Bar Blondie

Vaasankatu is better known for its rough-and-ready pubs and cheap eats than sophisticated dining, but that might be about to change. Helsinki’s much-loved Blondie Pizza has opened a stylish new bistro next door, swapping its famous New York-style pizza slices for a more ambitious dining experience. At Bar Blondie, the idea is to share a selection of inventive small plates before tucking into whole pizzas with a playful bistro twist. We went along to try it – and came away rather impressed.

The idea is simple: start with a selection of dishes to share around the table, then move on to pizza for the main course. We ordered beef tartare, whitefish ceviche, Ibérico pork neck, a green salad and stracciatella. Every dish was a success. The portions (around 15 euros) could perhaps have been a touch more generous, but the flavours and cooking were consistently excellent.

For the main course, it’s back to Blondie’s roots: pizza. But here, the pizzas come with a little bistro twist. The menu featured options such as cacio e pepe, ’nduja with sausage and tomato, and mortadella. We tried the cacio e pepe and mortadella pizzas, and both were excellent. They had a little more personality and playfulness than the pizzas served at the original Blondie Pizza, which suits the restaurant’s more ambitious concept. The cacio e pepe even became my personal favourite – no mean feat, considering how hard I usually find mortadella to resist.

One thing worth knowing: unlike at Blondie Pizza next door, pizzas here are served whole rather than by the slice.

Although pizza remains at the heart of Bar Blondie, it would be a mistake to think of this place as simply a pizzeria. The quality of the starters, the inventive pizzas, the stylish setting and the overall experience make it a genuinely exciting bistro. For me, Bar Blondie went straight into my personal top 20 restaurants in Helsinki.

Part of the Blondie appeal is also the rather wonderful story behind the brand. Founder Jirka Pitkänen is a former firefighter who changed careers after an injury. He went on to work at both the refined Café Savoy and the laid-back, much-loved BasBas before opening his own little pizzeria, which quickly became a firm favourite among Helsinki pizza lovers. Since then, the tiny pizzeria has moved into larger premises, with this delightful new bistro opening right next door. Not a bad reminder that life can take you in some wonderfully unexpected directions.

Atmosphere: The restaurant is beautifully designed, with a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Service was a little inconsistent during our visit. We occasionally had to wait for wine or actively seek the staff’s attention, even though the restaurant wasn’t full. Everyone was friendly, though, and these minor hiccups did little to spoil the evening.

Food: The starters alone are reason enough to visit. For a restaurant built around one of Helsinki’s best-known pizza brands, it’s quite something that the small plates might actually steal the show.

Drinks: The wine list is well put together, and we found some very enjoyable pairings for our food. The cocktail selection, however, was rather limited – essentially a Negroni and a G&T. In a setting this stylish, serving food this good, a more adventurous cocktail list would be very welcome.

Time Out tip: Bar Blondie is another excellent example of Vaasankatu’s rise to become Helsinki’s coolest street. Book a table in advance.