The new restaurant VERSION, founded by chefs Kari Aihinen, Olli Kolu and Arttu Salovaara, opened its doors on March 10, 2020 in the center of Helsinki in the Kaarti district.
A complex of Restaurant and Bar — Eatery & Drinkery, that offers the finest flavors and trends of Californian cuisine. The location of the restaurant in the city center within the Autograph collection Hotel U14 (the hotel opened at the same time) makes it even more accessible for visiting.
Endless Summer
The restaurant interiors, which looks like an evergreen jungle with the rays of shining sun, are distinguished by a special comfort and pleasant chilling atmosphere.
Transparent glass ceilings, wooden tabletops and wicker chairs, soft sofas with bright pillows & birds and animals painted on them as well as elegant decor objects in the form of the same inhabitants of flora and fauna.
On a warm day it’s pleasant to relax in a small patio with the easy access from the main hall.
Eatery
VERSION Eatery offers meat, fish and vegetarian dishes inspired by the juicy flavors of Californian cuisine, mainly cooked in a charcoal oven, as well as classic dishes in original presentation.
The doors of the restaurant are open seven days a week from early morning until late at night. In the morning the restaurant serves breakfast for guests of Hotel U14, and throughout the day there is an à la carte menu as well as special evening menu of three (42 €) and five (59 €) dishes.
A five-course menu includes two cold appetizers, two main dishes and a dessert. Each of them could be accompanied by a selected wine from the own rich wine collection.
In the photo: Chef Henri Kotkavuori
“Sustainability determines each of our choices, — says Chef of the restaurant Henri Kotkavuori, — we carefully select suppliers, ingredients, and we put special emphasis on local Finnish products that are distinguished by high ecological qualities. We try our best to minimize food waste. Some find their use again in the preparation of food and even drinks. Our clothes are also made from natural eco-friendly materials. We care not only about the guests, but also about our team and the environment.”
You can start your dinner with a light fish appetizer in a fancy and minimalistic presentation — Salmon Crudo: Salmon, Jalapeño, Ponzu-citrus dressing.
Following the salmon goes Tartar Lamb — finely chopped Finnish lamb meat with green apple and fennel slices that give a special taste and aroma to the meat.
A glass of dry rosé wine from Provence MM Minuty Côtes de Provence 2019 will elegantly highlight the taste of both dishes.
For the main Chef offers an interesting combination of pan-fried whitefish with kale and kombu seaweed, seasoned with lemon crème and garnished with trout caviar — Whitefish & Lemon.
It tastes especially good with the American dry white wine Charles & Charles Riesling — Washington State harvest 2017.
Second main dish on the 5-course menu is signature Version Flank Steak: Grilled Black Angus beef, fried onion and chimichurri.
A classic story of “Steak + Red wine” will be absolutely revealed by the tangy taste and aroma of Moccagatta Barbera d’Alba 2017 Italy.
And finally, Apple pie and yoghurt sherbet for dessert — “Granny’s” pie with juicy and spicy apple filling and yoghurt vanilla ice cream.
“We follow the rule that good food should be enjoyable,” — says Henri Kotkavuori, “and we are fairly delighted to see our guests come back again.”
Drinkery
The Drinkery or VERSION-Baari serves first-class exotic cocktails with and without alcohol.
In the photo: Bar manager Mika Koivula⠀
“We are creative in our drink selection and constantly update our cocktail list depending on the season,” — says bar manager Mika Koivula. “We also comply with the Zero-waste standards: we use some of the ingredient leftovers from the kitchen to make interesting and unusual drinks.”
One of the VERSION hits — Bright in color and taste Cosmic Beet Cocktail (€ 13.5).
Vodka, Orange Liqueur, Beetroot Cordial and Lime.
The next one could be called Mika’s signature mix — Malted Hard Shake (13 €).
Whipped egg white with Single Malt whiskey, Genever liqueur and cream, garnished with a slice of orange marmalade.
Or refreshing, reminiscent of Italian granite, Aperol Slush (12.5 / 7 €).
Aperol, Sparkling Wine, Red Orange. Available in two volumes.
And even if you don’t drink alcohol, no less interesting blends are waiting for you.
For example, the light and harmonious Non-Alcoholic Everleaftini Cocktail (10.5 €), prepared on the basis of Everleaf non-alcoholic bitter with the addition of UnVined Riesling and Verbena lemon tea.
“The motto of our team is “Respect the classics, but don’t forget to surprise”, —Mika continues, — in addition to cocktails, we have a rich wine list that includes a wide selection of Californian wines as well as European classics.”
And chilling out with DJ music-sets you can stay in Drinkery VERSION until late at night.
VERSION Drinkery & Eatery
Address: Unioninkatu 14, 00130 Helsinki
Reservations: info@version.fi; +358 29 314 1411
Instagram: @thisisversion
Editor-in-chief: Patricia Kolari
Technical Director: Evgeny Fedorov
Text writer: Marina Timoshevskaya Photos: EATWEEK
