Centurion Australia Spring 2015

BLACKBOOK HOT TABLES

BLACKBOOK HOT TABLES Clockwise from left: smoked pikeperch with grilled cucumber and spring onion from Ask; chef Kari Aihinen; inside his restaurant Savoy The Finnish Line Helsinki’s take on simple seasonal cuisine – as served in a selection of fuss-free eateries – is gaining both the admiration of diners and the respect of foodies from far and wide. Alexander Lobrano pulls up a chair In Finland, we never had a bourgeois culinary culture, like other European countries,” says Helsinki chef Kari Aihinen. “Instead, we’ve always had an unselfconscious tradition of good simple local seasonal food, like crayfish in July and wild mushrooms in the autumn. I think this explains why the world is falling in love with Finnish cuisine today.” Aihinen’s own cooking at the beautiful Restaurant Savoy (ravintolasavoy. fi) in Helsinki is just as simple and vibrant as his forebears’, showcased in dishes like grilled pike-perch with green asparagus, lemon verbena and a honey vinaigrette. Aihinen’s culinary style also speaks eloquently of the Finnish capital’s ardent new fascination with gastronomy. Trailing most large European cities, Helsinki didn’t have a Michelin-starred restaurant until the late chef Eero Mäkelä won Finland’s first for his cooking at the Palace Gourmet restaurant in 1987. And Finnish food has been famously mocked from time to time during the past 20 years, PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DANIEL HERTZELL, © SAVOY (2) 38 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM CONTACT CENTURION SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS

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