Helsinki is a wonderful city in terms of food and drink – there are many different types of food and also plenty different types of eateries to suit different occasions and levels of fanciness. We wanted a nice lunch rather than something casual, and after cruising the restaurants in the area, Brasserie Kämp within the Kämp Hotel caught our eye. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous and just has such a plush, elegant feel to it. We were seated and took some time to look through the menu which had a good mixture of dishes, each sounding more delicious than the last.

We were shown to our table and given some bread to pick at whilst we cruised the menu and made the agonising decision of what to order. I had bought a litre of cherries from the market after our boat trip and we had munched our way through a good whack of them, so we opted for just main courses.

Sautéed Reindeer

This was the star of the show! The meat was shredded which seemed odd at first! It was almost like it had been slow cooked to the point that it fell apart as the meat was so tender and succulent! Reindeer meat is absolutely gorgeous – a wonderfully deep meaty flavour; I loved how comforting it tasted. It was served with puréed potatoes, lingonberries, fried onions and juniper berries. Glorious!

Scallop Risotto

I’m not a big risotto fan, so this dish wasn’t going to ‘wow’ me however it was really nice. I find most risotto bland and really filling so I’m happy to grab a taste rather than order it myself. It was well seasoned and the scallops were beautifully cooked. The spring onion and asparagus gave a lovely fresh taste.

Braised duck with red cabbage

I love duck, particularly when it’s served medium. My friend ordered thus medium-well and it was still really juicy and tender. Mainly because of the fact the duck was broth braised and served with some of the broth. The sliced duck breast was placed atop cabbage. It was decent!

Spaghetti ‘Fruits de la mer’

This was absolutely glorious. I’m typically a cream sauce kinda girl as tomatoes tend to be quite tart when cooked and I’ve just never really enjoyed tomato sauces (with a few exceptions). This was my perfect tomato sauce for seafood as it was only a hint of tomato. The shellfish were all beautifully cooked and it was a wonderful dish.

The service and food in the brasserie is absolutely perfect. The waitor was so professional and lovely, and we accidentally knocked a drink over me (just water) and he was MORTIFIED. It was actually so endearing – he took such pride in providing great service. Me being me, I had a laugh with him and he calmed somewhat! If you’re in Helsinki I definitely recommend stopping by! If I’m back in the city I want to stay in the hotel, it’s absolutely gorgeous and the food is top notch!

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Hotel Kämp
Pohjoisesplanadi 29
00100
Helsinki
Finland
+358 9 576111

http://www.hotelkamp.fi

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