I have to warn you – this week’s post is all about food! But let’s have some coffee first – maybe a latte to get the day going?
Just so you know – we still have snow! Even though some days have been frightfully cold because of the intense wind, everything is so much prettier when the ground is white.
Last Friday was a public holiday. The last one for a while. Hubby and I visited Uunisaari island for a wintery island experience and coffee.
We also spent the night at Hotel Lilla Roberts. If you are coming to Helsinki for a visit, I warmly recommend a stay at this hotel.
The staff is very attentive and professional. The building itself is worth the visit, it’s gorgeous. It used to be a police station in case you were wondering. The room was comfortable and very stylish too.
The breakfast is quite basic with quality ingredients. You will find some Finnish surprises there too – like the sea-buckthorn drink as you arrive, which will surely wake you up. In addition you can find traditional Finnish Karelian pies and salmiakki – if you’ve never tried these, they are a huge part of a Finn’s staple diet!
On Friday evening we braved the freezing temperatures and went to see the light festival – Lux Helsinki. I felt that last year’s festival was better but it was still pretty interesting.
We had dinner at Shelter – a restaurant in the Kanavanranta area. The food was great. But that alone doesn’t save a restaurant. The service was terribly slow – it just took too long to get the next course. We had opted for a surprise menu and we don’t have any food restrictions, so you would assume that it should’ve been an easy one for the kitchen. The restaurant wasn’t even full, so it’s not as if they were super busy either.
Now that I started ranting, I might as well say that I also didn’t like how they send the chefs to bring you the food. I have no idea why they do that, as they had quite many waiters walking about, whereas the chefs were in full swing in the kitchen. And how annoying it is sitting at the table with an empty glass for ages, unable to get the waiters attention as they walk past and avoid looking at you. Such a shame really, it’s a cool looking restaurant with tasty food but who would want to go again if the service isn’t top notch.
After dinner we tried the upstairs bar Rusty. They had quick service and good cocktails.
On Saturday we went to Putte’s Bar and Pizza. In my opinion they have Helsinki’s best pizza. Hubby’s Silence of the Lambs was so delicious, that I will have it next time – it has African spices to give it flare.
After the long weekend, the week has just flown by! I’ve managed to go aqua jogging and have met my Fitbit goals almost everyday. Our daughter was home for Sunday evening and made us soya bits in bbq sauce. Surprisingly good!
On Wednesday my colleagues and I had a morning meeting at El Fant. I had been wanting to visit the café for ages. I was a bit disappointed with the porridge but the place is lovely. It’s also great for a morning meeting as it’s a very peaceful café. It would also be a great setting for a glass of wine after work.
One new discovery this week has been the sushi burrito! I had my reservations, as I’d heard that they weren’t so good. But that information was totally wrong! Soma is very small, with just a few seats, so these burritos are great for take-away. Saying that, we ate in. Highly recommended, very fresh ingredients and great tastes!
This weekend should be fun, as we are having a 1920’s themed get-together for one of my colleagues on Saturday. I’ve had fun googling how to do a 1920’s hairstyle – wish me luck!
I’m sure you’re out of coffee by now – I still have time for another cup. Have you ever tried a sushi burrito? What’s your favourite pizza? How has your week been? Let me know in the comments below or take part with your own Weekend Coffee Share post on Diana’s blog and join the awesome weekendcoffeeshare-community.
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
no sushi for me, thanks… just traditional burritos (or a really good breakfast burrito).. or purritos (cats wrapped in blankets).
my fav pizza is pepperoni w/pineapple… with some fresh avocado on the side.
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Hmmm I’ve heard of breakfast burritos but never tried them. The idea of a burrito for breakfast seems quite heavy as I’m used to yoghurt and granola LOL! Ooh pepperoni and pineapple, give me some 😋
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I love a good heavt breakfast. A good breakfast burrito can tide you over for the whole day.
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Enjoyed the visit to Helsinki and reading about the delicious food.
We still have snow ❄ on the ground which is unusual.
Think Positive!
