tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227355732024-03-07T10:19:54.357+02:00Vatsa edelläOthers make food, we eat it.Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-58941488728677809932013-06-15T11:20:00.000+03:002013-06-15T11:20:54.810+03:00Taste of Helsinki 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.tasteofhelsinki.fi/en/">Taste of Helsinki</a> calls itself as a boutique pique nique. The idea is simple: 12 restaurants (including three Michelin star restaurants from Helsinki) are making their signature dishes and you can choose your own menu from all of the restaurants. </div>
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<a href="http://forksknivesspoons.blogspot.fi/2012/06/taste-of-helsinki.html">We visited the event also last year</a>, when it was held for the first time. I have to say that this year the event was fine, but some how last year was better. Maybe it`s due to the weather, which was last year sunny and hot, this time cold and rainy. Piquenique in the rain is not anything you are fancying for.<br />
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Food was fine, but nothing mind blowing this time expect <a href="http://www.tasteofhelsinki.fi/en/juuri-2/">Juuri</a>'s Wild Boar and Salt-Caramel Cake were our teams favourites. Unfortunately no pictures - fingers were frozen at that time. For the next year, let's hope better weather (or bigger and warmer tents + blankets).</div>
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Taste of Helsinki is open until Sunday afternoon! </div>
<br />Mlle Unikkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07412384358316832478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-70029098458798762013-05-11T08:00:00.000+03:002013-05-11T08:00:08.205+03:00Fjöruborðið, Stokkseyri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The legend says that many people lost their lives in the stormy winter season of Iceland, trying to reach this place to have what is suppose to be the best shellfish soup of the island.<br />
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So we went to check <a href="http://www.fjorubordid.is/?page_id=340">Fjöruborðið</a> by ourselves, in the quiet and sunny spring season.<br />
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Located about 60km South East of Reykjavik in the little town of Stokkseyri (very good roads to drive there), Fjöruborðið restaurant looks like a very basic local restaurant that nothing really let a newcomer think about its worldwide reputation. Again it is a place where it is advised to book ahead.<br />
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The restaurant is located near the sea. It is divided in 2 main hall. The sea side view hall which at the time we visited seemed to be allocated to tourists and large groups, and the other half facing the parking lot, which actually gives a warmer feeling and where tables seemed occupied mostly by Icelanders.<br />
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As, according to the legend, we risked our lives to go there we went for the full set:<br />
Shellfish soup as starter<br />
Langoustines and side dishes as main<br />
Piece of one of the cake of the day as dessert<br />
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The Shellfish is really really good, and deserves its legend. Nevertheless, some rumors around the island says that the recipe came originally from a small place, closed nowadays, in Borgarnes (North of Reykjavik). Who knows the truth?<br />
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The plate of Langoustine was very tasty but as usual with this kind of meal: very messy to eat. This is expecially true for all these tourist who are not used to eat this dish. At some extent it almost feel that the waiters are more making fun of you than giving you tips on how to fully enjoy your meal.<br />
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Actually, and it is sad to mention it again, the service was again an issue in this place. Not that it is not professional in the act of serving you dishing and taking your orders but you may feel not really welcomed by some waiters there.<br />
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Anyway our main advice for this place is:<br />
Go there but order only the shellfish soup as main course.<br />
This is definitely the highlight of the place. You can have better plates of langoustine or lobster in Europe or in the US. The cakes aren't either anything special even if they look massive at first.<br />
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But don't miss the soup, it is a must try!<br />
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Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-47623610707847431322013-05-10T08:00:00.000+03:002013-05-10T08:00:07.115+03:00Sjávargrillið, Reykjavík<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you go to trip adviser and check what is the first restaurant listed for Reykjavik you will find Sjávargrillið. A place with so much good publicity was to be tried. Due to the little fuzz around the place, the only way to get a table for diner is currently to book ahead. So we went to Sjávargrillið with high expectations.<br />
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The place is located in the very centre of Reykjavík, you will pass by it many times, if you are sight seeing or shopping in the centre. The place is relatively small and decorated in a a kind of bistro hype style (the bow ties on the coaches are a good find).</div>
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We went for some of their full diner menu sets, because this was was suppose to be our (one of) the best food experience in Iceland. </div>
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The Fish feast in one hand, which consisted of a shellfish soup as starter, the fish of the day and some white chocolate mousse threat for dessert. On the other side of the table we went for the so called 'Taste of Iceland' menu: a small sea food appetizer, a starter plate with what I will call 'forbidden' meat, an amazing Lamb dish and a Icelandic chocolate cake for dessert.</div>
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The fish menu was fine, no doubt on that, but wait a minute, wasn't this suppose to be the best place in Reykjavík? Then we have to admit that the fish dishes were only average. The presentation of the dishes is something they should improve a bit. The presentation is messy and the food journey lost a bit of its wonder.</div>
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About the 'Taste of Iceland', that is tricky one. What I called 'forbidden plate' consist of the main tourist meat attractions, puffin and Minke Whale. To be honest I will remember this dish forever, but not because I had an amazing food experience, but because afterwards I realized that even if whale meat does taste good (let's be honest), it is mostly hunted and prepared in restaurants in Iceland because of the tourists. And all this cause big damages to environment.<br />
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Another sad thing is that the Minke Whale meat tends to be one of the cheapest meat in the most of the restaurants. The reason is that it is cheaper to hunt these animals than to grow cattle on the island. That's not right. If you are interested in whales, more in their real habitat rather than in your plate take a look to <span style="background-color: white; color: #009933; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">www.elding.is</span>.<br />
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But let's talk back about the food.<br />
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The lamb course was probably the highlight of the evening. An amazingly tasty piece of lamb. Sometime soft sometime crispy that was just delicious. Icelandic lamb is the best I ever tasted so far (but I found even better lamb dishes in other places around the island).<br />
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A small comment about the desserts: They were fine, but again we were expecting more from this place. For a chocolate lover, the chocolate cake was tasting very mild while I was expecting chocolate explosion in my mouth.</div>
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And last but not least, let's have a word about the service. First of all let's say here that Reykjavík restaurant scene seems to have a problem with its waiters and waitresses. It's not like the parisian waiter who won't even smile and be mean on purpose, it's just that even if they try hard sometimes to act professional there is this kind of distance which makes you feel that they don't really care about you as a customer. Also, the biggest issue we found with the service was the speed at which the dishes were brought. Kind of express service. We even observed that on some neighbors tables some warm dishes were brought to table while customers were outside for a smoke. </div>
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As a conclusion, if you want to save money in Reykjavík, you can skip this place, it is not anything you will remember forever. As a matter of fact, by talking with many Icelanders, this place is mostly filled up with tourist, not with locals. So remember the basic rule of 'always go where locals are going'!</div>
Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-60672298128578547742013-05-09T08:00:00.000+03:002013-05-09T08:00:06.084+03:00Café SÓLON, Reykjavík<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the place you won't miss, if you are walking up and down Reykjavík main streets in city centre.<br />
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Café SÓLON is a brasserie type of place and also a art gallery. That's a good spot to grab a soup or a sandwich before you head to some afternoon excursion for example.<br />
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Their club sandwiches are massive and very tasty. You'll find Turkey, chicken and bacon in there, served with french fries, enough to feed a man for the day. Thee bagels are also a very good option there.<br />
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By the time we went there in the early spring, it looked a bit like a toursits place, but locals talk also about this place so when the summer days are coming it might be a pleasant place to have a fast and affordable simple meal. And more thing to add here, the staff is actually quite friendly and helpful!Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-23530952373143038672013-05-08T08:00:00.000+03:002013-05-08T08:00:05.151+03:00Grillmarkaðinn, Reykjavík<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/">Grillmarkaðinn (Grill Market)</a> is one of the the best rated food place in Reykjavík at the moment, so we went to check it out.<br />
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The place is located in a nice old building in the very centre of Reykjavík. The walls are decorated with fish skins and it has a very nice design spiced with the cool atmosphere. The main part of the kitchen grill is open to the customers on the upper floor (the place has also more room downstairs), so as it is the trend now you can have a look on how your meal is prepared, if you like it.</div>
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If you plan to go there in the evening they recommend that you book a table ahead, we went there for lunch and no reservation was needed then.</div>
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The menu offers mostly products from local producers, and in most of case it is organic grown. Have a look to their website, there are interviews of the farmers, some may give you a smile (my favorite being the story from the skyr farmer and his motivation to start his business).</div>
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The menu offers a choice of meat and sea food, along with the typical tourist meal which is minke whale meat (see the post about Sjávargrillið, if you want to know more about minke whales. <i>The post will be published in the end of the week</i>).</div>
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So we went for the beef burger on one side and some monkfish and vegetables grill skewers and salad in the other. The burger was good, but to my taste the meat was too minced. Perhaps it was either made of a too good piece (not much fat to tied it up) or there was some liver part added to the meat. Nevertheless, the bun was sweet and crispy, and the fries coming along simply gorgeous. But that did not make it the best burger in town.<br />
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The skewers were very tasty. Especially the monkfish skewer melted in the mouth. Because mademoiselle was advised to take at least two skewers (they are rather small) the strong taste of grill sauce started be overwhelming. All this plus the dish dish salad, mademoiselle was very well eaten. So, this time we skipped desert. </div>
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As a overall it a good place to have a meal, but we were a bit disappointed by the service, which seems to be a general trend in many places around Reykjavík. A very friendly and professional doorman will be waiting to sit you at the entrance, but then the waiters and waitresses seem a bit disorganized and not really dedicated to their job. Not really helpful in your choice, just giving you enough smile that you don't feel offended, but taking ages to answer your requests. The main issue we encountered was with the check which tooks long time to come and even longer to get sorted and paid.</div>
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We still do recommend the place, the food is good there and the place looks like they try very hard to give it a personality. Next time we want to try the place at the dinner time. Improvement on the service is the next challenge for <a href="http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/">Grillmarkaðinn</a>.</div>
Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-54014132552287697692013-05-07T08:00:00.000+03:002013-05-07T08:00:05.201+03:00Happ, Reykjavík<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Graving for a health snack or a green smoothy in Reykjavik?<br />
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<a href="http://www.happ.is/">Happ</a> is the place.<br />
Located right in the centre, 5 minutes walk from the harbor, you will find here plenty of good sandwiches salads, homemade juices and smoothly. They have also published a cooking book filled with the information of their food ideology. You can find the book, named after the restaurant, from the local book stores.<br />
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The place itself looks like a nice nordic café, and the staff is international and friendly.<br />
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We had some 'ready to run' veggie sandwich and a lamb sandwich, and this was exactly what we were expecting for a quick and cheap lunch in the Icelandic capital.<br />
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Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-16082595143074768512013-05-06T22:00:00.000+03:002013-05-06T22:00:06.326+03:00KEX hostel, Reykjavík<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Iceland is for sure becoming the next '<i>place to be</i>'.<br />
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In the past 10 years Reykjavík has expanded a lot, with s short break during the 2008 crisis. But Since a couple of years new places like <a href="http://www.kexhostel.is/">KEX Hostel</a> have been popping up, and more are to come. Only during the year 2013 four new hostels are going to be opened.<br />
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Kex is located on the sea front of Reykjavik, almost in the centre. The place occupies 3 floors of what was in the past a biscuit factory, the ground floor being occupied by a gallery museum.<br />
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The owners of the place definitely put a lot of effort to make this place look like a home for all people coming here. It looks and feels at the same time like a great base-camp for backpackers, a nice boutique hotel (you could find this kind of place in Berlin or Brooklyn) and it simply serves as a local bar for people living close to it. Our friend, who happens to live just a block away from KEX, calls it as his living room. We perfectly understand that!<br />
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The place offers to all very nice Breakfast. Notice: not only for the hotel guests. It has all what you expect to get in a Nordic country as a breakfast (porridge, breads, ham, veggies, jam, musly, eggs, juice coffee, fruit juice...) plus the special icelandic touch, skyr.<br />
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If you never been to Iceland before and you arrive late at night, the breakfast at KEX in the morning will set your mood up for your whole stay. Big bonus is that you can enjoy it facing the sea and a beautiful mountain Esja. <br />
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KEX is also a bar/brasserie and along with the dry cat fish that you can order with your beer, they have a selection of quite descent and affordable food. Their burgers are among the best we tried in Reykjavík. The good thing is that the place tries as much as possible to use seasonal products. Of course we are in Iceland so in the winter they do some exceptions. Even if you are not staying there in the hostel, the place is worth of stopping by one evening. Have a beer with friends there, have some good simple food, and enjoy their (almost) daily music happening.<br />
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Indeed almost every night there is either a free concert in the bar/restaurant hall or a more 'organized' gig in their small concert hall.<br />
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Last but not least, few words about the Hostel itself. It stays relatively affordable (yes, this is Iceland), even more in off seasons where prices are cut by half. KEX offers accommodation from the large 16 people dorms for backpackers, to the family dorms (big bed for daddy and mummy and bunk beds for the tribe), and to finish with their 'suits', 2 person bedrooms with private bath and sea views. All rooms are decorated in a industrial/vintage look with old school maps from all over the world.<br />
