Hans Välimäki opened yet another restaurant.
The interior of The Rook adapts the atmosphere of the television series Peaky Blinders. Wind Lindgren
Although times are difficult for many restaurant entrepreneurs, no Hans Välimäki head dizzy. The top chef already opened another new restaurant in Helsinki this fall. The Rook, a new restaurant that opened on Yrjönkatu, is a bistro pub with a menu focused on game and fish.
– I guess it’s a crazy belief in the positive. I believe that even if we go down, we will definitely go up again somewhere. And if everyone thought that nothing new could be done, then nothing would come of it, says Välimäki.
Välimäki says that he has been traveling to different cities in Great Britain on a regular and irregular basis for twenty years. However, in order to establish The Rook, he made a special expedition.
– We went all the way to Scotland to see different places and find out how things are done there.
Scotch eggs have become customers’ favorites in the first couple of weeks. The sale of the game has also pleased me, says Hans Välimäki. Wind Lindgren
The trip reinforced the idea that the dishes offered by The Rook also include Välimäki’s basic know-how, i.e. French cuisine. So you can’t get pure British food from a restaurant.
– In fact, even in Britain quite a few bars and restaurants have French wait staff. There, too, cuisines are happily mixed. We don’t want to be puritans, but we want to strive for the best possible outcome, Välimäki reasons.
The specialty of The Rook is a secret room with a call button. Wind Lindgren
The interior of The Rook catches your eye as soon as you enter with its dark green walls. Its background is Välimäki’s enthusiasm for the Peaky Blinders crime drama.
– I once tried to watch the series on the recommendation of my friends, but I wasn’t enthusiastic. Later, I gave the series another chance and watched the episode longer than I expected. That’s when I got hooked and then watched the whole series. Acting is amazing, but I might look at TV shows or movies, for example, set design. Here, the atmosphere in particular was addictive, and that’s what we went to the restaurant to get. I’m still a big fan of the series.