Dinner at Rikhard von Trappe

 

Hans Välimäki, one of the few Finnish chefs who have owned a Michelin star restaurant, closed his famous Michelin restaurant Chez Dominique a couple of years ago. This didn’t mean getting out of business completely but there’s definitely a change in style in his new restaurant Rikhard von Trappe where we had dinner last Saturday evening. The restaurant is situated in the same address and premises in Rikhardinkatu 4 in Kaartinkaupunki area as Chez Dominique was before.

Rikhard von Trappe’s menu is a Belgian style bistro with oysters, stakes, mussels and waffles with a long list of beers and wines. I think the whole idea has been to create a very laid-back and relaxed atmosphere with an easy-going menu so that the comparison to former Chez Dominique wouldn’t even make sense – and I think they’ve succeeded in it (maybe a bit too well)!

We decided to go for a very traditional menu: a steak tartar as a starter, mussels as a main and berries with a sorbet as a dessert. The steak was served with pickled vegetables and salad. For mussels we choose two different versions: one with bacon and a spicier version with curry.

As I mentioned earlier, Rikhard von Trappe has a good selection of beers including their own brew, Top Fuel’s Von Trappe Saison Brun – or as the waiter called it, the Movember beer. It’s always interesting to learn about smaller Finnish craft beers and new breweries such as Top Fuel (which is according to the bottle situated in Lohja, about 40 kilometers from Helsinki).

All in all I had a good time at Rikhard von Trappe. Food wasn’t anything special and to be honest I’ve had much better dinners in Helsinki but materials were fresh and quite tasty and fulfilled my expectations for bistro-styled food. I’m not convinced Rikhard von Trappe will be my regular from now on but I think I could recommend it for anyone who is looking for a easy-going menu in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Plus any restaurant that plays Phil Collins during dinner gets my vote!

-Marjo

P.S. Find the restaurant on Foursquare/Swarm

Rikhard von Trappe

EDIT: Unfortunately Rikhard von Trappe closed their doors in December, but Rikhard still has his brother August von Trappe in Tampere (2 hours from Helsinki)

Weekend Getaway: Copenhagen

Sometimes, as much as we’re fond of her, we want to get away from Helsinki. Like this past weekend, when we chose beautiful Copenhagen, to visit friends who’ve moved there.

We’d booked a super-central flat through AirBnB for six. Bit of a posh location, easily within walking distance from the center of the action. With some early-bird flight tickets, the weekend ended up being more than reasonably priced, too.

Friday: Snowfall

We’d chosen to arrive on the day when the snow falls. On other words, J-dag, the first Friday in November, when Tuborg’s Julebryg Christmas brew is launched in all bars at 20:59. That means it’s definitely a party all around, with plenty of commercial silliness, cheap drinks and liters upon liters of dark Christmas beer. Imagine a Nordic St. Patrick’s, in blue instead of green.

In 2016, it’ll be  4 November. If you’re going, remember to stock up on Santa hats, beanies, bunny ears, capes, bow ties, t-shirts, stewardess’ skirts and more. Bunny ears especially seemed to attract attention, right to the point of people offering to buy them off your head . If you fancy making a quick buck 200 DKK seemed to be the going rate.

Saturday: Foodfest

To regain our strength we went for lunch at one of our all-time Copenhagen favorites — Sporvejen – that offers some of the best burgers in all of CPH, along with some quality craft beers. What makes the place special, apart from the food, is the lovely service and the absolutely lovely décor.

For anyone from Helsinki, trams are a key symbol of our city, and although CPH did away with theirs decades ago, this one has survived. The place feels like you stepped into a tram that’s parked inside a building. Inside, it’s small tables and a near-intact tram interior, complete with old tram seats and old-time advertising. Outside there’s tables for bigger groups, with heat-lamps and blankets, so you can enjoy your meal outdoors too. Sporvejen’s very kid-friendly, as well, so if you’re travelling with kids, make sure to look them up on Gråbrødretorv, right off of Strøget.

The rest of the day we spent shopping and sightseeing around, Nyhavn, the Round Tower (Rundetaarn) etc. before heading for dinner at the Australian-themed Tight.

The place proved to be pretty nice. The envy-inducing Flank steak as well as mussels proved to be the best mains. The burger wasn’t really up to its rep, especially after Sporvejen. In the evening we also did a quick hop over to the hipper Østerbro neighborhood before returning to the city.

