Finnish Birthday Feast
After my day trip to Porvoo, I returned to Helsinki in time for a late dinner. I wanted to try a restaurant that serves authentic Finnish cuisine.
I chose Cella, a 15 minute walk from my flat. https://www.ravintolacella.fi/
It was a small, quaint and cozy spot.
I started with a bowl of salmon soup. This is a traditional dish in Finland. It was a savory creamy base with chunks of potatoes and salmon. Very tasty!
Don’t show this to young children who believe that reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh, but I ordered a reindeer meat entree.
It was chopped reindeer, seasoned and sautéed. It had a pleasant taste and texture and was served on a bed of mashed potatoes. (Mashed potatoes seem to come with everything here.) There were also super delicious lingonberries and pickled cucumber spears.
When the chef brought out my dish I couldn’t help but cringe a bit when he proudly announced my selection: “Reindeer!”. Poor Rudolph 🥲
The place had an old world feel to it. The wait staff were elderly women and there was some strange art on the walls.
I enjoyed the meal immensely and would recommend it to all (except vegans and young children!). 😋
When i traveled Scandinavia, the first meal was always something local.. reindeer in finland. Then my professors would find an italian place for the remainder of each city’s stay and we’d eat there every night!