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.

Rome, Italy, Primo Cafe

For my first international review I chose Rome, and the only place I visited twice on my visit back in December 2009. Located on Campo di Fiori, Primo Cafe (there is at least one other Primo nearby) was good place to sit and relax by the heaters, watching busy campo - and wonderful sights and wonders walking by. Having eaten before in nearby trattorias, the idea was just to drink wine, sit, and watch people being italian. For me that was easier to say than to do - so I ordered some snack to eat together with the wine. Being bit trendy place, there still wasn't anything wrong with the serving, on the contrary. Prosciutto, cheese, vegetables, bruschettas etc., everything was just perfect for an evening snack.

 View inside: no tables there, only bar, kitchenette, and in the back relieving facilities.

 Since we were in the medieval centre of Roma, all tables were outside, and therefore good heating was necessary in December. It proved to be the best outdoor-heating I had ever experienced - therefore I undressed my coat.

Part of my late night snack that was bigger than I expected - and tasted like heaven. In the background you can see Campo di Fiori, and also the angel that was my waitress for two heavenly evenings.

There were many other places I visited in Rome, and there will be many more if I just have the opportunity. The hotel where I was accommodated, was located just 200 meters from Campo, so this little place offering night caps and some snack was perfectly located. And in December with most tourists elsewhere (only the next week christmas tourism would pick up) it felt like being in Italy, surrounded with Italian people living their ordinary lives. Primo Cafe wasn't anything fancy, but perfect for the purpose. Small place with good drinks and food, and good heaters. You can't find that kind of outdoor heating in Finland - but in other hand it gets much colder in December in Finland than in Rome. ...therefore go to Rome.

Turku, Coffee House

Coffee House in Aurakatu made an impact on me the day they were opened. I happened to be among the first three to step in the new café (adjoined with two restaurants). After I had ordered my caffe latte (half-automatic) and cinnamon roll, I sat down, only to notice my pastry was still raw. When I pointed it out to the staff, they discussed shortly - and threw every cinnamon roll in trash can. What a remarkable feeling, to be the one causing trouble in the opening evening, even with good reason to do so.

Coffee House belongs to the class 'best-before-date', even it is not utterly bad today either. Two things mainly are the reason to my conclusion: removing excellent baguettes from their list, and the place converting to teen-hang-around place. They did place an age limit for the evenings, so you can have your quiet moments later. Opening hours were one of the good reasons to come to Coffee House. When they opened, it was almost the only place (besides fast-food-chains) open after 7 PM that wasn't a bar. So for people who wanted something more relaxed than watching drunk people stumble around, they provided some improvement for nightlife. Although, in the weekends Amarillo upstairs converts to sort of nightclub, so better to enjoy your quiet evening during the weekdays.

Picture of the late paguette, back when the world was more simple place.

I used to go to Coffee House more when I wrote my masters thesis. I could of thanked them in my introduction, but decided not to single out just one place - there were after all other mistresses also. For many hours I analyzed my interviews, sitting there, sipping tea. Since those days I haven't been there that often, especially because of the teens. Let them have the place, I figure. One other thing was the dimming of the lights. For some strange reason almost every café and bar that stays open after 6-8 PM in Turku, have the acute need to dim the lights so low that you can't read there anymore. For academics who work odd hours reading, thinking and meditating in strange places, this is quite frustrating sometimes. Give me light, please! Just little more would be enough. It would be nice to see the other people's faces too, if you are there with company. Or maybe they think Finns are so ugly that you don't want to see their faces. Go figure...

Turku, Di Trevi

On a cold snowy winter day of  December, new wine bistro DiTrevi opened in Turku, on Aurakatu next to Fontana. My initial plan was to inspect the place later, but walking in snowfall made me ready to sit down and try the newcomer. With interior it competes in same class as Tintå, but more italian style with revealed brick walls and metal chairs. With the place being open only for three hours, there was many free tables to choose from. Variety includes taller tables, sitting by the window on high chair, more secluded room and more crowded space. There are steps downstairs, but I didn't check if there is another room waiting for rush hours. The 'crowded space' has good combination of six two-seated tables that can easily joined together for tables for four. For some Finns it can feel bit too crowded, but for people who love Italy and crowded restaurants, it feels just right. Perhaps next time the word has reached bigger crowds, so there would be more noise and life. Although I didn't have anything to complain with the relatively peaceful atmosphere. Waitresses/waiters greeted warmly and welcomed new customers. So points for them - at least for those two waitress who had the luxury and joy of serving me.

I first ordered only wine - Barbera d'Alba - but decided to try one tapas to snack together with the wine. Both were good choices, tapas being italian meatballs (which tasted also italian). Barbera is one of my favorites, so I wasn't dissappointed to begin with. Their list is compact, suitable for bistro type of restaurant. Of course I was left longing for tapas in Spain, which were much cheaper and bigger. But together with the bread provided, this was enjoyable enough in Finland. Next time I have to try something bigger, and see if I am still happy with the serving. My main point for this day was just relax, sit and read (one my annual traditional rituals, The World in 2013 by Economist).

With Tintå always packed on weekends, Di Trevi brings good competition, variety and choice to pick. Still, the best wine list is in Viinille, but they don't compete with food like Di Trevi, Tintå and E. Ekblom. The co-owner of Viinille visited Di Trevi also when I sat there  - like some waiters from other competing companies. I left the place before 8 PM, so the evening might of been more busy. All in all, the experience was good and the place recommendable. They serve also lunch - although I don't have any idea what that would be like.