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The staff at the reception of the hotel is extremely friendly and helpful. The staff at the bar is also friendly at the breakfast time, but turned back to Reykjavik standarts later (meaning you will get what you want but don't be offended, if some bartender don't seem to care at all about you).<br />
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As a conclusion a great place to stay over or simply to visit for a beer or gig, if you are in Reykjavík.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0CjcYfk36iKhlbT60nhfF0AXeW6UxLtqBn703pEBzTrkKOzCjMgrbLOYA0dnWGYrpGUBBPsPpqrV1dX09RSH6xZOAg52C7dOShWp7XIPAnH3t3iqK6HtxzhHFoQ2ONk_TbJIOQ/s1600/kex_bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-17291702755167202642013-05-06T08:00:00.001+03:002013-05-06T08:00:01.924+03:00Loch Fyne, Cambridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Loch Fyne is a small chain of fish restaurant in the UK which has had many good reviews by its visitors. Their Cambridge restaurant is located just opposite to the FitzWilliam Museum, making it a very good lunch option, if you were planning to visit the museum that day.<br />
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From inside the restaurant look like a typical fish restaurant, frame of fishes or boats are present here and there on the white walls. Nothing really original but the place looks good as it is.<br />
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As we are in the UK, moreover in Cambridge where part of the National and international future elite is studying, the service is professional and friendly. Also probably because they may get part of their wage from the tips.<br />
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Anyway the restaurant has a large selection of fishes along with the special of the day.<br />
The way it works is usually that you order your fish choose a dip and a side dish (french fries, green beans, salad...)<br />
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We first ordered as a starter a dozen of oysters, to be shared by 4, some being natural some being braised with chili.<br />
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Then came the main course.<br />
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Most of us opted for the halibut in traditional way and one tried the sea bass cooked in Thai way. Both dishes were very well executed, the fishes were tasty and the presentation in the plate was simple but just as it should be, no try to be exuberant here. Loch Fyne does fish dishes (but also serves meat) and does it well focusing on this aspect of their work, what they do the best.<br />
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The dessert list is deserves to be checked, but if you see something you really want at when checking the menu when you arrive, ask to have it put aside for you, some of the most popular items go fast!<br />
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To conclude: a bit pricy place but you will have exactly what you came for here: a good fish dish!<br />
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Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-13195256998601463752013-05-05T19:00:00.000+03:002013-05-05T19:39:25.713+03:00Jamie's Italia, Cambridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jamie Oliver is probably one of the most famous English chef nowadays (after Gordon Ramsay?). It almost looks that before him, there was no food culture in the UK.<br />
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When we've been visiting Cambridge, we've also visited couple of times<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/cambridge"> Jamie's Italian restaurant</a> there. <br />
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The Jamie Oliver restaurant in Cambridge is an italian inspiration restaurant. Built in a former library, it enjoys the fantastic main room with very high ceiling and plenty of light all over the place. In another hand the downside of this place is that is was built at first to be silent. Its new role as a major restaurant of Cambridge does not fit it totally as the place may feel too noisy sometimes (the sound reverberation is high).<br />
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It is simply, but nicely decorated. Italian inspiration, exactly as in Jamie's books about italian food. The place is organized with its bar/kitchen all open on the dining room so that everyone can at anytime observe how his meal is prepared. It is pretty easy to get a table for lunch there, but perhaps for diner a booking is preferable.<br />
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The Menu offers a very wide range of Jamie's italian's classics, hamburgers/ sliders and salads. Seafood dishes are especially good there. The daily chef's offer are often a solid bet.<br />
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As starter you can always go for a selection of Italian breads and why not some fried squids and dips.<br />
On our last venue we picked as a main the shellfish raviolis. Very tasty, perfectly cooked, and in a just big enough proportion. Our host got some wild poultry (sorry, don't remember what it was exactly), which she loved.<br />
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Desserts are also to be recommended at Jamie's. Except for the chocolate brownie, which I tend to find too mild in its chocolate taste.<br />
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Jamie's place in Cambridge is place to recommend. You won't have a three stars meal there, but you will be pleased. The place itself, easygoing and simple food just wont let you down. This place is also perfect with kids! <br />
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You may dislike the serious business around Jamie Oliver, but we must acknowledge him and his restaurants that many British families (and now families around the world) have started to like cooking decent food at home. Jamie's manifests are selling pretty well and that's a good thing!<br />
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Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-47565375214596768922013-05-05T15:30:00.000+03:002013-05-05T16:59:23.600+03:00Peacock Tearoom, Ely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you are visiting the English countryside North of London, studying at or Visiting Cambridge or if you are a Pink Floyd fan, then you should make a day trip to Ely.<br />
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Ely is world famous for its cathedral, and should also be for its <a href="http://www.peacockstearoom.co.uk/">Peacock Tearoom</a>.<br />
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Located along the river this small tea house, looking like a doll house from the inside, is a perfect place to experience the typical (or cliché?) English afternoon tea.<br />
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It is tiny but its lovely staff will do everything to make you feel welcome. It is family run and almost and as much as possible is done by them.<br />
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And what about the afternoon tea experience?<br />
look at the pictures: 4 trays filled up with scones, sandwiches and cakes.<br />
The scones are home baked and gluten free! And they do taste awesome with the cream and the homemade jam.<br />
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The sandwiches are quite tasty as well, and if you happen to be vegetarian, just ask your waitress they will sort things out for you.<br />
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And last but not least, the cakes. Well most of use went for the lemon cake but our chocolate lover had to go for the courgette and chocolate cake, a very nice variation of the carrot cake (it's quite similar).<br />
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The only downside of this afternoon tea experience would be that it is so much sweets at once!<br />
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Maybe not the best to have as your late lunch, but definitely a must try.<br />
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<br />Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-4509391996687329252013-03-10T13:19:00.002+02:002013-03-10T13:20:51.637+02:00Hietalahden Kauppahalli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since March the 1st of this year the Old Market hall of Helsinki, one of the highlights for tourists, but also a good place to get some poro (reindeer) or a fish soup lunch, it is now closed for renovation. It will reopened only in 2014.<br />
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Helsinki couldn't stay that long without such a place (yes, we have also <a href="http://www.hakaniemenkauppahalli.fi/">Hakaniemi Market hall</a>), and the city had the great idea to give a new life to the <a href="http://www.hietalahdenkauppahalli.fi/">Hietalahti Market hall</a>, few tram stops away from the city main landmark: Stockmann.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hietalahdenkauppahalli.fi/">Hietalahden Kauppahalli</a> was for many years a place for expensive antique stores, and for a couple of restaurant, depending of the years and the season (lately it hosted a Greek restaurant, Knossos, and a small Thai booth).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS2ywHn-pS_-r7y3acN0mwUHLY_Keq2x2KhvL-P1byr0XCAlSTX0t_5HJOiJR47_dY7TkCI37KrMezFRk-1Xe_x5bpqxN9ma-CdMpWhHzjIrfB0iwAfPOcVsPm0J0hrubrgvbyA/s1600/IMG_4691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS2ywHn-pS_-r7y3acN0mwUHLY_Keq2x2KhvL-P1byr0XCAlSTX0t_5HJOiJR47_dY7TkCI37KrMezFRk-1Xe_x5bpqxN9ma-CdMpWhHzjIrfB0iwAfPOcVsPm0J0hrubrgvbyA/s640/IMG_4691.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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The Market Hall is now 100% dedicated to its first aim: Food, in retail from or as lunch places.<br />
