Afternoon in the sun!

Happy Saturday morning!

We drove to the summer cottage Yesterday evening! 

Oh, it was magical! The darkness came already around eight o'clock, and I must tell you it was REALLY dark!

Since there's no electricity over here we lit up the candles, the lanterns, the fireplace, the sauna, unpacked our things and sat down to the porch to listen to the silence. Zillions of stars were on display in the clear sky. It was magical.

So beautiful.

But before we left the city, I had some errands to run plus a late lunch date with a sweet friend!

The sun was shining so sweet, making the colours bright and giving me a carefree mind!

The face is a little sour but the hair sure is shining!! Have you gotten your Moroccan Oil shampoos already??!!

The stairway at the end of Oksasenkatu is one of my favourite spots: I love the smell!

I think our sweet town of Helsinki, or any place meaningfull in the world, isn't only about the surroundings or images, it's also about smells and sounds, and here's one of my favourite smells: to me it's kind of a smell of a basement or something that's underground. Someone might just call it the smell of damp, but I love it! I always slow down when I climb these steps!

The lunch date took place at the cozy and super delicious Cholo in Lönnrotinkatu!

Really good, genuine Mexican food in the form of a naked veggie burrito with a bottle of Corona made us feel very satisfied! 

Good food in the sweetest company is one if the meanings if life, right?!

Past few days!

Inspite the rain there's been a lot to be glad about this week!

First of all, we went out with the girls Wednesday night!

It was a celebration of a birthday and it took place in Farang!

Oooh, what a journey of flavours, atmosphere and joy we had!

This was my first time there, and definitely not the last! 

It was incredible!! Beyond words really, I'd feel like an idiot if I even tried to start analyzing the food. Such rich and fresh tastes, so many different ones at the same time, it was amazing. We took the tasting menu which was clever, that way we got a vast range of what they had to offer. Have to go back! Soon!

Before the reservation we enjoyed the premiere of the latest Finnish film Kekkonen tulee!, skipped the official party and had some beautiful Prosecco under a tree in Kaisaniemi Park instead, then continued to what they say is the best restaurant in Helsinki today!

It was dreamy, it really was, thank you sisters!!!

And here's the happy girl giving her new bag a walk Yesterday...!!

A romantic dinner at Muru!

Yesterday my sweet husband took me out for a wonderful dinner! I got to choose the place which was such a beautiful little restaurant in Fredrikinkatu, Restaurant Muru! I love the name! It fits so well for a romantic evening! But it sure is popular! It was pure luck that we managed to get a table due to a cancellation, otherwise the weekends were full until May!! Good for them, and truly it is no wonder, the food was just heavenly!!

We took the 4-course menu with delicious cheeses after the main course, oooh, beautiful!! Husband had helmikana (guinea fowl) and kateenkorva (thymus), and I had made (burbot). The starter was an artichoke soup with white fish, so smooth I couldn't believe it! And the desserts were incredible, chocolate fondant and pot de créme... The whole evening was a real treat and everything worked beautifully: the atmosphere, the lighting, candles, service, the food, and us of course! I love evenings like these, thank you my love!!

Mille Mozzarelle: The Perfect Sunday Brunch!

Today myself, husband, and three dear friends of ours headed down South to Punavuori for brunch! My friend knew this beautiful little place, and also that the word of their fabulous brunch had spread, so she made a reservation and off we went!
Oh my dears, this was the ultimate experience for a while!!
It's an Italian place, famous for its lunches and brunches, and they really put an emphasis on the ingredients being local and fresh, and that you could definitely tell!
We got delicious starters with cheese for vegeterians and Parma ham and salami for the rest, and different kinds of pastes, rucola, tomatoes, and some youghurt. The main course came on a plate with their own focaccia, more excellent cheeses, jams, fruit, a small salad..so good!! The coffees, delicious teas, juice and some Prosecco made us all lyrical, and as a dessert a heavenly tiramisu served in a glass was the cherry on top of the cake!!
And the service was excellent, such a wonderful start for a Sunday, mille grazie Mille Mozzarelle!!

