Did anyone actually think you’d get through this massive Porvoo saga without this post?
Back to my favourite cafe in Porvoo, Helmi (meaning ‘pearl’ in Finnish) cafe!
Have I ever bragged about the cake counter before? I know it’s not all vegan but… just look at those colours and textures!
The tea was served in these lovely cups (notice the star and crescent moon shapes in the tea strainer). And on the left you can see an actual, real, heavy-duty meringue.
Vegetarian spinach-olive-pie above.
Needless-to-even-say-how-rich slice of chocolate cake with a cuppa.
Even though the day of this visit was a bit on the cloudy and rainy side, the temperature was still high enough to enjoy the last moments of summer breeze in the garden of the cafe.
Before anyone asks: yes, I know what ‘fanny’ means in the British context. And that’s exactly why I wanted to name this post as such. (Although I think that in this context, ‘Fanny’ is referring to a popular old Finnish-Swedish feminine first name.)
And in the reality that’s the actual name of this lovely little cafe I visited last time in Porvoo.
The preparedness to serve high-quality teas was the first thing that got my eye!
There was quite a good selection of food and beverages (including various smoothies!). Unfortunately I can’t recall anything being 100% vegan on the menu so I just focused on taking pictures and sipping my standard choice: coffee with oat milk.
Cafe Fanny is quite spacious inside but also decorated with selected vintage items that give that needed occasional splash of colour. One of my favourite ones were these green chairs above!
The cafe is located next to the town hall plaza and is quite a popular place especially during the summer season when the terrace area is opened.
The interior of Cafe Fanny divides into a couple of old rooms where you can sit down for a moment with a cup of coffee – and maybe even a croissant (evidence below).
This time I want to give you a glimpse of the well-known hipster area of Helsinki called Kallio (meaning ‘rock’ as in the solid ground in the context of geology). Above you can see the tall landmark which is the church of Kallio behind Karhupuisto (the bear park, named after the bear statue I didn’t get a shot of unfortunately).
A view from ‘Piritori‘ (direct translation is ‘the park of speed’ – but don’t let it scare you) next to the Sörnäinen/Sörnäs metro entrance.
For a tourist, I’d definitely recommend taking the metro and exiting in ‘Sörnäinen/Sörnäs‘ and walking towards the Kallio area located between Hämeentie and Helsinginkatu (use your phones or ask anyone).
The pictures below are taken from Vaasankatu which is right next to Helsinginkatu near the ‘Sörnäinen/Sörnäs’ metro entrance.
Veggie junk food restaurant ‘Soi Soi‘ is actually one of the places where I used to hang out with my boyfriend-at-the-time years ago. The food can be delicious (if they get your order right), but this time I had another place close by that I wanted to try out.
I’ve been walking past Just Vege for the longest time without actually checking it out (though I’ve seen many satisfied faces inside) – but now I had even planned it out…
The interiors are pretty small (like basically in every restaurant in the Kallio area) but they do also take-out meals. Especially during the lunch times the place can be packed but it shouldn’t be impossible to get your order through with an app or a phone call.
There’s also a lot of vegan and gluten-free options (for example the falafel!) for those of us with allergies or digestive issues. If you know what I mean.
The red sauces though!
Finally moving on to the actual food part of this post: just out of curiosity I had to have the meze platter. The majority of the components, like the falafel, hummus, salsas and bread, I absolutely adored and the other ones were okay. I mean, in general, everything was absolutely delicious, but when it comes to eating out, I kinda expect the food to taste fancier than the stuff I can prepare at home. Nevertheless, the meze platter is a healthy and tasty option for eating out!
The fries and the dip were SO GOOD.
My friend had the veggie halloumi burger though he wasn’t able to finish it due to the actual meat-likeness of the soy patty! I tasted it myself too, just to confirm you guys that if you’re up for the meaty flavour and texture (without harming the animals or the environment), this one is definitely for you! Overall everything was really tasty, there’s no doubt about it. But if you’re one of us old-school vegetarians who actually still prefer vegetables over fake meats, I’d recommend trying something else inside your hamburger bun. And they do have a lot of options for that as well.
I hope you all have a wonderful day (or night, depending)! Be sure to stay tuned for my upcoming posts since I have a ton of new stories and picks of my favourite town, Porvoo…
Okay, it’s unfortunately time for all of us to admit that the October’s Halloween season is over and it’s time to start looking forward to the nightmare before the Christmas holidays. Or do you guys already have your star shaped bracelets and jumpers ready for the New Year’s Eve like I do?
Luckily there’s always memories to recall and inspiration (especially in the form of pictures) to share!
Caramel-flavoured pie with pecans and buckthorn berry panna cotta.
On Halloween Friday 2018 me with a friend of mine went to a small local confectionery in Lohja, Finland, called Pink Lemon.
Rye bread with faux-fish topping and cucumber club sandwich.
They offered a Halloween themed evening tea menu with cakes, pastries and club sandwiches. Vegan and gluten-free options were also available though the owner told us that actually approximately half of the menu was vegan for everyone anyway!
Vegan marshmallow and macaron.
If you’re living in Southern Finland and looking for a place where to order gluten-free/raw/vegan cakes, I’d definitely recommend Pink Lemon! My English-speaking readers can check their Instagram page filled with the most spectacular creations I’ve ever been able to see in person!
I am ending this post with a pic of the witchiest chocolate cake and a promise of more content coming up soon…
Remember the rant I had about missing out the opening weekend of a new vintage boutique the last time I was in Liverpool?
Well, I finally got there – may I introduce you to Freida Mo’s bakery, vintage and vinyl shop on Lark Lane!
The lovely garden gate invites you to step in to the small but enchanting place of everything cute.
I have to confess having a serious fan girl moment when asking in a shy Scandinavian way if I could take some pictures for my blog. The nicest owner (below) was thrilled and even accepted posing for me in one of the shots!
This is the day dress I got – placed onto the chair while I was taking all the pictures I needed.
The collection consists of selected pieces prior the 1980’s. Students like me can also appreciate the reasonable prices: with 20-30 pounds you can have an ageless piece of clothing.
The owner told me that all of the jewellery on the table is hand-made by her.
Like promised in the sign outside of the shop – there are special find for the vinyl enthusiasts as well!
You know that you have found a good place to shop when even the toilet is decorated well and according to the theme. It’s not about running your business just because of the money but because you really care about giving your customers an overall experience that will make a lasting memory.
But Freida Mo’s isn’t just about what to wear – it’s also about taking a deserved moment of rest with delicious tea and dream-like cupcake (or two).
Like my companion said, the secret in succeeding these days is not just what you sell, it’s how you sell it – otherwise, what you have to offer in the post-modern economy based on fast, disposable consumerism. I feel that it has become a time to step away from the faceless capitalism into a more community-based form of sustainable living where you know what you’re buying and from where it has came from.
Luckily there are places like Freida Mo’s who provide a sense of truly whole-hearted customer service and a unique collection of carefully selected high-quality items!
Mysterious Yellow 