neighborhood recommendation #23: bar.

ok, here's the news: i have finally found my bar.

when i moved to helsinki, my drinking dive of choice was slowly being strangled out of business. although the rumors were around, erottaja bar still closed abruptly and many of us felt stranded and without a base.

the worst thing still: nothing appeared to replace it. sure, we hung out at bars and met friends at various places. but nothing felt like home. none of them was quite right.

since i moved, i was aware of vaasankatu, a street of dread and debauchery. with its girl bars, massage salons, sex shops, etc. it had a reputation. i have a fairly low tolerance for the grimier things in life – i've talked about gentrification here before – but also firmly dislike nimbyism in both its elitist form and as a means of romanticizing slumming it. since i have actually lived in the bronx, it takes more than a few sex shops, winos or meth heads to unsettle me.

moreover, i did not realize the street was located so incredibly near my new apartment. and there it was: molotow.

it is a bar with comfortable collection of haphazard recycled furniture, oddities and the perfect soundtrack of new wave and britpop. beer is 3.80€, always, but they also offer an impressive selection of small brewery brews – in case you wanna splurge. the clientele is as eclectic as the interior, no attitude, no sneering, just a cosy place to sit down and have a drink or two.

neighborhood recommendation #22: lowkey eats.

with the new neighborhood come new recommendations. although my new hood was not a primary choice of location for me, but somehow just happened, i've tried to familiarize myself with its potential. so far, it's looking good.

it seems that wherever i go, some restaurants follow. first, there is tori – a recommendation i talked about here before – that opened a new establishment at the same time i packed my moving boxes. 

their new place serves pretty much the same menu as their punavuori location with the exciting bonus of being able to serve alcohol. while alppitori isn't a bar, i myself do enjoy a mimosa with my brunch or a beer with my burger. most of the fare is simple home cooking, real and honest food that leaves you satisfied.

fried baltic herring, beets and potato mash with sour cream. perfection.

my favorite is their veggie burger with avocado. there has to be something special there because my carnivore friends also prefer it to the meaty version. although they have the unfortunate habit of serving raw avocados (in small slices, thankfully) rather than informing you that there aren't any ripe ones available – happened to me at both their restaurants and several times –, the burger itself is a small wonder when the ingredients are as they should be. i've just acquired the habit of asking if the avocados are alright, and been able to avoid the situation since. sometimes i girl has to make a bit of an effort...

veggie burger.

the place has become a regular lunch joint for me on days that i work from home. they welcome dogs, too, which makes it even better. 

new horizons.

my morning view has changed.

not only did i let go of a life once so stabile and precious, i had to abandon the neighborhood i so dearly loved.

had to? well, no. not exactly.

i was offered a rope and i jumped: my sister's other apartment was free and she suggested i take it. a natural leap towards something familiar in a novel environment.

it's a view of lush green with fall foliage just creeping in, open skies and a landmark that seems almost like a beacon to guide me towards the new.

i guess this means my neighborhood recommendations also need a new chapter. ok then.

heaven.

a few weeks ago i got a sneak preview of forthcoming firmament when i visited the construction site of kluuvi shopping centre. a murky, stuffy and dark labyrinth of a mall was to be redone completely, and already while under renovation it looked brighter and more fresh.

cables, concrete and tile.

heads will roll.

i haz a helmet! wearing makia. (and a safety vest.)

last thursday i got to experience it fully. it was lighter and brighter definitely, but the celestial bliss waited in the depths of the basement...

tradition meets urban.

butchers who know their business.

genelec for soothing sounds.

milky.