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Have a great week Betty Louise, snow makes everything prettier! Thank you for reading ❤️
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Thanks for sharing, Suvi! Completely agree with you on El Fant – I read many good reviews and had lots of expectations, but the food and coffee were kind of ok-ish, and the only thing I liked is how peaceful it was there. I like Soma, although I never manage to eat the whole burrito, and have to ask my hubby to help 🙂 I haven’t been to Shelter, but I can’t agree more on how much service affects overall experience. I could add Bar Con to the list of such places. It’s part of Kortteli in Kamppi. The food was quite ok, the best part was croquette tapas. But the service killed the place for us. Upon arrival there is a sign “Please wait”. Three waiters were passing by trying to avoid the eye contact with us. Then we asked the bartender what’s the policy, and he pointed to us free tables. By then there was already a line behind us, but none of the waiters seem to care. After we got a table things got a bit better, but the first part completely smashed the impression. Well, you don’t know until you try 🙂 Have a nice week!
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Oh my what a terrible experience at Bar Con! We on the other hand had a great experience there with the service, seems like it depends on the evening. Finnish restaurants should really try to make their service consistently good, this really affects your will to go back. Finnish waiters are very good at avoiding eye contact 😬😬 Thanks for sharing your experiences ❤️
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What a event-filled week you’ve had!
I love your pic of snow – we had 45 minutes of a light snow flurry a couple of days ago in London and we got so excited! I can only imagine the thrill and beauty of having a blanket of snow to enjoy!
That horse-lamp in the Hotel Lilia Roberts lobby is so quirky and fun! And that room is rather fabulous!
I’ve never heard of or had sushi burrito – what a fun fusion!
Thank you for sharing your week … Hope it’s another great one ahead!
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So lovely how you describe the snowfall in London! It really does make things prettier all around. We still don’t have enough for skiing thought 😢 Wishing you a fabulous week! xx
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I’ve heard that the ski slopes are sparse this season! Hope you get enough soon! Enjoy your week!
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Actually, I’m referring to cross country skiing as I’m not a fan of downhill. But nevertheless thank you for your snow wishes, still waiting ❄️
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that image of the snowy shore and sea (?) is just so beautiful ♥
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Thank you Alexandra! I wanted to capture the sea steaming but it wasn’t cold enough for it to show in the photos..
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Delicious! Loved every bite! Lux Helsinki caught my eye. It seems to be an international phenomenon. My hometown started Light City Baltimore last winter. It was incredible seeing so many people downtown at night (quite unusual) and having a wonderful time. The light installations were so creative. Looking forward to this year’s event.
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Wow, cool to hear of these light festivals being held all over the world! We need things like this to bear the long winter 💓💓
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Very interesting food week. I think you eat outside in a month more than me in my whole life :-).
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Hehehe, I do eat out a lot but these days even more as my office is near so many good restaurants! And we don’t have a canteen. I’m also very lazy with bringing food from home to work.
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I like the blueberry porridge at El Fant. I have been to a couple of restaurants in Helsinki where the chefs bring the food out and tell you about it. It is a pretentious trend. I hope it goes away soon.
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Ha, so glad to find another one who doesn’t like this trend of the chefs bringing the food!!! 😀 The waiters should know what’s in the dishes if one must explain the contents to the customer. I remember seeing the El Fant porridge on your blog Debra!
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I know where the Lilia Roberts hotel is but wasn’t aware it was a former police station – it looks lovely and cosy and is in such a central position. Having to wait ages between courses is really annoying, it’s good to have a little time to chat and digest the food but long waits are irritating. We’ve woken to a light covering of snow and it’s sunny so I’m hoping it won’t melt too soon! Enjoy your weekend Suvi, Marion x
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Ooh sounds lovely with the light cover of snow! I just wish we’d get more, so I could actually go skiing. I haven’t been all winter. Lilla Roberts has a fabulous cocktail bar too, a good reason to visit 😀
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That sounds like my sort of week, with lots of food! Is that purple porridge? A shame about the slow service in the restaurant, it spoils the whole experience, even if the food is fabulous. It looks very cold where you are! Will the snow be permanent now, for the feet of the winter?
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Oh yes the purple stuff is porridge, it’s a kind of cold porridge which has set during the night. It’s very fashionable here now. Unfortunately you never know here in the South if the snow will stay or melt. I hope it stays and we get more so I could finally go skiing 😎
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