My wife and I thought that it was a joke to see a classic meal called “Pike Wallenberg” for sale in the middle of Helsinki for just €5… But there it was, on a placard, outside a small shop at 11, Annankatu, in the center of town.
We walked in to see what they were selling, and believe it or not the price of every smartly packaged meal was €5, including the Pike Wallenberg. So we bought a four different ready-made meals to try them out at home over the weekend… and were we surprised!
Kim Mikkola, the owner, is a well-known cook here in Helsinki because he has a Michelin-starred restaurant… … but being a celebrity cook and opening up a small takeaway at rock bottom prices is no guarantee that the takeaway are good value…
The Pike Wallenberg was delicious – it was made using the classic recipe of fresh pike meat and cream, with creamy mashed potatoes and pees. A generous slab of dill butter was included and both of us at home thought that this was a true bargain not to be missed out. We also ate their cabbage meat special with cranberries, and that too was excellent.
The rest is waiting in the fridge for tomorrow!
We were told by the young man at the shop that this is Kim’s fight to break the high costs, to which we are exposed here in Helsinki’s restaurant market. The food here in Finland is great but the cost is relatively high because this is a small market without a great deal of competition.
You should note that all the restaurants listed here in FinnishNews must achieve two criteria to be included – quality and price. You will always get good value for money when we have listed a place – and please note that we do not take any payment, discount or free food from any of the restaurants. They are all great lovely places to eat and enjoy.
Kim Mikkola’s “Koti” takeaway meals are a strong recommendation and we extend a big welcome Hello to FinnishNews!