"the right to clean food."

eat & joy farmers' market opened a large store downstairs the entirely renovated downtown shopping mall. shelves filled with local and seasonal produce, their own cheese maturing facility, a bakery, a smokery, butchers, grain mills and a potato cellar where genelec speakers play ambient music to the pleasure of the veggies and roots – talk about some rutabaga boogie...

the first night and the weekend were filled with people just browsing and lingering, tasting and, at times, complaining about the prices... as could be expected with finns who are used to eating distantly grown food cheaply and thinking that they are being ripped off because they have a hard time understanding how relatively high prices are formed in an environment where the weather is everything but suitable for human inhabitation let alone farming and where two corporations monopolize the food industry. (whoa, was that a sentence?) constraints come in forms that bind the mind sometimes.

needless to point out, this is no whole foods. we're still up north and awkwardly situated and it just does not make sense to have a selection of tropical fruit and other whatnot on offer year round. if ever, that is.

as far as trying to take the prices down, i have to side with thinking that we should learn to pay for what we choose to eat according to the real toll it is taking on our entire (eco)system although i feel uneasy with the elitism the thought might provoke. i actually believe that a healthier food chain can and should provide us with more affordable food, but it may just change our eating patterns drastically.

and if i understood correctly from my chat with the owner of the store, they are not single-mindedly promising to cut prices with more demand, but intend to grow the portion going to the producer – supporting healthily profitable agriculture and artisan food production.

swallowing that will be hard for those who believe in simplified interpretations of economics... but yeah, such is life.

the market also serves food and today i had my first lunch. a welcome addition to the neighborhood, it seemed some sort of normalcy arrived with monday.

in regard to nourishment, this fall has promise. such promise.

mi chiamo putte.

ever since i moved to helsinki, i have been looking for my pizzeria.

i love pizza and have been pretty preoccupied with the fact that i did not have a regular destination. my faves in my old hometown were trattoria romana – where i actually had my own pizza put on the menu – and sergio's with their authentic short italian service. now they've even got tintå with some pretty exclusive flavors that almost compensate for the unfortunate, slow and the most inattentive service i have ever experienced.

sure there are places in helsinki to get a flatbread with stuffing that resemble the italian leftover dish that took over the world. some are better than others. some serve the purpose of gratifying my need, but there just wasn't a place i'd call home.

that is, i did not have a spot to go to when a craving for a quality interpretation of my favorite food struck like a lightning.

no more.

the restaurant visionary behind hel yes and lapin kulta solar kitchen concepts, two excellent restaurants kuurna and ateljé finne, and a fountain of ideas for years to come, antto melasniemi, put together a casual pizza joint called putte's bar and pizza.

a short menu of a handful of pizzas, salads and cocktails can be ordered from the bar and are served in a minimalist, urban environment.

a short quiet moment shows the sleek interior.

putte di mare.

funghi.

there's also a downstairs.

i killed the flower. clumsy girl.

and the most important point? yes, delicious.

neighborhood recommendation #21: grocery store.

it's hard to explain the deprivation one feels when thinking about the situation with local grocery stores in helsinki. after living in nyc and london, it feels even more desperate: a mere thought towards trader joe's and whole foods, and i feel like weeping.

there are a few – anton & anton, juuren puoti, eat&joy farmers' market and even my local little store, kaartin kotikauppa – that show the example of serving the neighborhood with quality, mostly organic fare with a heart.

i love the fact that the people whom i deal with daily recognize me, as i do them, and know what i like. although i am not one of those people who start a discussion with strangers, familiar friendliness comforts me. my heavy lids get a boost in the mornings from the sunny greeting and chatter from the guy behind the counter at sis.deli, and the classical music and attentive but informal service at kaartin kotikauppa win me over every time.

it's the sort of hybrid of anonymity and familiarity that entails what urban life at its best is all about. having your own neighborhood, your routines, people you share them with and thousands of others who walk by utterly unaware of who and what you're about.

about two weeks ago a very welcome newcomer opened a few blocks away. called aitokauppa ("real store"), it is a local attempt to provide everyone with fresh locavore food and serve the neighborhood with the sort of genuine interest that is rare but, oh, so treasured.

because we are not located in a transport hub such as new york nor in an area where year-round crops are possible, eating sustainably changes drastically how we plan and shop for food. aitokauppa's shelves are filled with dry goods and seasonal fresh products – gone are the days of just browsing a cookbook for inspiration and selecting whatever suits one's mood.

