Kalle Freese’s spirit animal

August 2, 2016August 2, 2016 / Mel_inHelsinki / 4 Comments

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

Puu-Käpylä

Dancing in the Shadows – at Annantalo

May 4, 2015 / Mel_inHelsinki / 7 Comments

I’ve walked past Annantalo so many times and never stopped to wonder what it is. Turns out – it’s great is what it is!

Annantalo is an arts centre for children and young people, housed in a beautiful old school that was built in 1886. Miko and I recently visited with friends on a rainy afternoon after daycare.

On the ground floor is the large Kirja Kahvila (book cafe) with loads of space for families and smaller tables set up with paper and colouring pencils. There’s also shelves full of childrens’ books, printed in Finnish and Swedish.

The cafe is also home to Tutti-tukaani (Pacifier Toucan) who sits atop a large bottle where children put their pacifiers when the time comes to give them up. The idea is based loosely on similar traditions in Finland and was dreamed up by the Office Manager.

The cafe is run by a lovely woman called Krista, who told me she loves all the handmade touches around Annantalo.

This includes the warm korvapuustit (cinammon buns) and the woollen covers on the tea glasses.

Upstairs in the building, there are art classes, as well as dance and theatre for young people. Miko’s daycare has visited in the past to watch a puppet show, which he still talks about.

There are also exhibitions for children, which are really creative and interactive. Miko loved going inside a big teepee and looking at tiny worlds inside boxes with a torch during the last one.

Although the cafe is family focussed it can be very quiet at times and there’s lots of space to spread out if you need to work. With wheelchair access it’s a great place for anyone to visit, young and old alike.

Annantalo – events and courses

Annankatu 30, Helsinki

Due to a bad dose of the flu there were no Vappu celebrations for me this year. The spring carnival on May Day is one of the biggest events on the Finnish calendar. You can read my post from last year here.

Kuppi ja Muffini Cafe

May 2, 2014August 2, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 1 Comment

Today I had coffee with a lovely Finnish girl, Katri. We had never met before but a mutual friend in the UK put us in touch. I was really touched that Katri took the time to meet with me as she is about to move overseas and has a few goodbyes to make. I was missing home today and it was good to have someone to meet for coffee. She suggested we meet at Kuppi ja Muffini Cafe, just around the corner from our apartment.

Miko and Teddy Baby

Kuppi ja Muffini (Cup & Muffin) is run by two friends who believe in quality baking with only natural ingredients. The cake counter was full of delicious looking cupcakes and treats. Miko had a small Rocky Road cupcake and I had a delicious banana and berry muffin. It had great texture and walnuts and sugar baked on the top. We shared a freshly squeezed carrot and ginger juice (90% to Miko, 10% to me).

Cakes are baked daily and according to the season

The decor reminded me of a New Zealand cafe. There were some cool retro features inside a cool, clean interior. A bookshelf in the back room had books for patrons to read. There was a wooden rocking chair in the corner that would be great for reading in, complete with crochet rug. It would have been a great day to settle in there as we had a brief snow-shower come down while we sat inside.

Although frosty outside, the staff were really warm and one lady brought out a basket of toys for Miko. A woman behind us was comfortably ensconced with her Suomi (Finnish) textbooks and the cafe filled up as lunchtime drew near. You’d have to look for Kuppi & Muffini as its signage is quite subtle, but if fresh baked treats and delicious drinks are your thing, its definitely worth a look.

Kuppi & Muffini

Kalevankatu 17, Helsinki

www.kuppijamuffini.fi

Cafe Regatta

April 28, 2014August 2, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 4 Comments

Cafe Regatta is just north of the city of Helsinki but a world away from our apartment in the Design District.

Situated on the water’s edge the first thing we noticed as we approached was the smell of the wood fire pit outside. Sausages are for sale at the cafe that you can grill while you sit on the reindeer-pelt covered seats.

Smouldering good coffee

We opted instead for a cup of kahvi (coffee) and some beautiful homemade pastries. I had a jam filled doughnut and Jonny had a soft cinnamon roll with cardamom in it. It was so good we shared another with a second cup of coffee.

Although only set to reach a high of 14 degrees, the sun was warm and there were signs of spring everywhere.