A small and cosy restaurant in one of Helsinki’s central districts, GRÖN is a seasonal and organic place with a focus on natural Scandinavian ingredients of only the highest quality. The restaurant has many gastronomic honours and awards, including a Michelin star, which it still proudly retains to this day.
Having been to this restaurant once and had a very interesting experience, we were eager to revisit again. And finally, the opportunity has come during GRÖN summer season 2024.
So let’s embark on a new exciting journey together with the brand chef and co-founder Toni Kostian and his team.
The restaurant has undergone some changes — now it looks more spacious, with only 18 seats, and the open kitchen still dangles with its novelty and mysteriously reveals traditional flavors and aromas.
Once inside, the shelves on the walls with jars of fermented mushrooms, berries, and vegetables immediately catch your eye. As Toni told us, this is a collection of the restaurant’s teamwork.
Many of the vegetables, fruits, and herbs are grown in their own garden, and of course all used in the dishes. You can also notice beautiful dried variegated flowers under the ceiling and on the shelves, which are collected specially for the restaurant by Toni’s mom.
Another important concept of GRÖN is sustainability, which the restaurant has been awarded a Green Michelin Star. From the very beginning, this concept has been embedded in the establishment’s values and strategy, and strives to operate to the highest industry standards of sustainability in everything it creates.
The GRÖN menu is defined by seasonal and organic dishes made with the wildest products from the Nordic countries, and all that nature provides at certain times of the year.
The restaurant offers two menus: the Grön Menu and the Grön Vegan Menu, where vegetables are given a chance to shine in all their glory.
The wine accompaniment is created by sommelier and restaurant manager Fanny Tuominen, who joined the GRÖN team a year ago. In addition to the alcoholic pairing, Fanny has also developed a non-alcoholic pairing, which is very popular with fans of juicy berry and fruit compositions.
This time same like last visit, we chose towards the Grön Menu, but we’ll definitely be back here to taste the Grön Vegan Menu as well.
Small Starters open the tasting, along with a glass of l’Atavique Tradition Champagne Grand
Cru ‘Verzy’, France.
-Summer vegetables and herbs from our garden
-Dry aged beef, lovage honey mustard and crispy kombu
-Tomato, oregano and red currant pie
-Raw sweet shrimps and elderflower “Aquachile”
Wine suggestion: A. J. Adam
Im Pfarrgarten Riesling 2023, Germany
-Smoked pork fat chawamushi, corn and Rossini black label caviar
Wine suggestion: Famille Delouvin
Meunier Perpetuel Extra Brut Champagne, France
“During each season we discover different ingredients from producers, from the forest, ocean, wildlife and from the restaurant’s own farm, — says Toni. — In all dishes, our endeavour is to emphasise the real purity of the ingredients and its best qualities in a particular season. We change both menus four times a year. Through the dishes we want to introduce guests to the rich diversity of northern nature and its blessed gifts, and we firmly believe that we succeed in doing so. For the convenience of our guests, we do one extra seating on Saturday afternoons, this is one of our innovations.”
The main course begins with a bread serving and lobster:
-Brioche bread with honey, fennel pollen and churned butter
-Lobster, new potatoes, garden beans and Vin Jaune sauce
Wine suggestion: Forjas del Salnés
Leirana Finca Genoveva Albariño
Rías Baixas, Spain
As Toni told us, all the main ingredients — meat, poultry, fish are sourced from Finland and Sweden, and seafood from Norway.
-Norwegian scallop, Grön signature XO sauce and yellow kosho sabayon + 10g Rossini Oscietra selection caviar (this option comes at an additional cost of 25€)
Wine suggestion: Domaine Olga Raffault
La Singuliere Chinon, France
-Truffle sausage stuffed BBQ quail leg, chanterelles and truffle sauce
Wine suggestion: Brezza
Barolo Castellero, 2016, Italy
The dessert section opens with refreshing sorbet and strawberries from own garden to prepare your receptors for the following sweets.
-Black currant leaf sorbet and cucumber granita
-Polka strawberry, vanilla and summer flowers from our garden
Wine suggestion: Domaine des Roches Neuves
Bulles de Roche, Saumur, France
Finishing with a set of Petit Fours:
-Raspberry, wild rose and long pepper meringue pie
-Spruce shoot fudge
-Birch leaf Pâte de fruit
-Acorn miso and chocolate caramel
Grön Menu / Grön Vegan Menu — 158€
Wine pairing — 122€
Non-alcoholic pairing — 82€
Mixed pairing — 96€
Restaurant GRÖN
Address: Albertinkatu 36, 00180 Helsinki
Opening hours:
Lunch on Saturday 13.00
Dinner from Wednesday to Saturday 17.00 – 24.00
Instagram: @restaurantgron
Text: Marina Timo
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
