A few weeks ago I visited Café Bastvik for brunch with a girlfriend. The café is located in Saunalahti in the city of Espoo.
Café Bastvik is a beautiful old manor worth visiting even from far. It is the oldest estate in Saunalahti, possibly dating from the early 1800s.
The manor house itself was built later, in 1920.
Brunch is served every first whole weekend of the month. The brunch is very popular, so without a table reservation you won’t have a chance!
The decor goes well with the feel of the manor – nothing too modern here thank goodness!
These old tile stoves like the white one below are lovely.
You might be lucky and get a table by the window.
The main table was laden with brunch goodies.
Cheese..
Cold cuts, fish..
Salads..
Delicious desserts..
A special mention must be given to the barley porridge which I had with apple compote – I’m always excited when I get to eat barley porridge!
Even though the serving was quite crowded, the atmosphere was very calm and classy.
We chatted and ate till the table was cleared and a cake buffet was laid out.
You won’t need a table reservation for coffee and cake – just check Bastvik’s website for the time the brunch ends. The cakes looked heavenly but as you can imagine, we couldn’t have managed a bite.
Now you might be interested to hear that this gorgeous manor was almost lost. It sat empty, habited by birds and mice for 25 years.
Luckily in 2005 Kati Winterhalter ja Mikko Bonsdorff, both architects and professionals at renovating old houses, rented the manor to serve as their home. The rental agreement underlined that they must keep a café in return.
The manor was in quite a state as it took them three years to renovate it!
In May sheep will graze on these grounds.
My friend and I decided we would return soon. Perhaps first for a walk around the area and then possibly for some of that cake!
Have you ever been to Café Bastvik? Did you have the brunch or a piece of cake?
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The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
My mouth is watering looking at that lovely buffet lunch, and in such beautiful surroundings.
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Thank you! I hope to visit them again this year. It’s such a wonderful setting for brunch and will look fantastic in spring and summer!
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That lunch at Cafe Bastvik looks delicious. No surprise bookings need to be taken for the main meal. A very big spread with a lot of variety and that charming, quaint, olden feel looks very cozy. Love that cheese platter. I am a huge fan of cheese and I will probably have tried all of them cheeses 😀 It is very nice of the place to have a cake platter and that you don’t need a booking for it. So, so, kind and I hope you enjoyed the cakes and they tasted great 🙂
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I love cheese too – I couldn’t live without it!
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So beautiful & magical! The snow makes everything look so mysterious!
And that is one good looking brunch!
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Thanks, I love brunches! But one tends to eat too much, so I can’t have brunch too often 😛
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Just lovely! I can almost feel the atmosphere just from your photos. That’s an absolute must-do for me as I have a love of manor houses 🙂
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Lovely to hear, I hope you get a chance to visit. It’s in such lovely surroundings too, I can’t wait to see it in summer.
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I hope you’ll post some pictures if you get there in the summer 🙂
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I definitely will. I must make a point of going there.
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I love these little gems in Finland!
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Oh yes, you must visit one of these days! ❤
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I know so little about Helsinki (let alone Espoo) and you’ve given me so many ideas for our holidays there. x
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Great to hear! 🙂
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Wonderful!
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Thanks Debra – if you ever happen to be in Finland on the first weekend of the month, then I do recommend you book a table here 🙂
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