We used to love having brunch at Freese cafe – home to some of Helsinki’s best coffee, made by Finnish Barista Champion, Kalle Freese.
Freese cafe – December 2014
Kalle first fell in love with coffee while living in New Zealand and sadly for us, his cafe closed a while ago due to his other commitments – but we found his legacy last weekend when we visited summer cafe Kahvila Siili.
Siili means hedgehog in Finnish and the cafe is found in the lovely suburb of Puu-Käpylä, just 20 mins from central Helsinki.
Puu means wood or wooden and the area is unique for its colourful houses, which were built in the 1920s.
Red ochre features heavily in the local scheme as it does in many traditional Finnish neighbourhoods.
We even saw a cat on a lead, not an unusual sight in Helsinki, enjoying the sun outside.
It was a lovely walk that was made even better once we arrived at our destination.
The brunch menu, we found, was the same as Kalle Freese’s – delicious crunchy granola with creamy yoghurt, served with seasonal fruit, fresh apple juice and your choice of tea or coffee.
It also includes tasty avocado on toast and an egg, cooked to 63 degrees celsius and served with thinly sliced fennel.
There’s also a great selection of freshly baked treats for those looking to have dessert.
And to top it all off on our way home we came across the cafe’s very own namesake! Not Freese but siili! – a gorgeous neighbourhood hedgehog.
Kahvila Siili – open only in summer
Hey Helsinki 