As in most of the Market Hall you will find fresh vegetables, a Butcher corner, a fish stall, bakeries, coffee, and also many lunch options. Many of the sellers seem to have taken this removal as a new beginning and they do kick now!<br />
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We went around and found our old favourites like the soup place (Soppakeittiö, which you can find also in <a href="http://www.hakaniemenkauppahalli.fi/">Hakaniemi Market hall</a>) and fish sellers. If you are looking for a cup of coffee or some sandwiches, you will find some in here. There is even a place, which is specialized to make all kind of food of shrimps: there are skagens, jacket potatoes, shrimp cocktails etc.<br />
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For this first visit we sat down in the table of The Fish store called Marja Nätti. They proposed mussels, blinis and other sea food based dishes. We went for the blinis. Good honestly not too fat not too dry, but a bit pricy. And of course you can also buy your fish from there or other fish sellers and cook your meal at home.<br />
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In the neighbor booth you'll also find a sushi, oysters and some more fish. <a href="http://www.roslund.fi/index.htm">A butcher Roslund</a> in the corner seems to serve amazing looking burgers (we'll have to try them next time) for example "Heppaburger", which means a real thing made of horse meat.<br />
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If you want you, can eat on the few tables next to these food kiosks, or take your order (or wait that it is served to you) upstairs where many table are set, but hardly available on Saturdays.<br />
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The place gets easily crowded, and the age of the building makes also the ventilation system from another era. It has some very good point, a mix of nice smells coming from everywhere around, making you graving for any food proposed there. On the other hand, your clothes may smells a bit after your visit, and we will have to see how it will be in the summer time when the hot days are here.<br />
But the place looks very nice, renovated just as it needed, not too modernized, not too tacky (in the way it wants to look too much like a postcard), and most important this place simply has a good atmosphere.<br />
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We will definitely go back and write more about this place. We are now looking forward the summer as this place might become a hotspot of Helsinki's summer 2013. When the open air adjacent flea market will start again, we bet that many restaurants of the market hall will open a terrace on the Hietalahti Market square, which is by the way just along the sea.<br />
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Verdict: Even if it is a bit overpriced, it is a go!Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-1633480069525274812013-03-09T08:30:00.000+02:002013-03-09T08:30:01.097+02:00Bar SocisNow continues the story of the new Restaurant + Bar of the Hotel Seurahuone - and this will be the happy part!<br />
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Just next to the restaurant, after you pass the Hotel reception is the Bar Socis.<br />
The bar is set in a nice coupole which makes again the place looking like from the 'Belle Epoque'.<br />
It looks extremly interesting, and at least on the day we were there the interesting thing was that customers were hotle people, but also some regular younger and older people and some tourist. A large mix which make the place interesting actually.<br />
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The music is also French here, but contrary to the Brasserie part, the tracklist is much more interesitng, palying some oldies from the 30's, 40's and 50's (imagine Arlety or Mistinguett are played there) or even some 80's French classics (Alain Chamfort 'Manureva') to the latest big French hit M.<br />
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The service now was night and day if you compare to the Brasserie. The waitress working there on the opening night was friendly, enthusiast, and simply very professional (even though she was still a student). Simply the total opposite of the restaurant experience. The bar tender is also an interesting character, it almost made me think of the bartender in 'The Shinning'.<br />
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Only bad thing of course the prices of the cocktail. A Gin Tonic will cost you 11€ there. But honestly Bar Socis could become one of the best hotel bar in Helsinki.<br />
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So as a conclusion, maybe skip the Brasserie Le Havre, or give it a chance hoping the chef and the waitresses were on a bad day for the opening. Please, go and check the Bar Socis, with some tiny tunes up and some more crowd there, it has the potential to become a great place to grab a drink or two in Helsinki.Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-72652294342099089542013-03-08T20:32:00.001+02:002013-03-08T20:32:36.326+02:00Brasserie Le Havre, Helsinki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a tricky one.<br />
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Honestly at one point we were even thinking not to write about it, just not to be mean.<br />
But as you will see the story has an happy ending.<br />
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Brasserie Le Havre is a new restaurant which opened in Helsinki on March the 1st 2013. The place is located at the ground floor of the Seurahuone Hotel, just opposite the railway station in a very nice building from the late 19th century. The place itself looks very interesting, you could feel in a French high class restaurant from the 'Belle Epoque'.<br />
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The table are set in quite nice way, and the restaurant tries to keep it as French spirit as possible, even by playing only French music. On that point some choices are quite interesting some are...well it might be a very long time I haven't been there so no more comment...<br />
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But we were there for the food, on the opening day.<br />
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As a starter we got the Foie gras <i>mi cuit </i>for Monsieur and Snails for madame.<br />
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It was a vey long time since I ate foie gras, even more <i>mi cuit</i> like. Served on a toast, the bread could be a bit better for this kind of product but the overall taste was fine.<br />
The snails were maybe not cooked at their best as the garlic kick you usually have in this dish was extremely mild. This was even more disappointing that the chef has the very good idea to use a nicely extra salty butter, the real garlic taste would have just act perfectly here.<br />
Perhaps their recipe is still to be improved.<br />
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Then started the trouble:<br />
We asked from the waitress if the seafood section on the menu was more like a started or like a main course. Her answer was straight forward: seafood dishes are like main course.<br />
So we went for the Scallops in crab mousse in one plate and Roquefort Mussels gratinated.<br />
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First surprise, the size of the dish, clearly for starters.<br />
The Scallop was ok, even if it could have been a little bit more grilled to emphasize the contrast between the soft inside and the crispy outside. The crab mousse was in fact a 'bisque' wiped too fast and still foamy, but not anything you could call mousse.<br />
But let's talk about the worst dish in the history of this blog maybe, or at least the less good looking. This mussel plate was just ridiculous: 5 mussels fighting with 2 slices of lime in a very large plate. It looked very bad even the plate (the dish) itself was quite nice. And the taste was not really successful either.<br />
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But we carried on and experienced the dessert list:<br />
Crème brûlée and double chocolate mousse.<br />
The Crème brûlée was maybe one of the worst I tasted in any restaurant in Helsinki, the texture was almost liquid and for some reason a oversized ball of cassis sorbet was on the top of the brûlée.<br />
For the chocolate mousse, it tasted good honestly, but this place seems to have a problem with the term 'mousse' as this dish was far closer to fudge.<br />