Lazy Sunday 
On Sunday, we headed west, to Copenhagen’s very own meat-packing district — Kødbyen — as hip as its NY namesake and a brilliant brunch at Kødbyens Fiskebar. Oysters for starters, followed by mussels and more. Tasty, super-fresh. Definitely worth a visit if you’re around.

We followed that with a beer-tasting at the neighboring Warpigs craft beer and bbq bar with some Mikkeller and 3 Floyds beers. It’d be easy to spend the whole day in Kødbyen, especially if you come on a street-food Sunday (we didn’t). If you’re feeling peckish, Warpigs has the most protein-rich Bloody Mary we’ve ever seen. (Hint, it comes in a stein, with bratwurst, pork, pickles and more.)

To finish the day, we had some going-away smørrebrøds and did some last minute shopping back in the City.

Then it was down to the metro, and 20 minutes later we were at the Airport. Convenient, fast and back in Helsinki by midnight. Not bad for a weekend getaway.

—

So, whether you do as locals do and head for the countryside or choose to go abroad to another Nordic or Baltic Capital, or even St. Pete for that matter, you’re continuing a local tradition. Helsinki is well connected.

Find all places on Foursquare/Swarm
Heidi’s Bier Bar
Tørst Bar
Sporvejen
Tight
Cafe Bopa
Kødbyen
Kødbyens Fiskebar
Warpigs

 

After work in Helsinki part I

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Tuesday I had planned to have dinner with friends after work. However I had to be in Copenhagen for work that day so I didn’t make it for dinner. I still wanted to see my friends – so we had drinks after their dinner, right after my plane landed. We decided to visit Bar Llamas which I’ll describe as cosy bar with South-American twist. Since we wanted to share with each other what’s going on, we wanted a place where one can easily talk. For that Bar Llamas works perfectly – music is not too loud.

Llamas is very nice for afterworks as well as for weekend drinks. One can also order a nacho plate (haven’t tasted that but good to remember this place is for drinking not for culinary experiences). There are also couple of swings but since the bar is tiny, they are more for sitting. If you are trying to find a place for drinks after fine dining this is probably not a best place for you. However I felt okay with my business clothes – even though they fit perfectly neither atmosphere nor the surroundings – generally people are dressed more relaxed way. I’d say most of the people are 35years +/- ten years. At weekends it can be pretty crowded. During the week you will probably find a chair and a table for you and your company. Bottle of sparkling wine was 22 euros which is very reasonable price in Finland. I have understood they also have some interesting drinks, some even with a Finnish twist but I am not a great cocktail drinker – to hear more about those you have to wait a post from somebody else than me…

The address for Bar Llamas is Iso Roobertinkatu 14. It is situated in the heart of Punavuori which is very trendy district in Helsinki – lots of restaurants, lovely stores and bars and as Marjo just wrote, lots of people working in advertising agencies. This is an area we’ll be writing a lot in the future.

 Anna

New bar and bistro in Punavuori

The Old Skiffer in Viiskulma

There’s a new bar in Punavuori in the corner of Pursimiehenkatu and Laivurinkatu. Or I’m not sure if you can call it new. According to Primula’s history  there’s been a bar at the same corner in Viiskulma from 1960’s and a café even longer from 1924. What’s new are the new owners who bought the legendary Restaurant Primula last summer and reopened it a couple of weeks ago under the name Uusi Primula (New Primula) and the Old Skiffer. The bar’s name is kind of a word game: the bar used to be called The Old Skipper’s and Skiffer also refers to the island Liuskasaari (Skifferholmen in Swedish) where the first Skiffer Restaurant was opened some years ago.

New beginning at Primula

But that’s enough about the history! To celebrate the new beginning, Primula / The Old Skiffer had their official opening yesterday evening. The restaurant is pretty easygoing with stylishly laid-back atmosphere and contemporary bistro food. The interior design has maritime elements such as an old rowing boat in the ceiling and life jackets on the wall – not too much but just enough to make the bar interesting and more unique and different from the old bar and restaurant.

Old life jackets on the wall

The bar was crowded yesterday evening so I just had quick drinks before heading home. I still need to try out the food and pizzas or liuska flatbread some other day.

I think the bar will attract creative crowd (since it’s situated close to many advertising agencies), trendy Punavuori clientele as well as the locals who have been coming there for years no matter who the owner is. Great local and a good addition to Viiskulma bars and restaurants!

Uusi Primula