Chef & Sommelier @ Helsinki, Finland
October 27, 2016
One of Helsinki's four Michelin-starred restaurants, Chef & Sommelier succeeds in impressing with a thoughtful, meticulous selection of seasonal produce - on one evening, the fireworks kicked off even before the meal proper, with an invigorating amuse bouche of a broccoli stem marinated in apple juice vinegar, topped with horseradish cream & toasted quinoa puffs, served alongside sourdough & rosemary rye bread that took three days to bake, paired with house-made butter & celeriac salt.
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The ingredients pretty much speak for themselves, eloquently conveying fresh, compelling flavours from Finland's land & sea: Roasted beetroot with red currants, blackcurrants, raspberries & blackcurrant leaves ...
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... melt-in-the-mouth, buttery wild salmon ceviche (like the Kobe beef of salmon) with pickled cucumbers & fava bean emulsion ...
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... 'risotto' of sunflower seeds with fava bean cream, sunflower bulbs, sunflower leaves & roasted zucchini ...
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AP59XJQ-agU/V_h7Cej7qRI/AAAAAAABk-A/1SHVlVmRGic1-xIIqA8mXHx1qdD-KsbrACLcB/s1600/DSCF2573-001.jpg)
... smoked dried reindeer heart shaved like Parmesan over siikli sweet potatoes (boiled in onion ash) & lingonberries ...
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzJ0837fRE0/V_h7H586mWI/AAAAAAABk-I/K8lgIFe8vFQAvc00x1rBBTjPBu6KwtupQCLcB/s1600/DSCF2602-001.jpg)
... four-month-aged Finnish goat's cheese with rhubarb jam & flatbread ...
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-misxZVt3kr4/V_h7Lww3FgI/AAAAAAABk-U/F9COBi-rC7UwnEcoY3-VaAbTgexLmKWTACLcB/s1600/DSCF2610-001.jpg)
... lemon basil sorbet ...
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-misxZVt3kr4/V_h7Lww3FgI/AAAAAAABk-U/F9COBi-rC7UwnEcoY3-VaAbTgexLmKWTACLcB/s1600/DSCF2610-001.jpg)
... lemon basil sorbet ...
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DlJ3WE-oB2o/V_h7Ml7jUhI/AAAAAAABk-Y/b9FALvGK53MDqw9YjsA3D82WxazGynO_wCLcB/s1600/DSCF2626-001.jpg)
... & blueberry parfair with pine needle vinegar & blueberries salted in brown butter, alongside coffee-dusted apple cake.
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The menu is matched with natural-tasting wines that showcase plenty of character but nonetheless allow room for the food to breathe & thrive. A Scandinavian sour beer surprise near the end caps off this sterling first meal in this beautiful Nordic nation.