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So as a overall Brasserie Le Havre should be renamed Brasserie Gonfreville (the name of Le Havre neighbor city in France where all the polluting factories are located).<br />
The place looks nice, but the service (at the exception of the main waiter always going everywhere, taking very good care of his customers) is very poor: our waitress should have adviced us on the size of the dishes and few of them seemed at one point to be on their break at the same time causing a time lapse in the service for some tables.<br />
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But the story continues in the following post...Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-22664796512710785372012-12-06T08:00:00.000+02:002012-12-06T08:00:00.111+02:00Prune, New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last day in New York City, on a sunny Sunday morning, with a flight back home scheduled in the afternoon. How to spend you last morning hours, before the amazing food waiting for you in your 8hrs flight? Maybe brunch is the answer.<br />
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As a recommendation of our host, we went to <a href="http://www.prunerestaurant.com/">Prune</a> in East Village. The place is small and well known, but according to our host "it's overpriced on the evenings, but definitely a great brunch option on the weekends". We went there, and following his advices, we went to queue for the opening already at 9.40 (the place opens at 10 am). Already few people were waiting there, because the place does not take any reservation.<br />
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The team was having their breakfast together while we were waiting outside, kind of team building ritual for them before jumping into the jungle. At 10 am, the doors open and the main waitress is placing people. Strict policy of you need to be physically present to take a table, no "my 2 other friends are coming in 5 min, please give me a table".<br />
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Unfortunately we were three people, a nightmare number for many restaurants. If you take a four seats table they kind of loose a seat and a table for two is maybe a bit too small. We ended up in a small corner table (one single table with three chairs). It would have been fine, if we were three tiny teenage girls, but two guys at the table make the space division a bit more problematic.<br />
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Again like in many places in the US, the amount of waiters/waitresses working for such a small place is amazing; about seven people devoted to their 30/40 customers at the same time. First thing to say is that brunch is the US isn't the same than a brunch in Europe. While on the old continent it means staying long time in the restaurant and brunch buffet, here it simply means that the menu is different.<br />
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So here was our orders:<br />
Soft scrambled eggs (any detail needed?)<br />
Huevos Rancheros (baked egg in tomato, garlic, and chili. With black beans, avocado and lime)<br />
Monte Cristo (triple decker ham, turkey and swiss cheese sandwich)<br />
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+ a side order of full grain toasts + coffee + orange juice.<br />
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The food was good in general, but nothing so amazing to be honest. And a minus point here as both the Soft scrambled eggs and the Huevos Rancheros were served a bit cold.<br />
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Prune itself looks very nice, like a tiny little café, which could be in Europe. It is very bright and there's nothing too much. Many people who came there seemed to be regular customer. Somehow the feeling of this place, as for many other american restaurant we went to, is that part of the food experience there is the 'show' or team spirit provided by the staff.<br />
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Without beating brunch places in Berlin, Prune stays a good New York City option.<br />
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http://www.prunerestaurant.com/<br />
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Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-85361089791380047322012-12-05T18:00:00.000+02:002012-12-10T14:44:35.979+02:00Suola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a place which has some 'balls'!<br />
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Excuse the easy joke but indeed, you need nerve to open a meatball restaurant in the heart of Helsinki city centre, and with such a concept.<br />
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The idea is simple: a meatball restaurant in the New York -style. That doesn't mean any ugly fluffy and terrible factory meatballs you can find worldwide in the blue and yellow Swedish furniture chain. No, here we are talking about true meatball mades with your soul. A typical Finnish dish declined in many relevant variants, and made with love and with local a good product.<br />
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But before going further we need to admit that this review is a bit different than all other reviews ever written here. We have been contacted by the restaurant Suola itself to take part of a press tasting dinner, along with professional journalists from well established newspapers and a couple of other amateur bloggers like us. Of course we need to thank Suola for giving us this opportunity, but please believe we won't be kind with them only for that favor. We will continue to tell exactly how we felt about the place and the food.<br />
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Let's first talk about the place: Suola in located in Helsinki City Centre at the Crossroad of Annankatu and Iso Roba, so right there where was the legendary last chance club <i>Lost and Found</i>. The team has done a great work in renovating the place, it's hard to remember how it was before. The tables, chairs and coaches were selected in just enough retro way, the main colours of the place being white, black and red. Try to get a table in the back of the restaurant, where there is a nice street art alike painting on the wall waiting for you under the coupole and its chandelier.<br />
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Unfortunately we were not there on a regular busy day, so we cannot tell much about the real atmosphere of the place. From how the restaurant looks and how the friendly and polite staff was doing their work, we felt warmly welcomed in.<br />
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Let's finally talk about the food. We had a special opportunity to taste almost the whole menu. We will try to summarize and not be too boring in our listing.<br />
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First, the Sliders: When meatballs meet Burgers:<br />
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<i>The Classic</i>, the basic beefball with red wine sauce, ruccola, dried tomatoes...and served on a home made ciabatta. Honestly, this one was one of my favorite! I am not myself a meatball person, but no offense to all the home made meatballs I ate in the past, the texture and the taste in Suola's classic meatball is just perfect. It is not too hard, not too soft, not too dry, not too moist and really tasty. You can really feel that all is made in the kitchen from scratch and with good products.<br />
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<i>The Tokyo </i>slider might be dedicated to the sashimi lovers, with its salmon just slightly cooked, but still raw inside, served with leek, vinaigrette and again this nice ciabatta. This was one of Mademoiselle's favourite.<br />
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<i>The Beets</i>, is a very good vegetarian option, or a kind of pre-dessert option. The mix of beetroot and blue cheese is as usual perfectly matching. The beetroot is cooked just as it needs to make you feel its sweetness. Silver medal.<br />
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<i>The Veggie</i> sliders has a strong pumpkin base. It's for sure tasty, but I have to admit, it shares the smae problem as in many falafel: it is too dry.<br />
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<i>The Ugly Duckling</i>, a nice surprise of duckliver-beefball slider in a truffel mayonnaise. On this one I have to say that the meatball itself and the mayonaise are just perfect, but (yes it is not perfect) it's bread felt a bit too dry or compact. Or perhaps this was the feeling after eating already 4 balls before this one.<br />
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And as an extra the chef added on our tasting plate, one of their so called 'heroes' the USA slider made out of pork, homemade coleslaw and aioli. A very good choice as well.<br />
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You may find this post already long and it's not even over yet. I told you we tasted almost the whole menu. The staff offered us the possibility to taste small portion of the main courses, so here we go again:<br />
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<i>The Classic</i>, in the main is the essence of Finnish home food, close your eyes put some Finnish <i>iskelmä </i>music and you are like at some Finnish grandma place. Definitely a dish I would recommend to foreigner asking a typical Finnish meal.<br />