i, for one, welcome the new way of planning my daily menu. inspiration that builds from living in the moment is truly food for thought.

monday doc.

a great little piece of film about flow festival history and present by nokia. for english subtitles, click to youtube and press cc.

there's a short duck hat presence at around 4.30 mins from the beginning...

soft darkness.

last week i briefly visited the opening of ida pimenoff's exhibition at photographic gallery hippolyte.

each work is from the series and her first monograph, a shadow at the edge of every moment of the day, the title of which so readily and accurately embraces what you see. soft darkness, shadows filled with warmth.

the defense – and proof – that the edges of life as we tend to conceive it are not harsh or cold.

untitled, 2011.

the door, 2010.

two windows, 2010.

neighborhood recommendation #20: nibbly chic.

for someone like myself who enjoys great food, but is terrible with arranging their daily schedule to accommodate regular eating – not to even speak about exercise or other hobbies – the variety of nearby restaurants is a crucial part of survival. with my hectic days, the time i can allocate for cooking seems to be evaporating and frequently i notice that an entire day has passed without a single morsel of nourishment passing my lips.

for days when i've had lunch and feel slightly overwhelmed, a tapas bar is a great option for dinner. a small selection of plates provides enough variety and even better if the fare is fresh, organic and local.

ever since restaurant juuri (root) opened i have adored their little "sapas", and their boutique of a grocery store is a destination for tranquil days of cooking bliss. the fact that the restaurant is rather pricey, small and usually full, it unfortunately isn't a place where i'd just pop in for a quick little meal.

a couple of months ago a corner space in the same block just off the design museum was transformed. the basement bar that was first known as bob's which later evolved into the cleverly catchy ob's after ownership change by just scraping the unnecessary b off the windows – how genius is that, huh? – had been hosting local winos for years.

juuri took over and turned the below-street-level space into a cosy wine bar. they named it latva, as in "top of the tree", and serve the sapas familiar from and similar to their original venue.

view from below.

quality organic and biodynamic wines and local brewery products make sure you do not have to stay thirsty. moreover and not meant as critique, the pricing guarantees you enjoy just a couple, carefully selected glasses.

limited edition wines... i heard that this barolo is quite exquisite.

each sapas costs 3,90€ which feels very decent regardless of their minuscule size – the ingredients are local and they're delicious.

our selection.

parsnip chips and spruce shoot gelee.

perch wallenberg and dill sour cream.

perfect for dates or just hanging our when something a little more chic is needed. i already look forward to winter, a glass of beautiful red wine, cheese and conversations with friends.

summer city java.

next to my house is a handsome landmark, a cathedral of impressive proportions. it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city regardless of the season: it turns from a glistening fairy castle in mid-winter to the majestic double towers surrounded by grand trees in the summer. 

 

although i've only been inside once, i greet the sanctuary every morning on walks i take with my dog in the park surrounding it. the grey-haired gentleman hobo, who lives on the steps of the side entrance, is often in the process of grooming himself in the mirrors of parked cars before leaving for whatever he does during the day. he ignores me.

flipflops by havaianas, bag and sunnies by alexander wang, tank top by rick owens, denim shorts by current/elliott, bracelets by cos, bless and ideapaju.

before entering the park, i usually grab a coffee from sis.deli. i often wonder whether i should get one for the hobo as well, but am not sure whether it would intrude on his privacy nor do i know if he even likes coffee. perhaps one day i'll find out.

once in the park we stroll for a while and stop to enjoy the sun on the steps. these are the mornings when i love this city most. the fact that everything is around the corner. the lushness of summer. the simple things like great coffee.

neighborhood recommendation #19: bar and street food.

YES, YES, YES!

