We have been to Juuri three or four times, and we really like it.
Juuri’s calling card is its ‘sapas’. A piece on the restaurant website, denies that this word derives from ‘tapas’, but I seem to recall an article at around the time the restaurant was opened saying the opposite. Instead, the website describes how the word comes from the the Finnish for ‘small Finnish starters’. Maybe the website has its tongue in its cheek. Anyway, sapas are dishes that are inspired by the idea of a Finnish buffet and they present undeniably Finnish ingredients in a very contemporary way – but as miniatures.
On one occasion we had only sapas throughout dinner. This time we did the more customary thing of taking a selection of sapas to start, and then choosing a main course. You can choose your own sapas selection from a list of a dozen or so, or the kitchen chooses six, presumably according to what’s most readily available.
Before our sapas, came a lovely amuse bouche of black salsify soup with salmon mousse, tiny pickled onions and salmon roe. It was a miniature dish of considerable sophistication, with each element emerging from the comforting embrace of the salsify.
The point of the sapas is that each small plate is like a dish that on a bigger scale could be a starter or main course. They are all beautifully presented (even if not particularly photogenic as a collection!) and opting for the selection really does take the hard work out of choosing when, in fact, you want them all. Our selection gives some sense of what sapas are all about:
Quark cheese with carrot and carrot puree
Fish mousse with dill cracker and marinated red onions
Cured beef with black salsify
Lamb sausage with sauerkraut smoked pike perch with cucumber jelly
Egg yolk confit with cheese
Smoked pike perch with cucumber jelly
We enjoyed every one. The confit egg yolk, both runny and slightly sticky at the same time, was lovely, the black salsify was a great match for the cured beef, and the two fish dishes were unmistakably Finnish. Each dish was so delicate, but collectively they add up to something far more substantial. The only problem with sapas is always how to share them. They are not easily divisible and usually one of us ends up with more of one ingredient or another, which slightly undermines the careful balance of each dish.
Our memory of previous visits to Juuri is that we went away delighted with the sapas but with the main course not leaving such a memorable impression. That was most certainly not the case this time. We both opted for the rather bland sounding Organic Beef with Potato and Fennel. What a dish! The beef came three ways – a perfectly cooked piece of fillet, a pattie made up of slower cooked cuts and a beef crisp; the potato came two ways – roast and pureed; and the fennel was pickled. It really was a lovely combination, and presented flavours to command our attention after our dance around the sapas.
Dessert was pretty good too: a chocolate and white chocolate ganache (the white chocolate snaking disconcertingly like, well, a snake) with bread porridge and mint tea ice cream, red gooseberries, meadowsweet and almond crumb.
Wine lists can be a challenge in Finland, but we chose a 2013 Viña Zorzal Graciano from Navarra. This was recommended for the beef and it stood up well to that dish, with intense black fruits, a hint of raspberry and some leather and tobacco notes. But it was also fine with the sapas.
Once again, Juuri didn’t fail to please. We recommend it enthusiastically. There is now a sister bar, just around the corner that serves sapas alongside drinks. That needs a visit next time we are in Helsinki.
