Lilla Pärlan’s meat was sold out in the first days.
Lilla Pärlan sells both ready-made portions and meat at a price per kilo. Inka Soveri
In January, a restaurant opened in Mankka, an industrial area in Espoo, where smoke rises every day. In a large smoking bowl, cook beef brisket, pork ribs and pulled carrots.
The Barbeque gem Lilla Pärlan has not gone unnoticed by the locals. The meats were sold out right away in the first few weeks and the entrepreneur Joonas Immosen had to hire helpers soon to survive the sale.
Lilla Pärla’s Espoo has a pop up restaurant, at least for the time being, whose original parent restaurant can be found in the Turku archipelago in Taivassalo. There Immonen and his partner Jussi Liimatainen last summer opened possibly the largest floating summer restaurant in Finland.
The restaurant is built on an old fish farm, which was towed by entrepreneurs from Sweden to Taivassalo. The restaurant, built on top of the pontoon, has 400 square meters and floating terraces that can be reached directly by boat.
The restaurant has a large wood-fired pizza oven and a smoker next summer. Immonen now uses it during the winter season in Mankka.
– We planned a smoker for Taivassalo’s restaurant last summer, but since it wasn’t made, I thought it would be nice to try it somewhere else during the winter.
A suitable space was found in Mankka, where Joonas Immonen, who previously worked at the Michelin restaurant Demo, among others, lives.
– I think there is a lack of restaurant offer here.
Smoking takes time
Immonen has decided to focus on a simple but functional line in Lilla Pärlan’s smoking. Salt and pepper are enough to season when smoke and time do their job for meat. A good result takes a lot of time.
– The meat smokes for 7-12 hours at about 100 degrees, depending on the size of the pieces.
The meats put in the smoker in the morning are ready for sale in the afternoon. That is why Lilla Pärlan will only open in the afternoon. INKA SOVERI
Beef brisket has become Lilla Pärlan’s most popular meat, which Immonen describes as the crown jewel of bbq culture.
However, the most feedback has been gathered from the ribs, which many have praised as incredibly good.
– Their secret is ibericoporsas, which is quite fatty. It really has a different taste than Finnish traditional pork.
In addition to meat, you can buy side dishes from Lilla Pärlan, such as potato salad, cabbage salad and various sauces, which can be used like dips.
Joonas Immonen has had a long career in restaurants across Finland. INKA SOVERI
Regular customers now
Joonas Immonen says that cooking with fire has fascinated him for a long time. It’s familiar to the man, but for the first time, the chef has access to a smoker of this size. It sets its own challenges.
– Wood-fired pizza ovens or smokers cannot be placed in many places in Helsinki, for example, so you have to choose business premises elsewhere. That is part of the reason why we are in an industrial area in Espoo. Here you can smoke in peace and it will not cause any disturbance.
Already in a couple of months, Mankkaa Lilla Pärlan has had time to form a group of regular customers. In most cases, the customer becomes the father or mother of the family, who brings the food to the whole family. However, there is a clientele from side to side, from teenagers to the elderly, which has made the entrepreneur particularly happy.
– There will be a feeling that this type of restaurant is needed.