(caps are back for the second time in this blog's history...)

i have felt stranded in my own neighborhood for a long time. since erottaja bar vanished, there hasn't been a viable option anywhere and i've settled for places barely anything more than mediocre.

two of my friends revealed a few months ago that they were looking into a space close by and i just kept my fingers crossed for the final product to emerge from the mass of bureaucracy.

there was a lot to do with the mediterranean restaurant that was located on a stranded street, but their vision of going rough and rugged created a little berlin in the heart of helsinki.

el diablo.

all of the above photos were snapped during the building, hence the sawdust, hanging wires and stuff.

a couple of weeks ago shanghai cowboy opened its doors officially for the first time for dinner and cocktails. finally this week they were ready to serve lunch.

their food is a chimera of mexican new york focusing on simple street food style. the guys behind it all also run the kitchen of siltanen, so those of you familiar with it, know the basics of what you're in for.

as a bonus, my sweetie assisted with their bar menu – and promised to be spotted behind the bar sporadically as a personal trip down the memory lane. expect delicious, fresh ingredients on both lists and a very low-key atmosphere, great music and and a happy crowd.

the place is rather small, but they serve food until midnight and bar stays open till late.

one of the quesadilla options with homemade salsa and guacamole. yummy.

join their facebook group for updates and more info go, enjoy and say hi, if you see me!

neighborhood recommendation #18: frozen yogurt.

in the middle of winter one hardly looks around to see what is going on in the neighborhood. the most beautiful pedestrian street in the world [sic!] had turned around quite a bit which was something i noticed on one of the first sunny spring days.

one of the most interesting newcomers was kippo. a small hole-in-the-wall frozen yogurt store with immaculate interior design and a grumpy owner behind the sales desk.

sleek wood.

mango and yogurt.

i asked him who was behind the concept and got a brief remark "my brother and i", and although i really wanted to give him a little nudge on the shoulder saying "come on, lighten up...", it somehow added to the charm of the place. an unlikely pair.

and the frozen yogurt? good, the toppings numerous and the experience very much ok.

go, support. maybe he'll smile next time.

yummy.

bright spring.

last weekend i had the pleasure to play at loisto's spring party. the yearly event has been a highlight of a rather quiet party season. there's always a theme, a beautifully detailed decor and, of course, amazing people having fun. the party provides a breath of spring that always convinces one that the warm season is in fact on its way while the last snowfall and slush create doubt.

actually, to be totally honest, i felt envious of the people on the other side of the decks since i was busy clicking through records while they were mingling and dancing. oh, poor me and the trouble of working at parties...

this time the entire salon was filled with balloons and flowers, the smell of chocolate from a fountain and a couple of bright and breezy punches that made sure the crowd was happy and rowdy.

the intoxicating chocolate fountain.

dress by katri niskanen, belt by h&m, tights by wolford, boots by camilla skovgaard.

humid inside.

thank you, i had a blast!

xmas lunch.

'tis the season to be jolly, but for some reason we all seem to rush and hurry anxiously from one place to another.

this year i decided to be wise and get my presents early. i started off well ahead – in august – and got one. last weekend i realized that it was the only one i had.

and by itself it wasn't really a full gift... but that's beside the point.

as is the fact that everyone is busy and anxious about xmas because of shopping. blah blah.

because for people like myself this is the season of campaigns being rushed out: first xmas, then sales, and the reason i have not found a minute to blog, let alone shop, is my ringing phone and getting prepared for launches.

therefore, this silence that possibly and probably requires an apology.

or not.

but a girl has to eat at some point. i have avoided all traditional xmas buffets served everywhere – a bonus of working for a small company where large gatherings, which often rely on buffets, are rare.

accompanied by the delightful inke, we decided to opt for the full three-course xmas lunch at rafla.

although i am not too fond of traditional xmas fare, this little collection of flavors, summed up with a rhum and plum dessert, totally won me over.

go enjoy while you still can!

neighborhood recommendation #17: organic fine dining.

you know when you hear about a new restaurant and think "we should go there" and never end up booking a table? it's happened to me more often than i'd like to remember.

the most extreme and aggravating result of my procrastination being the news early last spring that i'll never eat at el bulli...

