Kiitos Eatos

June 13, 2016June 14, 2016 / Mel_inHelsinki / 6 Comments

I received an email from Eatos Mexican Diner recently asking us to dine as guests, which we were happy to accept. There’s always a risk with these collaborations however and I’ve either said no before or after we’ve tried something as I haven’t wanted to promote it.

But this was a risk I’m glad we took as the meal was good from start to finish. Jonathan began with a Mango Daikiri made from rum, fresh lime juice, fresh mango juice and sugar syrup, while I had a Paloma, made from tequila, fresh lime juice and grapefruit soda.

For starters our waitress recommended the Queso Fundido – corn chips served with melted cheese, pico de gallo (a house-made salsa) and guacamole. Meat eaters can choose chorizo instead of mushrooms to go with the cheese.

Miko and I shared Langostinos en Aguachile, a beautiful dish made from lime and chilli marinated prawns with cucumber and onions. It had a bit of a kick to it, but not enough to keep my four-year-old dining partner away for too long, darn it.

For our mains we ordered three dishes and a couple of sides. Miko and I shared Pescadilla – corn tortillas with cod, chipotle and coleslaw. Each layer of ingredients was individually seasoned, bringing a depth of flavour that doesn’t require loads of Tabasco (something I usually douse my food with at Mexican restaurants).

Jonathan had the Espincea y Feta Quesadilla (feta & spinach) which was super tasty and the Tostadas de Tinga de Berenjena (deep fried corn tortilla with aubergine filling).

For a mainly vegetarian meal it was really nice to not find ourselves limited to just beans, beans, beans.

Another thing I especially liked was the way the bar has been decorated. There are three large murals done by Mexican artist Yordi Lara-Ochoa with not a sombrero or striped tablecloth in sight. This creates a sort of ‘Mexican for grown ups’ feeling, not found at other cheap and cheerful counterparts.

For dessert our waitress recommended two dishes – Churros con chocolate and Flan de naranja y queso. Having studied for a year in Mexico she knew a lot about the menu and ingredients so we were happy to take her advice. The churros came with a beautiful chilli chocolate dipping sauce and the flan was delicious, resembling an orange cheesecake.

After dinner the owners came out to meet us and chatted for some time. Dharma and Rama met after finishing their studies before deciding to open a Mexican restaurant in Helsinki. Their commitment to fresh ingredients is really apparent and they will soon open their second restaurant in Iso-Omena.

While the restaurant was a little quiet when we were there it will only get busier when Helsinki’s new city library opens just across the way. They also have a great position for afternoon sun so I recommend stopping by while you can still get a seat.

We dined as guests of Eatos, who paid for our meals and drinks. We didn’t receive any other payment & all opinions are my own.

Eatos

The Horse and the Beaver

April 15, 2015April 20, 2015 / Mel_inHelsinki / 7 Comments

Most of our holidays are centred around walking and eating and walking some more so we are hungry again. Riga was no exception. Not knowing what to expect we were really pleased to get off to a good start by visiting Garage, a tapas bar where I had a delicious ceviche salad and Jonny had a small platter of local cheese.

On the prowl that night for some vegetarian fast food we went to Street Burgers, open on Good Friday and serving a hearty portobello burger with a side order of fries.

The next morning, in search of good coffee we headed for Innocent Cafe and found it was brunch time. The table was laden with strips of smoked cheese, pickled vegetables, potatoes, salads and fish.

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To be honest my stomach was not ready for some of these savoury treats but I happily had a couple of rounds of olives, potatoes and cheese on toast.

Later, in the Old Town, I popped into Black Magic cafe. They specialise in serving Riga Black Balsam, a herbal liqueur served in coffee or neat. It wasn’t quite balsam-o-clock yet so some more walking was called for before our next stop.

Looking for lunch we were nearly invited into this den by the Latvian Russell Crowe but pushed on to find restaurant 1221 of which we’d read good things.

1221 was as lovely as described with lots of people stopping to take photos of the painted exterior.

Unfortunately however, the menu was not a good fit for a vegetarian and his vege-quarian companions.

Although for the carnivores there was something for everyone.

We dined that night at our hotel restaurant, which we never do but it was cold and raining so we allowed ourselves the luxury of going downstairs. The food was delicious and came with glasses of birch water, compliments of the chef.

So we managed to eat our way around Riga without resorting to pork knuckles and cabbage as some guide books would suggest. The euro goes a lot further outside of Finland too and we were very grateful to leave feeling so well fed.

Seems the only thing going hungry on our trip were these poor little guys at the airport.

Fafa’s for falafel

September 16, 2014September 17, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 10 Comments

I had a job in Sydney that covered Bankstown and Fairfield Local Government Areas. 55% people in Bankstown and 70% people in Fairfield speak a language other than English at home, with Arabic and Assyrian / Aramaic among the top three languages. So as far as Middle Eastern food goes, we have been pretty spoilt.

Our first foray into Middle Eastern food in Helsinki was unfortunately disappointing. Three dry falafels served on rice with lettuce, tomato and a very plain hummus left us in despair. To make things worse, it was served with a drizzle of tomato pasta sauce which left Jonathan feeling like he’d had meatballs for dinner (not great for a vegetarian).

Enter Fafa’s – a small chain of eat-in or takeaway food stores in Helsinki, serving delicious stuffed pita. We were so happy when we saw the menu, which includes a great range of vegetarian options and extra chilli sauce.

I’ve yet to find my favourite Fafa’s pita, but have so far enjoyed the goats cheese pita and the fried eggplant too. The hot chips are cut in a handy scoop shape and Miko often enjoys a hummus plate with a boiled egg.

The food is fresh, the chilli sauce is good but I do think the other sauces could do with a bit more bite. The best sauce I’ve had in Finland so far was baba ganoush made fresh by a Kurdish woman at Hietalahdenkauppahalli. With winter coming there’s no need to be shy with that lemon and garlic!

So we’re very happy to have found Fafa’s – although I’m still looking for that meal that serves garlicky jajik, lemony hummus and smoky baba ganoush alongside dolmades, with baklava for dessert. If you know of a good place for fresh, flavoursome Middle Eastern food in Helsinki (and I don’t mean a kebab with fries) – please, let me know!

Fafa’s – Kamppi, Kallio and Iso Roobertinkatu