APOTEK WINE BAR
Lapinlahdenkatu 1
00180 Helsinki
Apotek wine bar is located in my neighborhood, Kamppi, It takes only a couple of minutes from my home. The place used to be a pharmacy as the name of the restaurant implies. I had good reviews from close and reliable friends and had light snacks in summer. It’s not easy to get a table but there happened to be one table on the terrace available without a reservation on that evening. We were impressed the amazing tartar and other dishes and happy about the friendly service.
This time, I booked a table inside (it’s winter!) well in advance and had a great time catching up with a friend who lives in the north and I hadn’t seen since the beginning of July.
It’s a wine bar but I can’t comment on their wine as I can’t drink alcohol. However, since they serve great food, I bed their wine is also great. My friend had a glass of red wine and I have a glass of sparking grape juice. I liked my juice being not too sweet but nicely fruity.
We decided to order Chef`s 4 course menu (45€). On that evening, we felt it was much easier to rely on chef’s choice than choosing dishes from a la carte. We wanted to have a totally relaxing evening.
The course menu consisted of the small dishes which were also in the a la carte menu. They were small but satisfying. After the first three dishes, before the dessert, the waiter came to ask us if we would like to have cheese before the dessert, we both were already close to full and said “no”. Each dish was prepared carefully and had lovely flavors of each ingredient. None of them was boring. Parsnip, gooseberry, apple, savoy cabbage, etc., there were a lot of vegetable used in the dishes, yet it wasn’t only vegetarian dishes. I appreciate it from the healthy and balanced diet’s point of view. My feeling after dinner was contentment. Partly, it was because I had a great time talking with a friend, but it was also because of the quality of the food.
Parsnip, feta cheese, gooseberry and apple. My first comment on this dish was “refreshing.” Vinaigrette and all the ingredients created refreshing taste.
Arctic char, homemade sour cream, citrus and Aleppo pepper. This dish also had refreshing taste and it might be my first time to arctic char without frying. I actually liked it better than fried arctic char. The homemade sour cream was great and Aleppo pepper made the dish special.
Lambkin, savoy cabbage and truffle
At a glance, one might think it’s veggie dish but, in the wrap of savoy cabbage, there was shredded lambkin. The first aroma I caught was nicely cooked onion. And when I started eating, I noticed the perfect harmony created by wild flavor of lambkin and vegetable. Crispy kale topping was great! (I love kale and it’s healthy!) The dish reminded me of a Japanese dish called “roll cabbage.”
Plums, armagnac and vanilla ice cream
Vanilla ice cream was creamy and tasty. I guess the quality vanilla in the ice creamwas pretty good. Other ingredients served with the ice cream worked very well and created amazing flavors. Only downside, for me, was that Armagnac was quite strong and I couldn’t eat all of them. Once again, unfortunately, I can’t drink/eat alcohol, but it should work for other people.
Last but not least, the wine bar’s atmosphere was cozy and perfect for the day when suddenly the temperature dropped significantly, and the sky looked gloomy. Also, I have to mention that I loved the bread and whipped butter. Usually, I eat only one piece of bread but I ate two pieced that evening.