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<i>The Godfather</i>, the name is enough. It's like the dish prepared in Martin Scorcese's 'Goodfellas'.<br />
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<i>PataPata</i>, your beefballs are served with a chorizo-bean ragout. It's honestly delicious, but I was expecting something a bit more spicy.<br />
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<i>The Hulk</i>, which could be called their incredible vegetarian option: Veggieballs, paksoi, spinach, leek, cashew nuts in a coriander sauce. Very tasty, and contrary to the the vegetarian slider, not too dry at all but just the good texture. Though, it is lacking some taste.<br />
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And you think this was enough?<br />
No, one more ball to come, the sweet one: The Salty Chocolate Ball, a marvelous soft white chocolate ball in a dark salty chocolate shell. It's just a bit, not a huge dessert but after this feast the perfect end for a great dinner. I'm almost thinking of making this 3€ chocolate ball as my afternoon snack on a shopping day afternoon.<br />
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As you could read Suola has a lot to offer, but they are still clear of that. We didn't even try all of their options. The price list is definitely affordable, for example a plate of 5 sliders will cost you 16€, which is a bargain for this location.<br />
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Another interesting details was the wine list which only include good european wine for very reasonable price if you think about the South African <i>piquette </i>served for the same price in many bars around.<br />
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So, at last we will simply recommend Suola, even more since its staff is very young and very enthusiastic about making this place a classic in Helsinki. Again these guys have 'balls' as they keep the kitchen open from Monday to Saturday until 2pm. It's wonderful to have a place where you can eat after ten o'clock in Helsinki!<br />
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Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-62842114538352273872012-12-04T08:00:00.000+02:002012-12-04T08:00:10.912+02:00Veselka, New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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East Village, and its small Ukrainian corner. Usually Ukrainian restaurants offers a simple for tasty and reliable food experience, so what about <a href="http://www.veselka.com/">Veselka</a>?<br />
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The place is in the 9 East st and is famous for being open 24/7 365 days a year. The place looks good, the staff is very friendly and as it was just across the street from our home base, it became our first breakfast place in New York City.<br />
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Order of the day was:<br />
1 Fried Egg sandwich with bacon<br />
2 blueberry pancakes with maple sirup<br />
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Verdict:<br />
Our bacon expert was pleased with his sandwich.<br />
The pancakes were good but massive, one of us just couldn't finish it.<br />
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I am usually a pancake lover, I like French crêpes, 'european' pancakes, Finnish oven pancakes, Blinis, but I have to admit that american pancakes are maybe a bit too fluffy for my taste (like most of their wheat stuff which makes your eyes think you will eat enough for four days and your stomach realize that you just ate inflated food).<br />
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Anyway we definitely approved this place, if you are looking for good and affordable food in East Village at any time, this might be your place!<br />
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We also had another Veselka experience: The Thanksgiving dinner! It was exactly that and our team was satisfied and stuffed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.veselka.com/">Veselka</a>, since 1954.Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-61136595742961073862012-12-03T08:00:00.000+02:002012-12-03T08:36:47.245+02:00Momofuku noodle bar, New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">New York again!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As very big fans of Asian food, we asked our host where were the best place around East Village to eat ramen noodles. His answer was straight "<a href="http://momofuku.com/new-york/noodle-bar/">Momofuku</a>, it's just 2 blocks away, you will see it's always busy".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We went there on Black Friday evening, hoping people would either still be out of town because of Thanksgiving or still killing each others in Macy's for the Black Friday. This was a vain, the place was packed. <a href="http://momofuku.com/new-york/noodle-bar/">Momofuku</a> do not take any reservation that for we gave our name, came back after an hour and waited 30 more minutes inside to get seated.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Momofuku was created by an American-Korean chef David Chang, but surprisingly for an Asian restaurant the staff was 100% western including the kitchen. The concept of the place is mostly that it remains a tiny space and the kitchen is open so that you can see what's happening in the kitchen and even ask the guys "hey, what's that?!".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We were seated on the bar just facing the kitchen team. This is mostly the main interest of the place: a hard working team always in a rush, doing the job as well as they can. It's kind of a well organized ballet. These guys make the show and they make you feel that they are proud what they are doing and just there in the front of live audience they put up a every evening show of their cooking skills.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How about the food?<br />Well we went for:<br />momofuku ramen – pork belly, pork shoulder, poached egg<br />and ginger scallion noodles – pickled shiitakes, cucumber, cabbage</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately for non meat eater there are not any real ramen option available so the ginger scallion noodles were served without broth. The food is definitely good, no doubt on that, but to be honest while eating it you realize that you are not eating asian food, but american food. The Momofuku ramen are really tasty, the meat is just melting in your mouth and the poached egg is a very good idea.<br /> <br />Somehow the place deserve it's fame (there is even a Momofuku cooking books). It's nice and cosy, even if it seems to be always very busy and you need to be patient to get a table. Keep in mind that the main interest of the place is actually the place itself and the shows it offers. If you were looking for a true Asian food experience, then you should head to Chinatown or Korea Town.</span>Joffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630764126879398895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-86589006302965773512012-12-02T17:49:00.004+02:002012-12-02T17:49:59.857+02:00The Smith, New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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New York, New York, here we are!<br />
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Which kind of food do you think about first, when you think about USA? Yes you are right, burger.<br />
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Of course there would be plenty of places to get a burger, from McDisgusting or BumgerKink or any small street eateries. An easy way would be also to follow the signs to a restaurant, which has a sign 'best NYC burger' or 'best burger in the world' on a window.<br />
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We tried something in the between by crashing at '<a href="http://www.thesmithnyc.com/">The Smith</a>'. A NYC venue which started back in 2007 in East Village and which aim to use only local product to prepare its meals. We did not went to the 'historical' restaurant in East Village, but we opted for the newly opened restaurant next to the Lincoln center.<br />
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The place looks nice, a bit like a european bistro from the 30's mixed with a american diner style. A large bar is all along the right wall, tables are spacious enough and at the lunch time the atmosphere is nicely busy, but you don't have a feeling that you were sitting in the neighbour's table and listening his business talks.<br />
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The service is really good in the place, but wait a minute...a yes we are in the US, people have to work hard to get their tips.<br />
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So here we are, I went for a <b>burger deluxe, </b>which includes special sauce, cheddar and bacon.<br />
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Look at the picture and make your opinion. The burger itself looks amazing. And a small detail: for the first time in my burger experiences, someone asked me how I wanted the steak to be cooked!<br />