If you haven't experienced it yet, hurry! But remember to make a reservation, it's a small place and we watched several parties who had to go elswhere because it was completely full. You can find it in Viiskulma, Pursimiehenkatu 7!

A Day-Off!

If possible, there's no sweeter thing than to allow yourself a day-off in the middle of the week! I started early, really early, I was in the swimming pool at 7.55, swam a kilometer and enjoyed the sauna! Such a heavenly start for the day! Sweet husband was still asleep when I came back, so I made a good cup of coffee for him!
We left together, I walked to the center to get us tickets to a movie tomorrow night! We're going to see The Master. We both are huge fans of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it's supposed to be a good film. A movie night coming up, yay!

I did some shopping, had sushi for lunch in the sweet Sushi Bar in the corner of Annankatu and Uudenmaankatu, and still continued my way to Korkeavuorenkatu and Lungi, where I bumped into an old friend!

Matchy matchy! My See by Chloé-bag and the Melissa's make a perfect match!

Can you guess which shoe shop I'm in?? This is their brand new boutique in Aleksi, they gave up the beautiful space in Bulevardi and moved here! Very nice!

After lunch-walk in Punavuori! Always keep your eyes open and you'll spot pretty things!

And yes! The best shoe shop in town!! I'll show you the inside of this bag later, bye for now dears!

Running errands

I just got home from a serious five-hour-madness in the center! Today has been my free day of the week so I had to be efficient: I started from the bank and continued downtown to mingle with all the other so many people running around in the slippery sidewalks while more snow kept coming down! Could this go for a week's workout? I should think so!
I had many things to take care of and none of them was about Christmas! We are leaving for a tour in China in a few days with work, and my list of things-to-do seemed neverending! But I did reach the finishing line and am safely at home now with the basic procedure: candles lit, woolly socks on, soup on the way, phew! And Christmas shopping will come later. One thing at the time.
But no matter how many things needs to be taken care of, I always snap a photo in at least every other corner! I had some sushi for lunch and a cup of tea for dessert. I went to Ichiban in Aikatalo and afterwards the beautifully renovated Svenska Teatern for tea. It's got a good old style theater feel to it but just maybe it was a little bit cozier before the big renovation. But beautiful it is anyway!

There were all kinds of Christmas things going on, oh how I'm waiting for the hurry-free days, family gatherings, the Christmas food, all the fish, the chocolates, the quality sofa-time under the blanket, books, movies..! We'll be back in time for all that and it will feel all the more special then! Here's some moments of my day, have a good beginning of the weekend!

Hoshito!

Oh dear, full stomach, again! There's been so much good food this week! But tonight's experience was also something new! I'm a big sushi fan but this wasn't exactly a sushi restaurant, it was a Japanese restaurant, and the only familiar dish to me in the 4-course meal we had was the sashimi which we got after the soup. Everything was so beautifully set, in beautiful bowls and plates, the place itself was quite minimalist and stylish with Eero Aarnio chairs. Native Japanese staff, so friendly and helpful! And we had such sweet time as always! My friend is currently on maternity leave, we also work together, and I have missed her! But we meet regularly, you might remember her in my story about Kahvila Sävy! This time the beautiful baby girl spent some quality time with her Dad, and we chatted good! And long! Thank you sweetie!!

The rest of Friday

Good evening!
It's been a nice day with the sun and the crispy weather! Once I got out I did some necessary and unnecessary things which was good, because I wasn't in a hurry! I had lunch at Lungi in Korkeavuorenkatu which is one of my favourite places, once again, they're so many.. Had a goat's cheese salad with beetroot which was good, and after that headed to Cafe Balzac. I strongly recommend this place, go there if it's new to you, or if it's not, go again and just enjoy the atmosphere! It's a small, real pretty, and real cute place! Everything they have is exellent, the selection of teas, wines, salads and sandwiches, and the music. Nice, nostalgic jazz, I think I went to Paris during the time I spent there! Foodwise they prepare everything themselves, you can really taste that the ingredients are good, it's wonderful. My friend found the place in the summer and since that I've noticed that my feet just take me there quite regularly! It's situated in one of the courtyards in Iso Roba, right soon after Black Door. Oh, heavenly!