In Helsinki, they have this really great event called Restaurant Day. This is an event that happens about once a quarter in many cities all over Europe. As someone who has a deep, abiding love for food, especially cultural food, this is an event I have been dying to attend since moving to Finland. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
On restaurant day, many restaurants come together, not just in Helsinki, although that is where the bulk of the action happens, and sell a certain selection of their fare. However, it’s not just restaurants that participate. It’s also a chance for those that want to share their love of food from their homeland, or their favorite recipes, to have a restaurant for a day.
As per the advice of friends who have been to restaurant day before, we checked out the Restaurant Day website, to check out what places we might want to try and where all the tents are. There were so many to choose from but once we got there, we decided to just wander and see what we could find.
There was everything we could imagine. Pad Thai? Yep. Spicy egg rolls? yes, they had those too. Plenty of hot drinks for a cold day? No problem! I even found Mexican Hot Chocolate (a little taste of home for me). If you’ve never tried that, it needs to go on your list.
Personally, gyros are one of my favorite dishes of all time so I was beyond excited to see that there was a booth selling gyros. Sadly for me, every time we walked past the booth, there were at least 30 people waiting in line. Their food must have been amazing….note to self: get there earlier next time! It seems fate had other plans for me that day. I found a place selling real Texas BBQ. That’s something this Texas girl has truly missed since moving overseas. Fafa’s BBQ has amazing brisket, Texan seal of approval! I was so pleasantly surprised that I don’t mind waiting another 3 months for the next restaurant day to get a Gyro.
If sweets are more what you’re in the mood for, there are sugary confections galore, including a wide variety of gluten free. Look at this cake! Isn’t it beautiful? My friend that had a slice said it was as tasty as it looked, and had fresh orange slices in between the layers.
The next Restaurant Day is February 21st. Mark your calendars, and be prepared to eat your way through the city.
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