Fuji Biyori — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

I lived as an exchange student in Japan, prepare and cook a lot of Japanese food myself and have been to quite a number of Japanese restaurants.

For two persons, I paid almost 200€ for the Omakase and we got some solid dishes and some real disappointments. To be completely honest, I have a very strong feeling they blatantly lied to us. They told us, they’d serve A5 Wagyu, so one of the best meat out there. We got a badly cooked and ice cold piece of meat which was butchered by the chef who was clearly struggling with cutting the pieces. Firstly, the meat quality was worse than any good regular steak, secondly the chef was clearly incapable of preparing the food adequately. There were tendons in the meat, it was not melting at all in the mouth, it was rather chewy. And I was skeptical since the beginning as you cannot get A5 Wagyu for this price point. So that’s why I believe the lied to us. Feels quite frustrating.

On the other hand, they told us before every meal how “they in Japan” would cook the ingredients and that they do their dishes authentically. When they spoke to each other, they did not speak Japanese, nor English. I guess it was mandarin. The guests behind me, who were Japanese had to speak with them in English. Except the “こんばんは” (good evening) from the chef in the beginning, they spoke no Japanese at all. Why do I bother? Because they should just be honest with the guests. The Japanese culture and cuisine is so sophisticated and based around authenticity that I feel very frustrated when people try to perform the art of cooking while borrowing the cultural heritage of Japan without being competent enough. Why not just be honest and admit that they are not having a Japanese background but try to give their best? It feels like they are lying on purpose here.

The knives the chef used were stored after having usage at some wall display. They were not properly cleaned after cutting raw fish. They simply lay there. It’s not a good impression. Especially not for this amount of money.

Sashimi was good, Tempura was good, Teppanyaki grill was okay, but we only got proteins and veggies. At least a complimentary bowl of rice should have been served to us (actually authentic btw). The drinks were fine.

Overall, it’s too expensive for the quality of food and expertise. A clear red flag is that they seem to be lying about food quality and their background. Just be honest and hone the culture you are representing. Feels like a ripoff. I don’t get how so many people were satisfied with this. Maybe Finns have too...

We were simply in the mood for Japanese food again, and when we walked past this place earlier in the day, the traditional Japanese-inspired interior really caught our attention – understated, calm, promising. So we booked a table for the evening. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to that initial impression.

Let’s start with the ramen – it was decent. A solid bowl, but not one that you’d remember the next day. My partner had ordered a selection of smaller dishes instead of a main course – but sadly, the flavors didn’t really come together. What’s more, the kitchen seemed to ignore the distinction between starters and mains entirely – everything came at once, which felt more chaotic than curated.

My starter, a cucumber salad with shrimp, was particularly underwhelming. The shrimp were more of a rumor than a reality – you had to search for them, and even when you found them, they didn’t do much for the dish.

Across the board, what was missing was that umami-driven precision that makes Japanese cuisine so refined. The gyoza were average, the fried sweet potato mash lacked personality, and the silken tofu? It was quite literally just silken tofu from the pack, placed on a plate with a dab of ginger. That’s not minimalism – that’s laziness.

Service was surprisingly slow, considering the place wasn’t even busy. And while casual service can be charming, there’s a line – being served by someone in gym shorts and a T-shirt doesn’t exactly honor the food or the setting.

Long story short: I wouldn’t come back unless I were truly desperate. That’s not meant to sound dramatic – it’s just the clearest way I can express that the overall experience was flat, forgettable, and far from the standard this...

Where to start?! I was so disappointed and shocked by how authentic the restaurant looked vs how unjapanese the service and food were…

So, first of all, dining out in Helsinki is pretty pricy compared to most European countries, which I knew, I live in Sweden and in general restaurant prices in Scandinavia are relatively high here too.

When I first saw their menu, in google, I was pleased with the selection and even excited to read about the Omakase offer, I was totally set to go for it for a true teppanyaki free style experience, which my boyfriend was even more excited about.

The place was packed and I felt lucky we had made a reservation. I started to get excited, that place must be good, a lot of Asian guests were there too. I browsed quickly through the menu, still set for the omakase menu. But then I overheard the guests next to us quietly complaining about their food. That’s when I convinced my boyfriend to just order izakaya style and I picked a couple of Japanese signature dishes to share. I was so disappointed about the food, but I tried not to show it. They had forgotten a dish completely, but I was glad not to have to eat more of their food. I tipped them quite well, but I kind of regret it now…

I think their pr as the only teppanyaki restaurant in Helsinki works on tourists like us. I feel so ripped off, I hardly write such long negative (!) reviews, but I ask you not to go there with high hopes like we did, or even better to just drop it off your...