Nokka

Nokka’s slogan says it all: ‘Wild nature on a plate.’ Opened in the early 2000s, Nokka was one of the first restaurants in Helsinki – and indeed in all of Finland – to champion wild fish, game, foraged herbs and berries alongside responsibly farmed ingredients from small local producers. At the time, the idea seemed rather radical. Today, local and seasonal food has become the dominant dining trend.

Chef Ari Ruoho has pointed out in interviews that Claus Meyer visited Nokka shortly after it opened. Not long afterwards, Meyer and René Redzepi launched a little restaurant in Copenhagen called Noma.

As head chef, Ruoho does not simply order wild ingredients from suppliers – he hunts, fishes and forages many of them himself. Appropriately enough, his surname means “grass” in Finnish.

The uncompromising philosophy is reflected not only in the quality of the food, but also in the prices: four-course menus cost between €74 and €89, while the eight-course signature menu comes in at €139. Dishes are also available à la carte.

You do not come here for an ordinary weeknight dinner. You come for something memorable – and Nokka’s dramatic setting inside a vast red-brick harbour warehouse rises to the occasion beautifully. At the entrance, guests are greeted by a giant ship propeller and anchor. Inside, old maritime objects and a wooden rowing boat suspended high above the dining room create one of the most atmospheric restaurant interiors in Helsinki.

The reindeer tataki was one of the best starters I’ve eaten in Helsinki

The starters met the high expectations – and then comfortably exceeded them. The reindeer tataki was one of the best starters I’ve eaten in Helsinki. The meat was sinfully tender, and the dish was elevated even further by the XO sauce: smoky, deeply savoury, slightly sweet and completely addictive. It was the kind of sauce that briefly makes you consider licking the plate in a fine dining restaurant. Though of course nobody would actually do that. Right?

The roe brioche – Nokka’s take on a traditional Finnish blini – delivered another standout moment. The brioche arrived at the table with beautiful charred grill marks that gave it a wonderfully earthy, smoky flavour. Against the rich, toasted bread, the freshness of the roe, onion and crème fraîche created perhaps the most elegant flavour combination of the evening. And if there was any doubt about how good the dish was, this probably settles it: my teenage son, who under normal circumstances would not go anywhere near roe, devoured the entire thing with genuine enthusiasm.

And then there was the king crab. Honestly, this alone would almost justify a visit to Nokka – even if the price is eye-watering at €32 for a starter from the à la carte menu. Caught just north of Finland in the cold waters of Norway, the crab had a fascinating texture: at once firm and meltingly soft.

The starters raised expectations almost impossibly high, and the mains did not quite reach the same heights. Elk roast lacked some tenderness, while the gnocchi dish felt oddly forgettable considering the ambition elsewhere on the menu. A bone marrow sauce, despite sounding luxurious on paper, never quite became the knockout flavour it promised to be. Still, even when Nokka slightly misses, it misses more interestingly than most restaurants succeed.

Dessert brought the evening firmly back on track. The Jerusalem artichoke ice cream with caramel sauce and dried berries was so delicious that my son immediately started googling what a Jerusalem artichoke actually looks like.

For anyone wanting to understand modern Finnish forest-to-table cuisine, Nokka remains essential. In many ways, it might just be the best Finnish restaurant in Helsinki. This time, though, the main courses fell slightly short of a full five-star experience.