Restaurant Gaijin — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

The experience did not live up to my nor my partners expectations. As we came through the doors we were greeted by a waitress who told us where to hang our coats. She did not take the coats and hang them for us, instead she walked away.

When we sat down, we were surprised about the distance to the neighbouring table, it was basically non-existent. During the entirety of the meal, we heard every single detail of our neighbours´ conversations (the restaurant was almost empty). Furthermore, we had the sun in our faces during the entire meal (we arrived at 6PM).

I ordered a cocktail, which I believe was called Tinder Girl (probably the best part of the dining experience). We both chose the classic menu. They were very accommodating when it came to our request to remove the dessert from the menu, something which we appreciated.

The first two dishes were lovely, however, the wait between the remaining dishes was very long. The couple seated next to us, who arrived more than 30 mins after us, were served their dishes before we were. The staff seemed to be oblivious to the fact that we had waited for a long period of time between the dishes, and did not apologise nor did they offer us anything for the wait. We were also quite surprised that we didn't get a little card, with all the dishes listed, which we expect to be served during our dining experience. We asked the waitress why this was, and she explained that they didn't have any cards in English. We were a bit surprised about this, as they have an English menu in the restaurant.

Moreover, they did not change the plate during the meal, except for in the end, when we apparently weren't supposed to use it anymore. Furthermore, they did not fill up our glasses with water during the meal.

The food was alright, however, I don't feel like I got a bang for my buck. Had the overall atmosphere and service been better, I think I would have enjoyed the food more.

Good place, but they're not providing the experience, which would be expected when paying a hefty price tag. The staff was not very attentive, which would be expected at this type of establishment. I would probably not visit the...

Gaijing is famous among good food amateurs in Helsinki so we were hoping for an extraordinary dinner but it was nothing but a huge disappointment.

First, we had specifically asked for a table not close to the entrance when we booked - and asked again when we confirmed the booking on the same day. When we arrived, the waiter offered us... the closest table to the entrance... He almost got upset when we explained that this was absolutely not what we had asked for. We asked for another option and he eventually showed us to a table in the middle of the restaurant. The place looks more like a high school cafeteria than a fine dinning restaurant. Tables are so close to each other that we could barely hear the waitress but perfectly follow the conversation of the couple next to us. The whole place is so noisy that you just can't enjoy yourself.

Curious about a corbières white wine because we knew corbières red wines, we asked the waitress about it. She wasn't able to describe it to us or even tell if it was dry, medium or sweet. What's the point in having such an extensive wine list if your staff don't know it? She wasn't even sure she still had it so had to check and finally came back with the wine - which was really good though.

Then the food. We ordered the tasting menu. The first courses - some 4 or 5 starters - came almost all at the same time, so fast we couldn't even enjoy each of them. And then we waited maybe 20 minutes between each other servings. The rhythm of the dinner was kind of weird and not very pleasant. I think the food was good but I can't recall anything specifically...

In the end, it's way overpriced given the poor quality of the service and the noisy oppressive atmosphere. Restaurants of these standards should offer a whole experience to their customers - they clearly miss the...

First of all, I did not have dinner here.

However, just wanted to echo what other reviewers mention — this is by far the most rude and unprofessional host and staff** that I’ve encountered.

For perspective, I have spent nearly a decade of my life living in Los Angeles or NYC, and have been to numerous restaurants over the years. And frequently travel internationally too.

A bit more detail: Even after noticing my presence, the host did not care to come and inform that they did not have a place. The host only informed me of this after several minutes of my standing at the entrance. As such, a lack of place is something I was surprised about since more than half of the restaurant was empty (no exaggeration — and I went for solo dining; one person was even simply reading on their kindle) and I was not even suggested if I could wait a bit or something — though I do accept that it’s possible that their staff was at their limit even though to my “untrained” eyes it did not appear so.

But again, my biggest issue was the rudeness, inconsideration for a potential customer’s time and disdain I felt from the hostess / staff.

In a nutshell, this is the most “un-Asian” restaurant I’ve ever encountered. Despite it being a Michelin recommended restaurant, I would not suggest it to anyone.

**except for one guy who was standing behind the bar, whom I asked how to get a seat when no one seemed to be coming to attend me after having waited a while. This person was polite.

*after this experience, I went to Boon Nam. The experience was literally the opposite. Lovely and kind staff +...