Helsinki’s Eteläranta has received two new restaurants.
Probably no one will buy restaurants as fast as Nina Koiranen partner Kari Koponen. Last spring, Nina went to buy wine glasses from the South Shore, but she took more than just glasses. On the way back, Koiranen called her partner Kari to tell them that there would be two restaurants. The decision to buy was immediately made.
First of all, Koiranen wanted to return the restaurant space to its original glory. There is now a restaurant Victor’s Garden.
The Victors Krog hall will not be behind the milieu either. The restaurant is also located in a historic building, one of the oldest residential building in Helsinki.
Victors krog’s ice cellar salmon is in the brine for several days. Eve Paljakka
Victors Krog’s food has the same spirit as the milieu. The restaurant has brought back traditional and unobtrusive food.
– The history of the house invites you to make traditional food. Over the past decades and centuries, it should be visible. This restaurant includes food from Helsinki, says Krog’s work responsible for the operations Liisa Tirronen.
Nina Koiranen and Liisa Tirronen want to bring traditional food on the menu, partly lost. Eve Paljakka
Koiranen states that they wanted KroG, not bistro, from the restaurant.
– Nowadays everyone is doing bistro. We wanted a simple and layered food that doesn’t have to look for flavors, but are easy to find.
The oskarinplay is a classic that will stay on the Victors Krog’s list. The dose contains calf roast with double paneling, asparagus, river crabs, choron butter sauce and needle potato mousse. Eve Paljakka
Koiranen recalls that the façade of the house also reads Krog, from 1990 to 2015 as a legacy of Sundmans Krog.
Koiranen describes that Krog is like Krouvi, that is, really simple food and warm and hearty service.
If Koiranen was fast in her movements, you can say the same thing about Tirro.
– When Nina called, I thought maybe five seconds. The place is great, the business idea is great, but my decision was most influenced by who called. I hadn’t even searched for a job, yet I had received several job offers at the same time, says Tirronen.
It is important for Nina Koianen that her restaurant has white tablecloths and fabric napkins. Eve Paljakka
He has had a long career in the wine world, but now got the opportunity to return to his youthful dream, as Tirronen is a butler graduated from a restaurant school.
What is Helsinki -based food?
According to Tirronen, Helsinki shows the impact of neighboring countries. Victors Krog also has a lot of Swedish Husmanskosti style. For example, an oskarinplay that landed in Finland for bourgeois food.
According to Liisa Tirronen, the Victors Krog’s fish cart is a specialty of the restaurant. There is no such thing elsewhere. Eve Paljakka
Similarly, the sea is of great importance in food in Helsinki. The fish trolley is a specialty of Victors Krog, which is not found anywhere else. The serving trolley is brought beside the table and the customer is given herring, herring and smoked fish.
– In particular, Italian, German, English and French are in love with a fish cart, says Tirronen.
They have received exceptionally many praise.
The starter menu has a classic dose of ice cellar salmon, which is by no means quick salt, but is in the brine for at least five days. The salmon is served with milk sauce and dill oil.
The Victors Krog has white tablecloths, fabric napkins, breads, spreads and bubble water offered without separate payment.
Landgångleä is almost forgotten. Its name comes from the plank that we walked to the ship. The ship’s officers offered bread to his guests. There is cheese, meat, vegetables and fish on the bread. Eve Paljakka
– We want to offer bread to the customer, we are used to Finnish that water and bread do not pay separately. Another decision we make is that we bake the bread ourselves, Koiranen says.
The most expensive dose of the menu onion steak costs 32 euros and Hauki Wallenberg 24 euros, the most affordable bottle of wine is 39 euros. This price level is rare in downtown Helsinki.
– We want to show that food can be made cheaper. The restaurant can be eaten with your own money and in good spirits, says Koiranen.
The butterfly cake is a bow to a Finnish home baker. Eve Paljakka
He describes restaurants opened in the summer as places of his own money that does not compromise on high quality ingredients. According to Koiranen, safety, traditions and history are available in modern times.
-High-quality ingredients are no more advantageous to us than for others. We think carefully about where we buy them and what we use. I always tell my employees that wine choices or menus are not made for colleagues or for themselves, they are for customers, Koiranen says.
Victors Krog’s view of Pelle Janzon in Sweden, developed by a Stockholm opera singer Per Janzon’s hangover. He also started offering food to his friends, and its victory began. Eve Paljakka
Tirronen points out that the world is full of good wine. But they are looking for the right price and of good quality.
– We want to make our customers safe with known products. We do not want the customer to feel stupid while reading the wine list if he did not know any product, Tirronen continues.
In the fall, the kitchen offers root vegetables, game, fungi. Plans are to make a tongue and bake blood pancakes that are available in a few restaurants.
Koiranen laughs that they want to challenge customers a bit. Of course, there are also familiar classics on the list.
Salmon soup has smoked salmon. For lunch, the cost of the soup is € 13.70. Eve Paljakka
FACT
Captain of the merchant ship, merchant Gustaf Wilhelm Sundman, built the house between 1817 and 1820.
The drawings of the house were made by Carl Ludvig Engel.
The ground floor was reserved for retail stores, upstairs was in the owner’s residential use.
Later, the house was owned by trade counsel Victor Ekin and this heir and also served as the premises of Oy Victor Ek Ab.
Restaurant GW Sundman’s restaurant operations began in the building after the renovation of 1988-1989.