Project 366 #237: 240816 Secrets Of The Tar Island
Ripa and Satu took us out for a fabulous meal at a restaurant on a little island in Helsinki.
The island was called 'Tar Island' and the restaurant had a name that translated to 'Smoke'. There's a clue there. Everything on the menu, and I do mean everything, had some kind of smoked influence.
The restaurant itself was a former tar warehouse and the oldest wooden building in Helsinki still on its original site. I elected to join Ripa by going for the set menu, which included this starter (which is for three!).
The starter is frequently my favourite part of any meal, and it proved to be so here. This was called 'Secrets of the Tar Island' and is basically a collection of seasonal starters.
Starting at the far end of the board, it's new potatoes, caramelised onion chutney and mushroom chutney (as I think it was described) which was coarse cut mushrooms with sour cream which were amazing. Then it's the meats. Smoked duck and pork with smoked mustard. Fit, fit, fit. Then the fish. Smoked salmon (divine as always), chilli herring and my highlight, ginger herring in the creamy dressing. This was served with both wheatbread and ryebread with smokey salted butter.
This was phenomenal, though my pleasure was either curbed or enhanced (I'm not sure which) by the aperitif of tar schnapps. This isn't a euphemism. It contains water, sugar, alcohol and tar and in truth after I downed my shot I was instantly three sheets to the wind!
Project 366 #237: 240816 Secrets Of The Tar Island
Ripa and Satu took us out for a fabulous meal at a restaurant on a little island in Helsinki.
The island was called 'Tar Island' and the restaurant had a name that translated to 'Smoke'. There's a clue there. Everything on the menu, and I do mean everything, had some kind of smoked influence.
The restaurant itself was a former tar warehouse and the oldest wooden building in Helsinki still on its original site. I elected to join Ripa by going for the set menu, which included this starter (which is for three!).
The starter is frequently my favourite part of any meal, and it proved to be so here. This was called 'Secrets of the Tar Island' and is basically a collection of seasonal starters.
Starting at the far end of the board, it's new potatoes, caramelised onion chutney and mushroom chutney (as I think it was described) which was coarse cut mushrooms with sour cream which were amazing. Then it's the meats. Smoked duck and pork with smoked mustard. Fit, fit, fit. Then the fish. Smoked salmon (divine as always), chilli herring and my highlight, ginger herring in the creamy dressing. This was served with both wheatbread and ryebread with smokey salted butter.
This was phenomenal, though my pleasure was either curbed or enhanced (I'm not sure which) by the aperitif of tar schnapps. This isn't a euphemism. It contains water, sugar, alcohol and tar and in truth after I downed my shot I was instantly three sheets to the wind!