this time we were clever enough to call right away when we heard about a cancellation on the second night of a mind-tingling new place. i usually do not recommend places after just one visit, but i wanted to give these guys a shoutout.

how lucky we ended up to be.

restaurant chef & sommelier started serving their organic fine craftmanship last friday a few blocks away, on a quiet residential street. dog-walkers were eyeballing the patrons inside and people returning from their weekend shopping seemed genuinely surprised to see a new restaurant just pop open in the middle of their neighborhood.

a small place with seats for only 20 people, i was at first a little startled when i entered – "this is it?" the atmosphere got more relaxed instantly when you were greeted attentively. ultimately, the small room felt actually quite cosy with airily set tables to provide privacy. additionally, the clientele was more casual than at your usual fine dining establishment which added to the comfort level.

their menu consists of seasonal ingredient listings without elaborate explanations of what you'll get. i had their fish menu, but was positively surprised by the fact that they openly offered a menu vert as a vegetarian (and if i'm not mistaken, possibly vegan) option. more often than i care to remember, my dining experience at a finer venue has been tarnished by the chef's arrogance over cruelty-free options and, thus, i still cannot take for granted that vegetarians are equally served in restaurants.

to start off, we received an amuse-bouche of aubergine. what their consistency with seasonal, organic and local ingredients wins, my menu somewhat lacked in coherence: my first course, a deconstructed interpretation of ratatouille, suggested a more experimental approach than i usually go for and was the least successful part of my meal. don't get me wrong, the dish was pure in taste – especially the iced ratatouille itself that charmed with the strong flavor of bell pepper was incredible – and approachable, but did not prepare me for the follow-up.

because what came after was quite spectacular.

my second course "artichoke and gnocchi" was a four-way of the root before which the chef entered the dining room to offer the scent of a gnocchi cooking in olive oil and thyme. the fragrance of thyme filled the room several times during the night and every single time it was as intoxicating as the first.

my main consisted of zander (pike-perch) and a heavenly (did i say it yet? i mean divine) purée of parsnip. after i sent my greetings to the kitchen, the chef showed up to tell me how to prepare it.

and that's the charm of feeling welcome. you get lovingly prepared, intricately thought out dishes without secrecy or pretentiousness – just pure, shareable joy about the love of food. even the usual gimmicks of telling whose garden the fruit and veggies came from felt genuine and fit the service beautifully.

my sweetie was pleased with the meat menu, and we both received excellent recommendations for wine throughout the meal. the nervousness of the first days was tangible, but we were handled with such grace and enthusiasm that you could easily ignore minute discrepancies.

i am eager to visit again and hope they have a very prosperous start. the combination of eco and fine in one dining experience is truly invigorating and finally welcome in helsinki.

hopes up.

i am in a great mood. partly it is due to the beautiful sunlight that illuminated my way to work this morning. helsinki is incredibly beautiful in the fall.

in greater part it is because of last night and the international media dinner for world design capital 2012 i attended at telakkaranta. i think it probably cleared my vision this morning.

the space had been turned from a dumpster to a surprisingly cosy loft just overnight. there were historical photos of the area on the walls, the eclectic looking – and sounding – tampo band from tampere provided the sonic ambiance and the atmosphere was cool and casual.

the design capital project is finally kicking off, and about a hundred media professionals and designers gathered to hear what we have to expect. although very little was revealed – i guess they're still coming up with the content – it bothered us fairly little. the ongoing helsinki design week and helsinki festival provided entertainment for the visitors and everyone seemed genuinely pleased with what they were experiencing.

we listened to the development plans of the shipyards and continued conversations around long dinner tables. we contemplated about the possibilities of creating such vast residential areas without ghettofying them. we had discussions about finnish food culture and the prospects of political and cultural change that thriving for excellence might bring about. we came about imaginations of taking development into our own hands, having and using the power to change our environment for the better. embedding design in life, as the slogan for helsinki's year states.

