Helsinki

Sokos Hotel Vaakuna: Time Travel in Helsinki

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Where one should stay when in Helsinki is probably one of my most-asked questions. I have family coming over, one of them being a history teacher – so I wanted to recommend a place that has a story to tell. There are countless possibilities and places, kinds of accommodation, and what kind of place feels best is something so subjective. What’s undeniable though is that there are not all that many places that have a lot of character to them, hotels can often be generic and pragmatic, but often lack charm and uniqueness – but the Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna is different. Opened in the 50s for the Olympic Games in Helsinki, it still managed to retain the vibes from the era, even after the extensive renovations they just concluded. 

Dinner Date: Pobre Filipino

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I have to admit that I didn’t have a clear idea of Filipino food, I’ve tasted it before but I knew very little about it. Pobre is the only full-service Filipino restaurant in Helsinki, and it is part of the Kampin Korttelit restaurant floor. They recently invited me and my dear friend Alex to taste our way through their menu to share their love for food and Filipino culture. And oh boy was it a food fest!

Magic Mocktails at American Bar Torni

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Often, if you ask for a mocktail at a bar, you get two boxed juices put together, add a bit of lemon and a fancy straw and they be done with it. Which is a shame, because with fresh herbs, juices and fruit, creating a delicious alternative to a traditional cocktail, isn’t that hard. And you don’t necessarily always feel like drinking water or a grossly sweet soft drink when you’re out with friends – no matter if you generally drink or not. At the very much underrated American Bar in the Torni hotel, you can not only order fresh and seasonal mocktails – I was invited to join a small group to try their alcohol-free options and learn how to recreate them at home. 

Helsinki – Sunday dinner & drinks

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While Helsinki is a fairly easy place to get things done on Sundays, with generous opening hours and few bits of town actually closing down, it can be a bit of an annoying endeavour to find restaurants and bars for some drinks on a Sunday evening. And while it may not be the most obvious place for either, sometimes you have visitors, guests or something to celebrate that will have you venture out on a Sunday night – so here’s a summary of the best places open for business.

Dinner Date: Restaurant Ultima – this is hyperlocal

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Helsinki’s food scene surprises me again and again, Ultima being one of the newest additions. A microlocal restaurant with a fine dining experience, that’s just something completely different. What does that even mean? Well, locally sourced products are a staple of many restaurants as it’s a philosophy that’s deeply rooted with Finnish restauranteurs. Microlocal essentially means, that 90% of the products used are brought in from less than a 100km radius – with some even grown inside the very restaurant location. With climate change impacting the agricultural sector, it lies upon us, says Henri, to think of alternate ways to source food, as sustainably and organically as possible. 

#yrittäjänviikko – Spaces

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If you are self-employed and running a one-woman show most of the time, the question of where you actually work is a big one, and co-working spaces are a great option. Work from home, rent an office, work from libraries or cafés? There are plenty of possibilities, but which is the right one is a very subjective thing. I’ll explore a bunch of different opportunities, starting with the co-working office SPACES.

#yrittäjänviikko – Entrepreneurship week

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It’s #yrittäjänpäivä on Wednesday, but I decided to take this whole week to share some input on my take on entrepreneurship. I’m approaching my four year business anniversary, with good and less good times, both as a motivation to myself and readers, Helsinki freelancers and entrepreneurs, and while I’m definitely not the wisest person to give you any life advice at all, I’m here to share and rant and all that jazz.