous and mint tea. And boy, that was great. The people are super friendly (they do speak english but not so much finnish), and 100% of the customers were moroccans, which in my book is sure sign of quality and authenticity. 

Because of a near total lack of north african restaurants in Helsinki, only when in France can we eat this kind of cuisine (couscous is the No1 prefered dish in France, like the curry being in the top spot in England). 

Anyway, if you want to try/taste something really different and almost unique in this city, have a go and try Moors (30m. away from subway entrance/exit - they have an Instagram page as well).

Real deal - Restaurant Tikke

We never go to Kontula as we have no business there. Sometimes when shopping in Itis mall, we venture outside to Puhos to buy middle eastern food, or eat in the many Syrian/Iraki/Turkish restaurants around. And that's all. Back in October, we were tipped by a friend about a restaurant near the Kontula metro station, as being probably one of the very best Syrian/Iraki grill house in town. Restaurant "Tikke" is less than 100m away from the metro exit, in what can be described as not the best looking area. The place itself is quite small - less than 10 tables. The interior is not specially good looking, with tables and chairs showing lots of wears and tears and not super clean. BUT, if you're brave enough and overlook all the flaws, you're in for a real treat. The food - mainly char-grilled meat on skewer - is to die for, at a price so ridiculous that it's almost on par with a meal at Burger King or Taco Bell (avoid the later like the plague as it's a pale imitation of what you can find in the US of A). They even baked flat bread in front of us the day we were there. As a sure sign of quality and authenticity, 99,99% of the customers were middle eastern people and families. So, if for you the food is more important than the setting, have a go and try restaurant Tikke. It's really that good. Real deal.

Taboule, hummus, spicy sauce & preserved peppers (as well as soup and tea) are included in the price.

And everything is homemade, including the bread.

2 types of skewers: spicy minced beef and marinated chicken, served on a bed of flat bread, with char-grilled tomatoes, chopped onions, fresh coriander and pieces of lemon. For around 12€/pers.