Visit Helsinki: Little Finlandia

In commercial collaboration with Helsinki Partners as part of the Influence Sustainably program.

As I have shared in my previous posts, architecture and design is such an important factor in the city of Helsinki and throughout our stay we were bowled over by the innovative design of so many of Helsinki’s newest buildings. It was equally impressive that not only do many of the designs incorporate the theme of nature, but they do this in the most sustainable way possible and together they create the most unique, multi-purpose venues which are unlike any we have ever seen before.

Earlier this year Finlandia Hall, a congress and event venue in the centre of Helsinki, began extensive refurbishments and so local architects came up with the idea of building Little Finlandia as a temporary venue. Opening its doors at the beginning of March 2022, just a couple of weeks before our stay, Little Finlandia is a conference, banquet and event centre housing a cafe-restaurant and gallery.

The story behind the design of Little Finlandia is incredibly interesting, chosen via a competition held at Aalto University where student Jaako Torvinen created this vision he named, “Finlandia Forest”. With the aim being to create something wooden, adaptable and portable, not to mention innovative and accessible for all, the idea was that Little Finlandia would be an extension of its landscape, seamlessly slotting between the existing Finlandia Hall and Töölö Bay to provide both a new indoor and outdoor space for city dwellers.

The most unique part of the design is the use of 95 Baltic pines to support the structure and provide the most beautiful ornamental interior. The precision of the pines is extraordinary, each pressure washed to remove the bark, cut to the exact right length and joints made at each end. As we made our way into Little Finlandia it was impossible not to be bowled over by such a stunning design.

To the rear of the building Little Finlandia has a beautiful open terrace with views out across the bay and the surrounding park. I can imagine with the arrival of Spring the terrace is now bustling with diners and, with the children’s play area just to the right, it’s the perfect spot to spend a warm Summer evening and a moment of calm surrounded by nature.

Little Finlandia’s interior is equally impressive with every part of the building designed to be adaptable and multi-purpose. This is such a running theme for buildings in Helsinki and I love how much thought has gone into these wooden modules which can be disassembled and moved to a new location when they are no longer needed. This also means that, unlike many capital cities, you don’t see derelict or rundown buildings in Helsinki which really adds to the unique and welcoming feel of Helsinki.

Although Little Finlandia is a great spot to admire the architecture and design, feel closer to nature and take in the art work displayed throughout, it also boasts a delicious food and drinks menu which we literally could not wait to try out. After being given a tour of the building by the head chef we made our way back into the restaurant where he promised us a culinary tour of Finland with his own unique twist and believe me when I say, it did not disappoint!

With every course we were treated to the most delicious range of wine, some of which were exclusive to Finlandia. The sparkling white chardonnay was one of the best we have tasted and should you visit Little Finlandia I definitely recommend trying this as you literally won’t find it anywhere else!

The menu has been perfectly designed to showcase the Finlandia Hall food philosophy – making quality food in their own kitchens, relying on small producers and organic products. They pride themselves on an ever changing menu specialising in Finnish delicacies with a modern twist and honestly, these dishes were just incredible! From a fennel soup with fresh cured salmon to beef tartare meatballs with pan fried broccoli, every dish was just as delicious as the last.

For dessert we enjoyed a sweet apple sorbet served with blueberries and yoghurt on an oat biscuit base and decorated with edible flowers. I love how much pride the chef takes in the presentation here at Little Finlandia, I think we can all agree it really adds to the enjoyment of a meal when it looks just as lovely as it tastes.

Although Finland is certainly not the first country I think of when it comes to cheese, the cheese platter was an absolute treat and as a result I ate a lot of cheese during our stay. The goats cheese here at Little Finlandia was just delicious and combined with the chutneys was a great way to finish our meal.

We had such an amazing visit to Little Finlandia, the entire structure encompasses so much of Helsinki and combined with the menu is just the perfect way to fully immerse yourself in this beautiful city. We left feeling as though we had truly experienced a taste of Finland and look forward to our next visit and returning for a glass of that chardonnay and enjoying the views out to Töölö Bay.