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The home made bread, the nicely cooked meat, the nice choice and proportion of vege, sauce and cheese made it honestly one of the best burger I had in my life. The plus was also the homemade French fries. So far only in two other places you can find better fries than there: Belgium and at my father's.<br />
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That was not it. Even if I felt pretty full-filled with this delicious burger, and even if it was only lunch time and wanted to do still a lot in the afternoon, I let myself tempted by the idea of a dessert. I choose a <b>sticky toffee pudding (</b>skillet baked, medjool dates, vanilla ice cream) which was also amazing even if one could find it has far too much sugar in it.<br />
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Others at the table did not try the burger, but one went for the<b> Mediterranean Salad </b>and the other for the <b>tagliatelle</b> (black pasta, sautéed shrimp, scallion, crumbled garlic bread)...and both were also satisfied. The Mediterranean Salads was a huge portion of fresh ingredients. It was very basic and you know what you get. The tagliatelle was tasty and well done, but if you a big man and graving for large lunch, you might leave with the half full stomach.<br />
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So if you are in NYC, The Smith is definitely a place to try. One tip though, the 'historical' East Village menu tend to have a few dollars cheaper menu, but to be honest the final bill at the Lincoln centre restaurant was not overpriced at all.<br />
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http://www.thesmithnyc.com/<br />
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Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-37778626146552722792012-11-29T08:00:00.000+02:002012-12-02T17:51:05.993+02:00Merci<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Merci is a concept store in Marais, Paris. You can find there the most adorable pullover or bed sheets, which you always wanted. If you find the prices too high, but you like to go around and see beautiful things anyway, you can finish your wondering in the store in their Bookstore Café. Take a cappuccino and the piece of cake and just enjoy. The atmosphere is greatest of all. Wooden floors, high bookshelves and very chic music. We love it! </div>
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<a href="http://www.merci-merci.com/">Merci Café & Tea Room</a></div>
Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-60370464477425893292012-11-28T11:01:00.003+02:002012-11-28T11:01:40.594+02:00Soppakeittiö, Hakaniemi Market Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you fancy a easy, but tasty lunch, head to the Hakaniemi Market hall in Helsinki. There you can find a small place called Soppakeittiö. They are offering everyday (except on Sundays) three different soups and everyday there is their classic: French seafood soup bouillabaisse. </div>
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Simple, tasty and good: highly recommended. </div>
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<a href="http://www.soppakeittio.fi/keittio.php">Soppakeittiö</a> (in Finnish only)Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-60003885899753092002012-09-27T09:58:00.000+03:002012-09-27T09:58:11.745+03:00Salutorget, dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Friday evening, a perfect time for a nice romantic dinner in an up market restaurant.<br />
Salutorget is located at the begining of Pohjois Esplanadi, kind of Helsinki's 'Champs Elysées.<br />
The place itself looks very good, settle in an old bank the classic building offers the restaurant an impressive reception room.<br />
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The menu stays affordable, but we are here in a place where you need to book ahead and where the service tries its best to reach some high standarts.<br />
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For the menu we went for a safe choice, the Chef's menu. As we assumed, with his own menu the chef has to show his best, this offer being as his offer to attract new comer.<br />
So here was the menu straight from the card:<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><strong>CHEF´S MENU</strong></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><strong>47,20</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><strong>Lobster soup with saffron cream</strong></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><strong>***</strong></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><b>Arctic Charr served with its crayfish risotto</b></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><strong>***</strong></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" valign="top"><strong>Caramel Crème Brülée with rhum marinated cranberries</strong></td></tr>
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<i>(Note the small spelling mistake on 'crème brûlée')</i></div>
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The menu was suggesting a <i>C'est la Vie! Muscat, Viognier </i>with this menu, advice that we followed.</div>
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The wine was served on front of you, with the waiter judgement for the quantity, not with a annoying deciliter used in so many places in Finland. This was a plus, but I felt a bit embarrassed to be served such a glass of wine for 8,70€...but this may explain why the waiters don't even propose you to taste the wine. Anyway the wine was decent, not a 'piquette'.</div>
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The lobster was served! And a small detail regarding the esthetic. We were expecting to see something a bit thicker and still on its surface. Instead we found a soup a small bit too liquid and foamy on its top, as if it was just mixed in our plate in a hurry. But it tasted really good, the lobster, the safran and the other spices were there, in a nice mix where not any flavor is too strong to cover the other. Chef, work on the presentation of your soup now.</div>
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The main dish then took time to be served. That is usually the opposite which happen in many places in Finland, where the dishes are served to quickly but this time it was maybe a bit too much waiting time.</div>
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Anyway the fish was served and...it was a true disappointment. The fish itself was a tiny bit too raw, and the crayfish risotto tasted exactly the same than the lobster soup!</div>
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It was good, but for the chef's menu not a positive surprise.</div>
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And finally the dessert. Honestly it was really good, but somehow the texture of the crème brûlée was a small bit too creamy and the top of the 'brûléé' was obviously missing either suger or time on the grill as the characteristic sound of the spoon breaking the crust of sugar did not happen.</div>
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Don't misunderstand us, Salutorget is a nice place, but we were definitely expecting something more impressive. Few other details also put this dinner on the down side, like seeing the waiters in the back poring the end of some bottle of wine in some other half empty bottle of the same, and the fact that waiter did not mind going for a smoke in the middle of your service and coming back serving you with a strong tobacco breath...it kind of kill apetite.</div>
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But dear reader, if you even exist, if you go to Salutorget pay a visit to the toilets, build in the former safe of the bank. Maybe some of the coolest toilets in Helsinki.</div>
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And totally another story is their Afternoon Tea, that rocks! The service at the bar, where The Afternoon Tea is served, is probably the best in the whole Helsinki. But that deserves it's own story. </div>
Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-34102788320163904412012-08-23T09:00:00.000+03:002012-08-23T13:24:33.622+03:00The Green Man, Grantchester<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fish & Chips, can I say more about the traditional British dining? Well, I guess all of us have had terrible dishes, which have been called by that name. I was lucky to have a great meal in the small local pub <a href="http://www.thegreenmangrantchester.co.uk/">The Green Man</a> near by Cambridge in Grantchester. </div>
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Our entourage had walked about one and an half hours on the fields and forest in the British rain. We were looking for a warm place to have a lunch. When we arrived to The Green Man, we were informed that the gas was out so the only dish they could offer as was the traditional fish and chips. That worked fine for us and all of us ordered the same meal. </div>
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I have to say that this meal was probably one of the best in UK. Haddock was good and fresh, not too oily and chunky chips were home made and well cooked. The cherry on the top of this meal was mashed peas, which was also fresh and tasty. </div>
