Helsinki

With so many things to do in Helsinki, it's easy to see why the Finish capital city is a popular European destination. Finland’s capital was founded in the 16th century, but the city you see today took shape in the 1800s. Since I was invited to the Biohacker Summit, I had an opportunity to visit Finland. Yes, it was my first time to visit Finland, so I planned a little bit for things to do in Helsinki. However, this visit was beyond expectations and filled with priceless experience. I wrote different blog articles on the summit and experience, so please check them out!

Well, I did nothing special as a tourist in Helsinki. lol. I spent two days on Biohacker Summit and went to Rautalampi for the offsite event, so my wife and I had the only chance to walk around in the city after the evening when no place for tourists was open. I was thinking about visiting Estonia by ferry from Helsinki for a day, but my plan was changed to a better way as you can read different blog posts. Helsinki was not only beautiful, but also we had great food, and the locals were lively and very friendly. So what do I write about Helsinki here? The answer is a gourmet report and night walk in Helsinki!

We wanted to explore it hand in hand and get the chance to walk, eat, and immerse in the cultural scene of the city. When it comes to travel to a different country, I love to do the same as local. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? We stayed at a lovely cozy apartment in Helsinki and walked everywhere from this place. Thanks, Konsta, for a fantastic experience!

DAY1

After a long day of Biohacker Summit, we had no plan for what we eat for dinner. Fortunately, we got an excellent advice from a local Finnish about traditional Finnish food buffet. It was a 45 minutes walk from where we stayed, so we had a good workout before the biggest meal of the day!

Konstan Möljä is a traditional Finnish restaurant with a maritime twist. The restaurant has been anchored at Hietalahdenkatu for almost 40 years - since 1981. Konstan Möljä offers traditional Finnish flavors and an unique maritime atmosphere by the old docks. The restaurant offers a plentiful dinner buffet with Finnish delicacies.

They were offering a pre-Christmas buffet. Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental style cooking. Fish and meat (usually pork, beef or reindeer) play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes in some parts of the country, while the dishes elsewhere have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. In addition to that, I felt similarity with American Thanksgiving. I had Turkey with cranberry-ish sauce (Maybe they used lingonberries). Sauteed reindeer with lingonberries was not gamy at all. My favorite was the appetizer bar. Traditional marinated herring smoked salmon, and traditional pickled vegetables were so tasty! Finnish style herring reminded me of Japanese miso-based horse mackerel tartar.

My wife was obsessed with karjalanpiirakka, which is traditional pastry from the region of Karelia. She works with some Finnish people and got advice for things to try in Finland. Eating a real karjalanpiirakka was one of her “to do in Finland“ list. Biohackers are very particular about diet and watch out gluten. When flour and rice are combined together, that would be big “No No“, but who cares. Let us dive into their culture and history! This Finnish pie is made from a rye dough and stuffed with rice porridge. Traditionally, it served with munavoi (egg butter) is really delicious. We found pieces of rye bread and karjalanpiirakka on the shelf above the appetizer bar, so we made Finnish style finger food appetizer on our plates. You know I was in heaven.

Day2

The largest shopping center in the Nordic countries opened in Helsinki, and Biohacker Summit’s official after-party took place at Biitsi, Mall of Tripla. This brand new facility is such a crazy place. Imagine an ecstatic beach party in 26 degrees, on the white sand, shorts, palm trees, ecstatic dance, yoga, DJs, sauna, ice plunges, and conscious people in the middle of winter in November when it is dark and cold outside! Both of us were tired from two days conference, so decided to have a light/convenient/local meal near the after-party venue, and of course, must enjoy “after-party on the beach“.

We found an organic grocery store in the mall and got local food from a “per kg“ salad bar. If you want to escape the sky-high Helsinki prices and enjoy a budget lunch or dinner, then look no further. Grocery stores are my favorite place to visit when I travel because I see the local’s culture and everyday diet there. Experiencing the culture of a country is not only about learning its history, touring the main sites, and witnessing colorful traditions.

Also, I accidentally find new food and even pick up souvenirs at groceries. I got over-serving salmon and organic greens, and my wife got karjalanpiirakka (She said this one was the best). A friend of ours told us that we must try “rahka, “which is Finland’s equivalent of quark, a kind of fermented dairy product that’s been a staple of the Finnish people’s diet for years. Often compared to thick Greek yogurt, rahka is typically characterized by a tangy, sour-cream-like flavor, while its thick and slightly grainy consistency is usually likened to fresh ricotta.

We were fully energized and enjoyed a fantastic after-party on the beach in the mall.

After a long train ride from Rautalampi, we were starving at central Helsinki station. One of the VIP participants introduced a good traditional Finnish food restaurant, so we visited the restaurant. The restaurant is called “Kolme Kruunua“. The food is delicious, and the service was excellent. When it comes to Scandinavian food, my highest experience is at IKEA, but after we had such a traditional Finnish food at this restaurant, my happiness level was off of the chart.

Well, I don't know Finnish food well enough to make a substantial review of how closely Kolme Kruunua's cuisine represents it, but the atmosphere of Finnish “Classic“ style and our waiter listened to our request flexibly. They offered us half portion for half price. What an excellent hospitality! I had been told by many people that I should try Finnish beer because the Scandinavian area had very high-quality water, and clean water makes the best beer. My wife ordered Olvi IPA, Iisalmi (Indian) Pale Ale, which was strongly flavored with hops. The brewery is from the city of Iisalmi (Finland). I ordered Original Lapland Lager. Original 1964 Lager is made in accordance with the recipe for the original Tornio gold medal beer. It is an all-malt, soft, and lightly crispy, filtered bottom-fermented beer rich in taste and flavor. Hey, we just came back from Lapland. These bottles were absolutely great beer.

A classic bistro-style restaurant that takes you back to the 1950s. Whiten tablecloths and menu, which consists of traditional dishes like fried herring with mashed potatoes as you can see how we started our dinner. We shared each half portion of herrings and salmon soup. The herrings were crispy and tasty. As soon as I had a spoon of the salmon soup, my body warmed up, and my fatigue from long morning hike and long train ride. You see so much potato, right? I recognized that potato is essential and the main staple for Finnish people. I mean it is the same as rice for Japanese people. Its soul food!

Sautéed Reindeer is perhaps the best known traditional meal from Lapland, especially in Finland. Reindeer meat has a rich gamey flavor, very similar to venison, and is very lean. It is sliced thinly, fried in fat, spiced with black and salt and pepper, and finally, some water, cream, or beer is added and cooked until tender. The dish is served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. Now I am very interested in different reindeer cuisine in different countries.

Venison sausages came with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Yes, potato again! This was the first time I had venison sausage. It was delicious, and the mustard sauce was perfect on venison meat. It wasn’t gamy at all. Did you enjoy a Japanese kid punishing wild meat and tons of potato with beer made of clean water? My wife said she would come back just for blueberry pie dessert.

I had no expectations about Finnish food before I touched down in Helsinki. I craved seafood, especially Salmon (Sorry, I knew only that). Honestly, we were lucky to find these wonderful traditional Finnish restaurants because it was hard to find Finnish restaurants except fancy price ones. The main downside to Finnish foods, in comparison to many other cuisines in the world, is that it’s not as accessible in the restaurants. We were told that if Finns want to eat local food, they’ll cook and eat it at home. If Finns go out to eat, they eat internationally. Plus, the prices of food in restaurants isn’t the most affordable of all the countries. Helsinki and other Finnish cities are now regarded by many as the next destination for anyone who’s become hooked on Nordic cuisine. Somehow, gastronomy in Finland has preserved its unique traditions better than others. I am in love!

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