yet, there was none of the often complained naivety of believing that design itself could bring about change or improvements, but wholesome analyses about what truly makes meaningful design and the added relevance of creating living spaces that benefit through design.

there was such positivity and entrepreneurship in the air, people were smiling and sharing. pure vodka drinks with fresh seasonal berries from finlandia, eat and joy buffet dinner from organic local delicacies, the warm and inspiring dinner company of an urban planning professor and architect from cairo, the dozens of people i had the pleasure to meet briefly who all shared the air of excitement and, to top it all off, karaoke with alfredo häberli.

there is plenty to do and very little time, but i firmly believe that there is fertile ground for greatness here. the vastness of the project boggles the mind, and i truly hope that the results will provide more than the most obvious implementations and advances as the usual commercial ones.

take part in the process, and suggest, propose, inspire. although the idea bank at their website is closed, there are many ways to get involved.

i am truly inspired.

punajuuri block party.

and just when i felt gloomy over the neighborhood withering away from its days of glory, something amazing happens. and reminds me that we are all responsible for the wellbeing and positivity of our own spaces of living.

next saturday a group of people are organizing a blockparty starting from viiskulma (the five corners) at five pm and moving two blocks west. all hail them!

their plan is to show that money is not an object of organizing an event and that with the happy contributions of friends and will-be-friends, a neighborhood can come to life and promote co-operation amongst talented people willing to share their time.



there will be bands (yay, i shall see k-x-p after all!), there will be fun. i will be there.

why wouldn't you come as well?

neighborhood recommendation #16: coffee shop.

after many places that i have felt like recommending as little gems of my neighborhood have either shut down or changed their concept, it felt that somehow things around were slowly drifting away leaving behind streets empty of the life i have become accustomed to.

therefore, finding a new coffee shop that just opened in june with great coffee and piety in preparing your drink – read: do not enter in a hurry – lifted my mood and strengthened my faith in the blocks that surround me.

caneli opened at the non-pedestrian end of iso-roba and offers a large selection of coffees and teas in addition to all kinds of superfood thingys, if that's your cup of smoothie.

they grind the beans individually for your coffee, whether you're getting a cup to go or buying a larger amount to take home (if you wish to have them ground, that is), and their house blend has a smooth and deep, almost chocolatey aroma and is a real bargain at just 2€ a pop.

photo from here.

go support and enjoy!

night to a tee.

i have a long background as a club kid. i attended raves in the early 90's – when they still were raves: illegal, sweaty, more about music than appearance – and made some extra money during high school as a go-go dancer (the kind that keeps her clothes on, mind you...).

my group of friends would often take off on friday to drive to another city to a party, change cities on saturday for yet another allnighter, and i'd come home late sunday night after dancing myself död at nylon's legendary sunday school (relaunched as part of club yk's summer program and packed up soon after).

a booming bass is still very close to my heart and i cannot help but move when my intestines start trembling with a roaring low. because i have hopped behind the decks these days and rarely have the chance to a decent booty-shakin' action on the dancefloor, i cherish moments when i wake up sore the next morning because i could not stop moving all night.

my sonic drug of choice has for years been minimal electro, but i equally enjoy the artsy, draggy, fashiony electroclash with raunchy lyrics but similar simplicity. the transition from perfect mixing within a pure genre was gone when the queer hipsters took over the scene, and if you ask me, the great electroclash swindle was the best thing that happened to club music and is, in my books, far from over. despite many people wanting to distance themselves from the term and even the genre, i think the influence and even the terminology applies to much of the dance music we're hearing still. needless to say, the anthems live on strong.

1. the fagU hosts, djs shoplifter and jannex; 2.+3. larry tee.

last night was the 5 year anniversary of fagU with a very special guest. mr electroclash himself, larry tee, rocked the boat m/s emma for a three hour cruise around helsinki. the sunny breeze caressed the three dozen party people – it felt like a house party – and we danced ourselves dizzy.



my thighs burn in their post-dance purgatory.