Urbanologist and foodie Niclas Ahlström shares with U about his favourite foodie spots in Helsinki.

Vibrant, ingenious, inventive, fresh and fun, the food of Helsinki is plotting the city firmly on the gourmet travel map. Niclas Ahlström, Co-Founder of Helsinki’s leading design studio Made By Choice shares his favourite haunts.

Bas Bas

BasBas is a new generation of bistros and bars in Helsinki. This is an opening from the amazing guys at Baskeri & Basso, which came to us in 2015 and has been fully booked ever since! BasBas is the best spot for a glass of wine and small plates in town. All wines are natural - organic sourced around Europe - mostly France. It’s all about the ambience, warm service and laughter. The venue is owned by its employees and founders Nicolas Thieulon and Kalle Kiukainen and it feels like coming home to family every time I visit. The interiors are warm and comforting with a delicious design edge, it sets the perfect ambience! The menu is all about tailored food and wine pairings and you can 100 percent trust the team to blow your mind each time. There’s a no booking policy at BasBas, unlike its parent restaurant in the same building where I recommend booking weeks or even months ahead as it’s bursting at the seams. If dining, opt for the risotto and put your trust in the sommelier who selects from a handpick choice of ten carefully selected bottles!

Nude

Nude is a new opening from Finnish Chef of the year Kalle Tanner. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with the team to create and design their interior space. The building has culinary provenance, home to the legendary Kasarmikatu 44 in its past life. Nude opened in October this year – a beautifully casual vibe with exceptional Michelin standard cuisine. I highly recommend the Elk and Potato paired with Le Roc de Château Puybarbe 2015 and the Cod and Celeriac paired with the Ijalba Viura Genolí 2017, Rioja.

Grön

A very stylish venue and super popular. Chefs Toni Kostian and Lauri Kähkönen received their Michelin star for Grön in 2018. Their philosophy is to create tasty, focused, plant-based and inspiring food that concentrates on high-quality ingredients. The restaurant offers a four course "Grön Menu” based on seasonal, organic and wild ingredients, as well as Scandinavian produce. Collaborative in its approach they work with an expert wild herb and mushroom forager who delivers produce by bike who is also an artist whose works can be seen on the walls. Note the ceramics too – beautiful pieces by ceramicist Anna Kantanen.

Naughty BRGR

As we know there is always a moment to enjoy a good burger – we are lucky enough to be home to Naughty BRGR from Top Chef Finland winner Akseli Herlevi. He doesn’t hold back on the naughty stakes! Look out for the burger of the month and the ‘Cacio E Pepe Bombs’ are a must-try, deep fried mac & cheese, parmesan, black pepper and aioli-di.

Seahorse

For traditional honest Finnish food you can’t go wrong with a visit to Seahorse, known locally as ‘Sikala’. We are atmospheric folk and I like the humbleness of the restaurant which reflects on the Finnish culture. This is extremely popular and a great environment for all ages, families also love it here as it’s been a culinary institution since 1934 so every generation has their colourful tale of this venue. I recommend the salmon soup and the steak with onion. Other dishes you’ll find on the menu are pea soup, meatballs, Baltic herring and reindeer. The portions are generous so bring an appetite! Wash it down with a Finnish beer or a Finnish long drink or "Lonkero" for short. Monocle’s Editor in Chief Tyler Brûlé is quoted “if you eat only one meal in Helsinki, go eat the beef steak at Sea Horse”.

Savoy 

The Savoy is legendary here in Helsinki, part of the city since 1937 and hosted many a political debate! Go here for the nostalgic ambience and incredible panoramic views across the city. The interiors were designed by famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, featuring rich birch veneers, scattered with cocooning club chairs. This is also home to the iconic ‘Aalto Vase’ a luxurious design piece created by the architect on the restaurant’s opening. The menu is a refined and modern interpretation of classic dishes. Be sure to try the "Marskin Ryyppy" – a Finnish schnapps named after Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, the Finnish military leader in World War II. He was known to sit at a corner table and enjoyed his schnapps with Vorschmack (minced meat with pickles and smetana).

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