I started reading this thread for nostalgic reasons and became engrossed. I spent 4 years in the early 80's commuting between Australia, Helsinki and Stuttgart on business and have very happy memories of my Helsinki times. Now, regarding this thread....
1/ I have no knowledge as to current restaurants but I must say that in the 80's the lunch buffet at the Helvetia was the best (at the time) I had ever eaten. I hope the hotel is still maintaining it's standards as it would be my reflexive choice as where I would stay when I return.
2/ An earlier poster sang the praises of a fried sausage & a beer after a sauna. I endorse this heartily, especially if it is at the museum/memorial to the 3 classic architects a few miles outside Helsinki. I was lucky enough to be taken there one night for a sauna and I will never forget how good the sausage (& beer) tasted and how my life flashed before my eyes as I jumped into the hole in the ice in the frozen lake.
3/ A little off thread, but in those days, the big hotels had night clubs (we would have called them dinner dances) and us visiting firemen were encouraged to ask the local ladies to dance (etc - grins). There was a lot of talk along the lines of - we live on bread & cheese for 6 days but on the 7th we get smashed. I presume that in this politically correct age this has changed.
4/ And finally, Stockmanns was (and hopefully still is) one of the finest department stores I've ever shopped in. They had a wonderful English language bookshop that had books in paperback that we (in Australia) had not had in hardcover.
I hope I get back to see Helsinki again real soon.
Thanks for the thread
Dave