I'm spending a whopping 19 hours in Helsinki tomorrow and on Friday so will try to check out the current crayfish and summer restaurant scene. ;)

Only private dining this time, but will update on late summer options in the next few days. Thursday´s night snack included juniper marinated whitefish, mustard and dill herring, new potatos and greek and zucchini & pea salads. Alsatian Riesling and Stolichnaja Vodka to accompany. Friday lunch was a trad salmon and whitefish soup, black bread and a glass of milk. :)

Sadly the seafood bar at the airport looks like a goner. :td:

Will probably write about the summer restaurants and crayfish during the weekend. For now just a OT post on the Japanese hit movie "Kamome Shokudo" ( The Seagull Eatery ) ( http://www.kamome-movie.com/english.html ) set in southern Helsinki. It´s a story of a middle aged Japanese lady opening a Nihon "shokudo" in Helsinki and her struggles and discoveries while trying to survive in a foreign environment.

The movie takes place in the premises of an actual restaurant, the Kahvila Suomi ( Cafe Finland ). It´s a basic but good lunch place for everyone near the massive shipyards, so you´ll be sharing tables with both blue collar workers and Japanese cinephile travellers.

Kahvila Suomi
Pursimiehenkatu 12, 00150 Helsinki
Tel (09) 657 422

Open mon—fri 7:00—18:00

We are in the midst of the 2006 crayfish season in all of Scandinavia ( and in China as I have had the pleasure to experience ;) ) and those little creatures of the sea will be in the spotlight for another month to come.

But remember, price wise they are near the foie gras and caviar league. One crayfish would be around four euros at the fishmonger and double that or more in Helsinki restaurants. So if you have ten crayfish as a starter, the bill per head will be closer to 100 euros from those alone. Add an entree and dessert plus wine and the total might be at 200 euros per head.

Ok, on to the summer venues for crayfish parties and nice al fresco dinners until mid September.

The Elegant:

NJK
Valkosaari, 00140 Helsinki
Tel (09) 639 261 Fax (09) 692 5010

This island yacht club restaurant is as old money as it gets in Helsinki. No surprises on the menu but French inspired Finnish haute cuisine from local ingredients. Wine list is predominantly French but Australian and Kiwi availability is also fairly good.

Kulosaaren Casino
Hopeasalmenpolku 1, 00570 Helsinki
Tel (09) 687 7060 Fax (09) 680 393 99

A traditional venue on the prosperous residential island of Kulosaari in the eastern suburbs. The menu is a little more varied although similar to NJK and as an additional plus you can take a cab instead of a boat back to your residence for the night. ;)

The Romantic:

Both of these restaurants are part of the Suomenlinna historical sea fortress.

Sarkanlinna
Sarkansaari, 00130 Helsinki
Tel (09) 1345 6756 Fax (09) 1345 6757

Very romantic historical setting and an ambitious fine dining menu. Fairly good French wines and Bollinger to accompany and strong on dessert wines as well. Unfortunately there is no hotel on the island so guests have to return to the mainland at some point...

Walhalla
Suomenlinna A10, 00190 Helsinki
Tel / Fax (09) 668 552

The menu is a mixture of Finnish classics and mediterranean fare while the wine list is bit more more modest than at other similar establishments in Helsinki. But for location and atmosphere this place is almost unbeatable. There is also a cheaper Pizzeria in the same fortress yard with their signature Russian influenced dishes.

The Youthful:

Boathouse HSS
Liuskasaari, 00140 Helsinki
Tel (09) 622 7 1070 Fax (09) 6227 1075

Another traditional yacht club bastion that has embraced new influences lately. Both Asian and mediterranean touches are clearly visible in the modern menu. The wine list also reflects this with grapes from around the world. Btw, this restaurant is barely a stone´s throw away from Saari, a next door yacht club based eatery.

Cafe Carusel
Merisatamaranta 10
00150 Helsinki
Tel (09) 622 4522 Fax (09) 622 5101

Not an island restaurant nor affiliated with a yacht club but next to one and with much of the same clientele. This is a modern and airy cafe and restaurant with a largish terrace for long summer nights. One wouldn´t come here just for the food but more for the buzz and people watching.

