Latte Café, Turku, Finland

Probably the best espresso in Turku. This tiny café (Latte Café in Kristiinankatu) in Turku does not have national fame with baristas who win Finnish championships, like Café Art (also in Turku), or the best views in town (unlike, also, Café Art), but it has its cosy atmosphere and espresso that is parallelled only with Roman espressos. Soft, tasty, good crema, nothing fancy but even more quality. The café has a selected variety of serving with coffees, teas, cakes, and small snacks and breakfast. But for me, I come here for the espresso. Simple as that. I had walked pass by many times, but when I finally got here, I can not stay away anymore.

Gaggui, Turku, Finland

Nearly 10 months since last update - and plenty of new places to write of. Today I visited the first time in a café that was launched last year (I think), 2014. They specialize in cakes, hence the name "Gaggui", dialected form of Finnish word cakes, "kakkuja". The selection of cakes is nice and the place more spacious than I thought, roughly 26 seats - and there were six customers at 2pm. I chose a blueberry cheese cake, which was delicious, so props for the café, they know what they are doing. Plates, cups, furniture and overall design in the café is well chosen, creating an atmosphere of retro 60's. The double espresso I chose was also good, one of the best in town I have so far tasted. Slightly bit strong, and thin crema, if you want to beat Roman espressos, but that's another world of cafés, of which I try to write more in the future. For a Finnish café, it is very good. So overall score very good. I will definetely come back.

Turku, Tiirikkala

Tiirikkala, a Café located in the most prestigious surroundings of old Turku centre, is a new Café-Bar in the continuation of fine service establishments founded along the riverbanks of Aura in Turku. Located in old wooden building from early 19th century the Café has cathered an atmosphere of 1950's, some of 1970's, and a hint of early 2000's. From the terrace you can watch the river, riverbanks, cathedral, cathedral bridge, old market squares etc. The decoration, architecture, and surroundings are good mix of style and class. Music that they play in Tiirikkala varies maybe little too much, but altogether it seems to search same style, according to the decoration and atmosphere. The Café is also a good addition to the wide but still dull selection of cafés in Turku. From Tiirikkala, Café Art and Café Voltaire have got a good competition. It is very likely that this new Café will be one of the places where I will write my next books.

The selection of cakes and sandwiches is limited, but that might just be good thing. You don't need that much to choose from in a Café, in my opinion, after all, if the offered are of good quality. There is larger variety of beverages. The basic coffees, a nice selection of drinks - choose one and enjoy your life. The quality of cappuccino and caffe latte is decent, even though you will get better from Café Art, also with slightly cheaper prices there too. The staff seems to be little inexperienced with the coffee, but this small detail will hopefully get better. After all, it is just coffee, and even I have made decent cappuccino once.

There is also live music in weekend evenings (at least, I think). So far I haven't been there to listen what kind of music they have, but I could think the style would follow the overall style they have tried to demonstrate.

Even when Tiirikkala is for my liking, I have some small issues, the same issues that I have almost everywhere. For a serial Café-goer like me the seats are of great importance. You want to sit comfortably if you are to visit the place more than once, or once in a year. The chairs in downstairs are best for this purpose, and in some respect the chairs in the terrace - apart from the wabbly high chairs. To be fair, the chairs and couches could be worse, but what makes it more difficult are the tables, or most of them. Upstair couch tables are way too low to enjoy anything - unless you are a very very small person. For a man 6ft tall with way too long legs and hands almost any combination is bad. So maybe it is my own problem? Anyway, this is not a problem only in Tiirikkala, but in most places. Apart from this, I still like the place enough to come back. We'll see what I think after the summer is over, will this work in the depth of the winter, maybe, why not. 

Lohja (Virkkala), Finland, Trattoria Gusto

Finland isn't yet vastly multicultural country, but in some places and in many instances multicultural global world is seen in Finland also. Lohja is small town less than hour west from Helsinki. Last year a friend of mine, originally from Kosovo and lived in Finland for over two decades, founded an Italian trattoria in one part of Lohja, Virkkala. Situated about 10 minutes from Lohja centre, the trattoria has been a source of wonder and excitement for the locals. One small piece of international world cuisine on their footsteps. The chef is originally from Italy, an excellent chef, so the taste is authentic Italian. The owner couple welcomes their quests with smile and the customers keep coming back. They are planning to open a new location in the centre of Lohja, mainly because most offices and potential customers for lunch are there for Lohja. A place is already found and being renovated at the moment of writing this. The current place is also suitable for special events such as birthdays, and much more.

I visited the place in february 2014, and was very pleased how the trattoria had turned out. Interior looks like a restaurant, not a cheap "italian-style" butchery. The chef and the staff are professionals and the possibilities are many and excellent. If you ever happen to get lost in Finland, you might want to check the place, at Tietolantie, Virkkala. During my visit I ate pasta Gusto, their special with prosciutto and cream sauce. Wonderful choice and tasty as an italian pasta can be. Other pasta dishes, as well as risotto etc. are also found, of course some traditional and some with Finnish twist, like kanttarelli pasta. Actually the place has been so popular, that there has been invites to found a trattoria in different parts of Finland. So far they operate in Lohja and enjoy their life there. Hopefully many more would enjoy the life in trattoria.