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The portion was so big that some of us couldn't finish it. If you ever happen to go to Cambridge, I do recommend to take a walk (or a taxi) to Grantchester to visit <a href="http://www.thegreenmangrantchester.co.uk/">the pub</a> and <a href="http://www.orchard-grantchester.com/">Orchard Tea Garden</a> near by. </div>
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Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-64511180523571638802012-08-21T09:00:00.000+03:002012-08-21T21:32:55.753+03:00Kitch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Burger time!</div>
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Kitch is an easy kitchen place right in the centre of Helsinki, on Yrjönkatu, few yards away from Hotel Torni.<br />
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The owner seems quite friendly and the place is popular, especially for it's burgers (but the menu also offers a decent range of tapas, salads, pastas and soups among others). But is it worth it?<br />
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Set in a retro style the place is quite cosy, and has the privilege of its location. Almost in the centre but away enough from the main road to offer a small, quiet and sunny terrass!<br />
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What about the food? We have been there couple of times for the popular burgers, the Kitch one and the vegetarian one. And the verdict is: It's pretty good!<br />
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The Kitch burger is the basic meat burger with a slice of goat cheese instead of the usual cheddar, and it taste just great. The bun is also good, kind of homemade makes a bit crusty even if you have a juicy thick piece of meet just in there. The fries served with it are good but may not be home made (one more effort and you could get a Burger oscar here!).<br />
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The vegetarian burger is also tasty, the meat steak being replaced by a vegetarian one. The only issue here is maybe for vegetarian cheese lovers. You may be very jealous of your meat eater friends and their goat cheese slice. Perhaps the goat cheese could be proposed as an option here (and then maybe a second oscar to be given?).<br />
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Finally let's also talk about the wine list. The house has a short but interesting wine list which includes few organic European wines. I personally recommend their italian red organic, suits perfectly the Kitch burger.<br />
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To summarize, you may not eat the best burger ever in kitch, but you will have good food, in a nice place in the heart of Helsinki city centre for a very decent price.<br />
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Recommeneded!Mlle Unikkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07412384358316832478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-86320263317007819922012-08-20T08:30:00.000+03:002012-09-27T10:17:39.879+03:00Aux Petits Oignons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Vatsa Edellä likes to travel, even in boring countries like France ;)<br />
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Here is one of <a href="http://www.auxpetitsoignons.fr/">our secret place</a> in Paris. As the most people visiting Paris probably know how disappointing can be looking for a GOOD restaurant in this town fulfilled of disgusting tourist traps. So let's take the risk to make the place more crowded (if you plan to go there in evening time you may need to book ahead), but so far this blog isn't that successful.<br />
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The place is located in the 19th district, in the North East of Paris, nearby the Gambetta metro station. If you are planning visiting some art spaces or tourist hub like Père Lachaise, it might be your perfect lunch place.<br />
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The place is very cosy, looks at the same time a bit cliché (which means perfect for tourists) but has a very good atmosphere and is mostly frequented by locals.<br />
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The lunch goes in a usual Formula: Starter+main course or main course+dessert or starter+main course+dessert. Unless you are on a diet we of course recommend the last option. The menu is changing regularly, if not daily and is presented on black boards written with chalk, which add to the charm of the place.<br />
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This time our choice was:<br />
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Tartare de hareng (Herring tartar)<br />
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Bavette servie avec pommes de terre et salade (Flank steak with potatoes and salad)<br />
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Assiette vegetarienne (vegetarian plate)<br />
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Faisselle au miel (Quark with honey)<br />
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Tarte aux myrtilles (Blueberry pie)<br />
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The starter was indeed a good way to give you apetite. The only thing I would say is that if you come from Nordic Europe you may prefer go for another option as herring is already so popular in your own kitchen.<br />
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The Bavette, mythic French dish to quote Roland Barthes, is always good in this place. The meat in tender, very tasty and they cook it exactly as you ask it (of course the French man speaking, medium or well done may have a different sense to you). The side dish, potatoes and salad is basic but again so well cooked that if you want your bite of this piece of French culture, it's a great place to have it.<br />
The Vegetarian plate is...amazingly surprisingly delicious, and enormous in matter of quantity. A mix braised endives with potatoes purée, carrots purée and other broccolis and fresh green stuff. All the flavors of summer exploding in your mouth! (Note that the menu is seasonal and this visit is dated from July 2012).<br />
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After all that it might feel hard to still have room for a bite of sweat. Nevertheless, don't be shy and enjoy your dessert, even the simplest one may taste just perfect there. Their quark with honey can sound like what you can have home everyday, and it is true but only if you have the same crèmerie than them. The quality of the products is of the key of Aux Petits Oignons success!<br />
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To end this note just a word about the wine. Waiters will be very helpful to choose your wine, and even the cheapest house-wine in this friendly place will please you.<br />
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Enjoy your meal!<br />
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Vatsa edellähttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08457402177641726832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22735573.post-8627528730853754542012-08-19T18:00:00.000+03:002012-09-27T10:18:13.960+03:00Hải Phòng Street Kitchen @ Restaurant Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.restaurantday.org/">Restaurant Day</a> is a Finnish concept, which makes our city life a bit more lively. It's a wonderful way for people to meet randomly each others and a great opportunity for those who have been dreaming of having their own restaurant, to try to be a restaurant owner for a day. </div>
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This time we visited few places around our own neighbourhood and we want to say few words about a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/398758073516009/">Vietnamese street food place</a>, we found in Hermanni. </div>
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Held in a court yard of Hermanni this Vietnamese/Finnish Family had organized a small grill & spring rolls menu for their visitors. They had even built a small tent which was very welcome, because of the occasional rain.</div>
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The place was proposing homemade meet or vegetarians spring rolls and a barbeque pork meat cut in tiny slices. Important point is that, on top of being prepared by a real Vietanamese chef, the vegetable were also homegrown from their garden! </div>
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For 6 to 7,5€ your plate was filled of spring rolls and/or pork barbecue meet, with glass noodles and fresh salad and mint. The spring rolls were tasty, very well done, but actually the vegetarian version was even better. That might explain why the effort of 5 days of cooking was already almost sold out after 2 hours being open! The pork was also delicious, and with the spicy fish and cabbage sauce the plate was just perfect.</div>
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If only these people could open a lunch place next to my work place, I'd become their customer number one!</div>
<br />Mlle Unikkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07412384358316832478noreply@blogger.com0