How big are these "crayfish"? The crayfish we have here in Florida are small things - like small shrimp - maybe 2 inches long - head to tail - and you need to eat about 30 of them to make for a decent meal. I presume you're talking about a sea creature that's slightly larger :) . Robyn

The Scandinavian crayfish are caught in rivers and lakes and would normally measure about 10-12cm ( 4-5 inches ).

Preparing them trad style involves boiling the crayfish with a lot of dill, some 40g/litre of (sea) salt and a little sugar. Afterwards the creatures are left to cool but the dill should be removed from the pan. Wait for up to 12 hours, garnish again with dill and serve as an appetizer with toast and butter.

The purpose of the crayfish experience is not to eat a "decent meal" (I think you get more calories from toast and dill than from the actual crab meat), but to drink large quantities of chilled vodka. ;)

These are my best experiences this year:
Sasso: modern Italian
Demo: easy feeling, owned by the two chefs and maitre'd.
Chez Dominique: one of the best in Northern Europe, two michelin stars, is moving to larger location this fall
Savoy: top business class

Ok, then, do you know of any place where you'd recommend the food (or at least not have a poor opinion of the food!) that's open past midnight on a Monday night, preferably with something either vegetarian (dairy/eggs ok) or seafood on the menu? (Several of the places you mentioned are open that late other nights, but seem to close by midnight on Monday.)

There's a good chance I won't make anything other than the last flight from LHR next Monday, in which case depending on what they serve me in economy on the flight, I may want to eat at HEL once I land (but what concessions at the airport would be open past my 11 pm arrival?) or in Helsinki after I get to my hotel (Scandic Simonkentta) which will presumably be past midnight. (This will be my first visit to Helsinki. I had planned on arriving earlier in the evening, but with LHR being what it is right now, I don't have high hopes of making my original connection.)

If I may chime in, Manala ( Pizza, Grill, some veg stuff ) mentioned in an earlier post by ORD Finn and Storyville ( Southern style American ) offer decent food until 3 am on Mondays. Both places are in a central location close to the main railway station. Manala has a younger crowd and a take away option while Storyville is a Jazz themed haunt frequented by politicians and middle aged business people.

There are two very large congresses (EU and ASEM) this week in Helsinki. Hopefully you can get a table.

Had a quick 24 hours in Helsinki Wed afternoon - Thu afternoon with my boss. Thu lunch at a packed Salve was a rather soggy salad buffet and excellent fried herring & mash for him and mushy pea soup and hearty Pytt I Panna ( http://www.recipezaar.com/137943 ) for myself.

We skipped the pancakes with jam included in the lunch price in favour of the Finnair shorthaul biz menu a few hours later, but still felt stuffed on the plane. Burp.

Portions are still as big as in the 1920's when the place was founded and the atmosphere down to earth, fitting the seamen's haunt image. Downsides included the poor quality of the salads and the absence of knackebrod ( Scandinavian crisp bread ) from the bread selection.

Jaskan Grilli
 

And directly opposite Manala is something even more Finnish: Jaskan Grilli. :-: :D :-:

It's a hamburger stand. And it's famous. There are queues in front of it on weekend nights, all night. People come from suburbs and satellite towns just to savor Jaska's uniquely Finnish take on night time eats. You haven't experienced real Finnish food until have sampled Jaskan Special, porilainen or teekkarin erikoinen.

Nobody should leave Finland without visiting Jaska or another of these small independent hamburger stands. They have always been an original part of Finnish food culture and the food they serve is surprisingly tasty and always filling.

Some photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/bertran...in/set-223318/ not mine.

Yeah, people come to the city to get drunk, and then they queue at the overpriced grills to get greasy junk food and fight. :rolleyes: This is the one part of Finnish culture I always advise visitors to HEL to avoid, at least at night -- there's a very real chance of getting beaten up if you look at somebody the wrong way or have the wrong skin color.

And to add insult to injury, the false Jaskan Grilli at Museokatu is an impostor: the original is in Tapanila, way out in the 'burbs.

I do think there is one acceptable place in the premises of the old longhaul bus station downhill from the Scandic Simonkentta. Their burgers are quite exceptional and actually use quality ingredients.