Dining and w(h)ining in Helsinki: Street Gastro

Better late than never, right? Those were my thoughts as I finally made it to this delightful arrival at Helsinki food scene: a proper food truck! We'd been touring Helsinki and doing culture (read: the end of summer sales) and felt a bit peckish. The Australian could not understand the fact that so many places were actually closed on Sundays. Especially in that beloved Töölö of mine.


And dear me - how can a sandwich taste this good? Though the chef behind the counter did become famous for his sting in the Finnish version of Top Chef. And the fellow entrepreneurs have honed their skills in award-winning restaurants such as Chez Dominique (2 stars), Olo (1 star) and Farang.

You won't find a better one anywhere in Helsinki Finland! I've yet to try the überclassic Reuben at New York's Katz delicatessen but I have my suspicion this will stay firmly in my Top 2.

Having worked in the area years ago, Sofiankatu, the street the truck is parked on, has always been one of my favourite streets in Helsinki. The views one gets to enjoy in addition to the best sandwich in town are pretty fine themselves.

The menu is compact but well thought. In addition to the ones listed below there was salmon too. They also do weekly specials that are well worth stalking on their Facebook page. Apparently you can even make suggestions for your own special there! That week's special was chicken-chorizo-tomato-pesto which, my great grief, had already ran out. A fellow blogger Mari had managed to check it though and was full of praise.

If there's slow roasted pork on the menu, it won't be long before it's on my plate. Though it won't stay there for log before finding a better home in my belly. Superbly succulent. Really fresh and beautifully clean flavours. The meat comes from Tamminen, a quality producer. For sides there are UK style chips, which had a lovely vinegary tang. They could have been crisper, but the flavour was more than  spot on. We highly approve. 

If you like cauliflower, they have that too. Deep-fried (wowcha!). Seasoned with seaweed salt (a double wowcha). 

Since that chicken-chorizo-dreaminess was not available I went for beef. Which, if even possible, was even juicier. The jellied red onions and their own bbq-sauce really brought it all together. As did the sunny service.

Try saying no t that one... Luckily you don't need to!

The joint has clearly found a grateful following. And kudos for that - with any luck that will guarantee Helsinki gets to enjoy these treats for a long time!