Turku, Finland, Café Brownz

My new office has been found. Last year shopping centre Hansa in Turku renovated one part (Kultatalo) of the centre. In there, few new restaurants etc. were opened. I visited Café Brownz in january (i think), but they were still building their interior. The open space to other restaurants (or like) made the Café bit too loud and unappealing. Despite that factory-like decor and atmosphere, I decided to return there today. And for my enjoyment, they had improved the place nicely. Few curtains, elements, dividers between Café and other parts of the shopping centre - they all made it feel like a real Café, not just a shopping mall hang-a-round.

The reason why my path took me here today, was the hunger I felt for pastry, or something like. I dismissed one Café because their serving was unadventurous, boring to say. After walking around for few minutes I decided to look Café Brownz, what did they have to offer. The selection of pastries etc. was pleasing to my eye, and the previously mentioned improvement of decor got me convinced to give it a chance. Although the cinnamon roll I choosed wasn't the best I have had in town, It was good enough, and the pastries I left for second time looked inviting. Hopefully they will satisfy my royally selective taste (grunt).

The light dividers between Café and other parts of the shopping centre may look skinny, but they work excellent. It gives an impression of being inside and still gives a chance to observe the surroundings, if necessary. Curtains and other decorative things work also as noise absorbing acoustic elements, which means less echo and less noise, therefore more pleasant experience. The Café isn't best that the town has to offer, nor is it a full-blown über-cool-extracultured milieu, but nevertheless a good Café. Hopefully it will stay this way and only improve.

Kafe Lagidze, St. Petersburgh, Russia

Twice I have visited Russia, last time being in april 2012. We took a ferry cruise from Helsinki to St. Petersburgh and spent a day in our old capital with small group of friends. The city was as impressive as we anticipated, even when we had so little time to look around. I had searched earlier from internet for a place to have a lunch, so that we wouldn't have to seek for a place in a hurry. As usual, my choice was perfect and the restaurant proved to be wonderful experience adding to our pilgrimage to our former capital and its wide cultural offering. Kafe Lagidze is a Georgian restaurant just few hundred meters east from the church on spilled blood - or church of resurrection, officially. Just walk east from there, cross a canal by a bridge near the circus and you are there. Just as we preferred, the waitress wasn't fluent in English, so our hands and few words of Russian were useful in communicating. Georgian restaurants are popular in St. Petersburgh, I read somewhere, and rightfully so; food is tasty. We ordered some food from the English menu, and waitress brought plates of food, tasty and addictive. Of course we ordered shots of vodka for starters - my first taste of vodka - after all we were in Russia. Since the last conflict between Russia and Georgia, there are still limits for Georgian wine, therefore they hadn't included it in the list. That doesn't mean that they don't serve Georgian wine, you just have to ask for it nicely, and look, there was wine. The atmosphere and serving was right on the money - and I don't say this because it was reasonably cheap. This place is one I would definetely want to come back some day.

Rome, Italy, Alfredo e Ada

Small trattoria on Via dei Banchi Nuovi was where I had my first dinner in Italy. It is a genuine, old-school trattoria with nothing fancy - and it is located in the middle of Rome. Excellent. There will be no menu to offer, dinner is all fixed, the chef decides what people want to eat, every day. You may choose from meat or fish, and from white or red wine. But that is all you get - and all you want. No time wasted on hard decisions, and you can concentrate on the main thing, eating. Alfredo has unfortunately passed away some years ago, but I just checked that Ada is probably still alive, and cooking for all hungry customers that will stumble inside. Mostly Italian people inside, but few 'imigrantes' like myself will once in a while find their heaven. Food is good, nothing pretentious but simple Italian food. First the pasta, and then the main course (meat/fish). Dessert is simple, biscotti, just like my grandmother used to offer back in 1980's. Wine was house red, hence the modest quality, but it was suitable for everything else I had and experienced. If you want old charming and genuine Italian experience, find yourself an authentic trattoria like this, sit down, relax and enjoy. Life is simple at its best, just like traditional trattoria.

You could easily walk by without noticing the trattoria. Instead, just step in and relax, life is good.

 Ada was back in the kitchen, but her friends help serving the food. Small place gets full quick, so you'll better get there early.

 One happy customer. And picture of late Alfredo in the corner.

 Pasta, tomato sauce and parmigiano cheese. All you need for good plate. Wine from ultra-modern glasses.

High-tech receipt. Total 38 euros for two, 19 euros for three-meal dinner and red wine - in the middle of Rome. When you leave the trattoria, lights of the Roman cobbled streets in the evening draw you back to 'good old days' you wish you had lived in the past.