Aanaar

Located far north of the Arctic Circle, Aanaar has grown to almost mythical status as a restaurant. It’s a place people journey to from the far south in search of culinary wonders, to taste the Arctic.

Even though fewer than a thousand people live in the village of Inari, it’s home to a fine dining restaurant that consistently earns top reviews. The number of visitors passing through each year is, of course, many times higher.

The restaurant’s reputation was built by Inari-born head chef Heikki Nikula, known from the TV series ‘Loirinuotiolla’, who taught Finns to eat lichen. Aanaar, which means Inari in Sámi, has been named Restaurant of the Year and has ranked as high as 24th on Finland’s best restaurant lists.

Since then, both the owner and head chef have changed, and the former Hotel Kultahovi has been completely transformed into the stylish Wilderness Hotel Juutua.

We went to see what kind of flavour experiences Aanaar offers today. The five-course menu costs €98, so expectations are high.

The restaurant’s setting is beautiful, just outside the centre of Inari yet peaceful. Through the windows you can see the Juutua River, which in winter flows dramatically between massive blocks of ice. Inside, your gaze is drawn to the restaurant’s beautiful hand-blown glass lamps.

From the very first kitchen greeting, the northern ethos starts to drift. A small bowl holds hummus and lemon spheres. Tasty, but also slightly puzzling. You somehow expected a more northern welcome.

The dishes follow one another with confidence and impress throughout. There’s Arctic char from Lake Inari, porcini and trout. Yet there’s a constant presence of international influences too: yuzu, lemon gel and bay leaf oil. Of course, there are also Nordic touches like spruce shoots, lingonberries and blueberries.

The highlight of the meal is the second main built around reindeer fillet. The reindeer is flavourful and wonderfully tender. The accompanying blood pancake made from reindeer is a nod to tradition, and the dish is crowned with purple lichen stained in blueberry broth.

It’s a stunning dish – and one that has been on the menu for years, just presented slightly differently. But that’s no bad thing, as this is exactly the dish many people come to Aanaar for.

The problem arises with the alternative main, aimed at fish eaters and vegetarians: a Marseille-style chickpea panisse. It was bland in flavour and a puzzling choice. Why not offer fish eaters something like king crab from the sea just a few hundred kilometres away? And for vegetarians, something built around forest mushrooms?

That was the only misstep of the meal. Otherwise, the dishes looked and tasted excellent. But reindeer fillet and Arctic char can be found in most of Lapland’s better restaurants. At least personally, I expected Aanaar to offer something more distinctive.

The truly unique northern specialities were missing this time, such as dried pike, known as koškepuško, which former head chef Nikula once described as a symbol of Inari Sámi culture. There was also no reindeer heart, bone marrow or other more unusual cuts.

Aanaar is still undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Lapland, but it also feels slightly comfortable. Alongside the purple lichen, what’s needed is more boldness and a greater willingness to experiment and show everything Arctic cuisine can offer. There is plenty of room in Lapland for a restaurant like that.

Atmosphere Understated elegance. It doesn’t lean too heavily on northern exoticism. Through the large windows, you might even spot the northern lights as the evening darkens.

Drinks In the north, people often travel by car. Luckily, alongside the wines there’s also a successful non-alcoholic pairing (€27), where northern herbs really get to shine.

Food High quality, with moments of playfulness.

Time Out tip It’s about an hour’s drive from Saariselkä. If you’re planning to visit Inari’s other main attraction, the Siida Sámi Museum, note that it’s closed on Sundays at least part of the year.