Musiikkitalo

Art Design Music, Helsinki, Music, Restaurants + Cafes
Shadows of the light sculpture inside the Musiikkitalo

Shadows of the light sculpture inside the Musikki Talo

Musiikkitalo (literally: music building or music house) is one of my favorite places in Helsinki. Not only does it have a wonderful, innovative, and ambitious calendar of events, it has wonderful leadership. Recently I had the opportunity to hear the director Katja Leppäkoski speak and she talked about how they were seeking to make the Musiikkitalo inclusive and open to many sorts of people and interests. I love that it is open to everyone, with free wifi and more generous hours than most Helsinki cafes. It is a beautiful space in which to work. Many of the performances also have discounted tickets for students and people without work (about EUR 7.50– cheaper than a trip to the cinema). And the acoustics, even behind the orchestra, are magnificent; they were designed by Yasuhisa Toyota.

They also get amazing artists in, like Julia Lezhneva who is performing this coming Sunday. I would go if I could! Worth a try, even if baroque isn’t your thing. And if you’re not broke– these tickets are pricier.

Kale and Korean Mint

Home Eats, Where to find...?

Kale and Korean Mint

Served with pan-friend salmon stakes. Kale, tomatoes, beautiful Korean mint, amaranth (quinoa might have been better), lime, salt, macadamia nut oil. This is Lacinato or Tuscan Kale, a bit harder to find in Helsinki. I found this at Citymarket Ruohonlahti. In the summer, one can find this kale, called mustakaali (literally, Black Cabbage) from Anton and Anton shops. Interestingly, in England this sort of kale is also sometimes known as Black Cabbage. In the United States, I have heard people call it Dino Kale. It is softer that standard kale and lends itself easily to raw salads when massaged with a bit of oil and salt. The salmon I served with it was seasoned primarily with sumac and paprika. It was very fast to make!

The korean mint came from Stockmann’s. It was from Mimis . Mimis salads and greens are expensive, but they are so fresh and spectacular. You can also find them at S-Market Bulevardi, and I think the prices are maybe a tiny bit better there, but the selection is also more limited.

Organic Finnish goat quark (rahka)

Helsinki, Home Eats, Organic + Local, Where to find...?

Recently I chanced upon some kutun rahka or the Finnish version of quark made with goat milk, on sale. It was from a lovely Finnish creamery, dairy and cheesmaker Saloniemi (Saloniemen Juustola).

Local, organic Finnish goat quark

Local, organic Finnish goat quark

The prices for their products are high, but so is the quality. If my budget allowed, I would likely be a regular consumer. This was DELICIOUS. If you are a fan of chevre, it had a similar light goat-y taste, and it is full of protein. It mixed well with pesto, eaten on those amazing, sweet Finnish carrots.

Finnish carrots dipped in goat quark and organic pesto.

Finnish carrots dipped in goat quark and organic pesto.

It would also have been fantastic with fresh fruit or fruit preserves. For example, fig jam or fresh strawberries. Anything that would work with chevre would also work here. Yum.

Their products are available at most larger super markets (K-supermarkets, S-markets) and many specialist grocers like Ruohonjuuri and Anton & Anton. I also want to consider using rahka instead of quark in English; I think it sounds more inviting. “Quark” reminds me too much of quorn, the fake engineered meat pioneered in the U.K.

The Finnish fashion for foodtrucks

Helsinki, Restaurants + Cafes

My most magical food truck experience happened in Los Angeles c. Spring 2003. Two friends and I were spoiled by all-you-can-eat fresh, Californian college food plans that appeared magically as part of our exorbitant tuition. We barely remembered how to feed ourselves, cook, or use cash to buy food. It was only because of impending war that we were in town out of term time to protest the impending war. It was rainy and cold– at least from our perspective. We were hungry and broke, and in the middle of nowhere LA in the wake of the protest march. A taco truck appeared out of the mist. I remember it zooming to a halt right in front of us, like a knight on a rearing white stead come to save us. We had to be able to speak Spanish to get our fish tacos, which were delicious and cheap.

Fast forward to Helsinki c. 2014. Suddenly, street food and food trucks have become a must-have for aspiring hipster cities. I can’t help but feel this is a bit derivative of and yet a strangely establishment version of, i.e., the PDX food truck trend, missing the shoestring origins of ye olde moveable restaurant enterprise. . . you know what I mean?

Maybe this is just another artisanal toast phenomenon.

Anyway, I went to the event, fought through crowds to meet my friend, was groped by a late middle aged/old well-dressed Finnish man in the midst of the crush, which was worse than New Year’s Eve at Senate Square, waited in line a looooong time for a beef sandwich from the Street Gastro food truck… which WAS GREAT. At 5 EUR, also a wonderful price. But… Come on! Oh well.

That being said, I am a big fan of Ravintola Päivää.

Best of Ravintola Päivää February 2014

A transcendent lamb “Vorshmack Burger” with fish roe from Tehtaankadun Marsalkka during February 2014 Restaurant Day. This was amazing. And unique. This beauty was lowered down by rope to the street level. I had to go back to get my man a second one– they were that good. The talented kids behind it are definitely ones to watch.