Adventure
Helsinki – Finland
The weather is overcast and grey as we arrive in Helsinki, a complete change from the previous day in Turku. However, the forecast is looking hopeful, with perhaps a light shower around lunchtime. My research revealed that Helsinki is awash with top-quality food offerings, so it was quite a job to narrow it down to only two stops, as I only had a few hours before packing up and heading to the airport.
The drop-off point is on the main waterfront, very similar to Turku, about a 30-minute drive from the terminal. Not only that, but you are slap bang next to one of three main food halls, which just had to be my first port of call.
I recommend visiting Helsinki from June to August, although any time of the year is good to visit the city.
Month High / Low(°C) Rain
January -2° / -7° 10 days
February -2° / -7° 7 days
March 2° / -4° 7 days
April 7° / 1° 7 days
May 14° / 6° 6 days
June 19° / 11° 7 days
July 21° / 14° 7 days
August 20° / 13° 10 days
September 15° / 9° 9 days
October 9° / 4° 9 days
November 4° / 0° 11 days
December 1° / -4° 11 days
Caviar Caviar Caviar
This Helsinki market has been in business since the 11th century, and like Turku’s market, it is packed full of a variety of eat-in, takeaway, coffee shops, butchers, a reindeer stall, and, of course, lots and lots of smoked fish. However, what surprised me was the amount of Finnish Caviar for sale. I tried a couple for 10 euros a pop, and they were delicious. I chat to a few guests from the ship and wander about in my element. As in Turku, many locals patronise the numerous small cafes having a good time.
Like the Swedes, the Fins take their fish very seriously indeed. The massive array of salmon and trout on offer was staggering, including some wild salmon that looked so pale that it was almost like the colour of Huss or Dogfish, which I had never seen before. Every stall seemed to have found so many different ways of serving salmon: curing, smoking, cooking, chopping, sandwich toppings, filled or open, drying and even a gorgeous-looking creamy soup with chunks of potato and lots of fresh dill. Shellfish, mainly prawns, are hugely popular here in many forms. I noticed that the smoked prawns eaten here in large quantities, and the leftover shells must make a fabulous stock.
Next Stop Coffee
Leaving the market on the quay, I head into town for my first stop at Kaffa Roastery. Walking through deserted streets and small green areas, I wondered why it was so eerily quiet. The buildings get steadily more industrial, and we sort of make a curve and head back to the seafront, looking like the old harbour trading area. Kaffa is set in a basement/ground floor in one of the side buildings. It has a few yellow chairs outside, and a small window opens onto the street for takeaways. As you walk in, it’s a mish-mash of extraordinary art, food offerings, and casual seating. The few people here are either intently looking at their laptops or engrossed in a book or newspaper. It’s so peaceful. I order coffee and sit down. It duly arrives and is spot on. It’s well worth the walk if you ever come here.
Resetting Google Maps to take me to the restaurant for lunch, which is only 15 minutes away. It all starts so well, and I get within 3-4 minutes, my trusty friend tells me, but then I start going around in circles. I go here, I go there, in the underground, out the other side, across the large square lined with many food offerings. I restarted Google, but could I find the restaurant? No chance.
Fisken pa Disken
I nearly give up, but as I re-enter a shop above the underground station for the final time, the message ‘5th Floor’ pings up on my map. I show the restaurant on my phone to a very helpful chap at the information desk, who duly confirms, ‘Yes, on the fifth floor’. Thank the lord, but it never said it was in a shopping centre or mall, as the Americans say.
Fisken på Disken is a relaxed and quiet open-plan restaurant. The young staff are charming, knowledgeable, and friendly. I chose this place because the menu looked really interesting, plus it had my favourite oysters, octopus and a fish I haven’t eaten for years, Pike Perch or, as it’s known in the UK, Zander. I last cooked it for my Game Book many years ago.
Bread arrives with whipped butter and water. I ordered three plump oysters, Fine de Claire, a Spanish variety (I didn’t get the name) and an Irish one. They are served on crushed ice with a small pot of buttermilk sauce topped with fresh dill (yup) oil. The combination works well, and I will certainly pursue this idea (like Beluga lentils in Turku) when I return home. They were superb, like all the bi-valves I’ve consumed on my Baltic food trip.
Rentoutua - Finnish for relax, unwind, sit back or wind down.
Pike Perch
I ordered three The Pike Perch with wilted chard, crispy beets, and a mild seed mustard sauce. This is easily the best piece of fish I’ve eaten on this trip, and it was truly spectacular. Most of the time in the UK, river and lake fish taste muddy and old, including carp, some trout and even wild salmon. Not here, gosh! Cooked to perfection, it was a real treat. While we are on the subject, Arctic Char, another of my favourite freshwater fish, is superb in the Baltic countries. If you get a chance, try it. I didn’t have a dessert as I had to scoot back to the ship.
My old mate would say that all the food I have had in Sweden and Finland over the past week or so has been ‘top drawer’. But the winning meal for me must be the Oysters with Buttermilk, Dill oil, and Pike Perch; who’d have thought it? It just shows that you can have all the 5-star reviews, opulent surroundings, Michelin stars, awards, write-ups, etc., in the world. But spankingly fresh product carefully and intelligently cooked and simply served is everything and served in a shopping centre, brilliant!
