Albina Restaurant & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

Location : At the heart of Kallio, one of the most vibrant area of Helsinki, you find this hidden gem underneath The Folks Hotel (that I can only recommend too). The inside is a mix between modern Scandinavian and industrial.

Staff : Very kind and always here to make suggestions or answer your questions. I would even say that in some Michelin starred places you have worse service than here.

Food : I had the Albina menu, which is a 6 courses one (3 starters, 1 continuation, 1 main course and 1 dessert). In my opinion, this menu is so much worth it. You get to try a bit of everything (it is even more worth it if you like fish, as I feel like they mostly serve you the fish options). What I got : White Fish and Gin (felt a bit like sashimi, with a gin sauce that gives a very herbal aspect to the dish, along with a celery salad). I think it would be one of my favourites on the menu. -Roasted celery, walnuts and fresh Finnish yoghurt (fresh ans tasty). -Beef tartare (made out of Finnish beef, with a whisky cream and apple bites, I was a bit disappointed, because the dish eventhough very meaty, wasn't that savoury). -For the continuation, I had a truffled risotto, which was very nice and creamy, although the rice could have been a bit more cooked. -Main course was a steamed cod filet, served with salsify, and seafood sauce. Although I like my filets a bit raw in the center, this one was very good. The dish was flavourful and generous. -Dessert : pistachio tiramisu. I wasn't expecting much as Finland is, for me not a country known for its desserts, but it was a solid tiramisu (I had worse ones in Italy).

Drinks : one glass of Chablis, and one glass of Gaillac as a dessert wine. Chablis was my choice, and I think it was perfect for the meal. Gaillac was a recommendation of the waitress for dessert, and I believe she was right (thank you for the suggestion if you read this comment).

Overall : A strong 5/5, I would even recommend it over more expensive/famous options in Helsinki. All aspects are on point, especially the staff that is just amazing. Gold medal to them.

(In some pictures I had already started to enjoy my...

Unfortunately, I can’t warmly recommend their breakfast buffet to a vegetarian. I don’t think it’s worth of 19 €. I don’t eat meat or dairy products, so this cut off a large portion of the supply (I had announced these restrictions to the restaurant in advance). For example, there are plenty of cuts of meat and cheeses; vegetables were cucumber and tomato slices (which ran out). The bread was very tasty. I missed a variety of vegetable pastes though, those are very common in many places. The supply of porridge was a special plus - there were three types. Food allergens were listed by table on a plate and it did not work properly. It was difficult to know about the three porridge, which is oven porridge, seasonal porridge, etc and thus it was difficult to know which one is vegan and which one not. Allergen information should be more clearly indicated next to the product. The restaurant space and service seemed really nice so it's a pity that i cannot compliment the...

We went here with a 2 for 1 deal on their set 6 course menu, on a Saturday night. The ambience was very romantic and stylish.

A bit of a slow start, where we couldn't really get any service, but it was quickly turned around when we got a new waitress who was more experienced with wine. Such a lovely girl, we didn't get her name, but she had bright red hair, and an extensive knowledge of wine! She let us taste our way, to find good pairings, to our liking :) When the food finally arrived, it came in a rapid pace, which suited us just fine. The tartar, the fish main and the pistachio tiramisu were to die for and I would definitely come back if I could have the same waitress! Only minus was that 1 slice of bread was considered a "course" on the menu, which would only be okay if I received a whole basket of this...