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).
I am so glad that me and my friend accidentally ended up having a lovely afternoon tea at the Helmi (‘pearl’) cafe located in the Old Town of Porvoo. The place is a little bit pricey (though not surprisingly different from the price levels in Helsinki, for example) but most definitely worth the lovely overall experience!
The tea selection was rather impressive – provided with exact brewing instructions as well. I’m sure that especially tea lovers can appreciate the professionalism!
Dozens of adorable vintage cups ready to be served with!
The Helmi cafe pleasantly had a vegan cake option with separate box of chocolate-mint ice cream. I had the lime-flavoured green tea which was both sweet and refreshing even in a hot day.
I would somehow assume that the table is from the 1950’s era? I have actually inherited a table similar kind and I absolutely love the design!
I wonder who all have been able to perform with this instrument?
A minor identity reveal. Oh gosh…
Mysterious Rainbowmind.
Please let me know what did you think about the Porvoo trilogy? Would you like to see more similar content and travel posts in the future? If you are travelling to Helsinki (or other parts of southern Finland), I would definitely recommend you to visit Porvoo as well! The town is quite accessible via highway, parking can be found even for free and especially the old areas are quite fast to wonder around – making Porvoo the perfect, compact travel destination for an afternoon.
Mysterious Yellow 