Lyon

Lyon is a Helsinki institution, situated across the street from the grand Finnish National Opera, it attracts culturally curious and hungry diners to savor its classic, refined and artsy-uplifting cuisine. The restaurant has gone through many a makeover since its inception, notably when Chef Tuomas Vierelä––currently helming the kitchen at Olo––brought a breath of fresh air to the somewhat staid establishment. His successor, young Chef Lari Timonen, is currently taking Lyon to the next level, emphasizing local products, preparing them with French techniques and playful, New Nordic nuances. This cross-pollinated approach makes for a inventive and unexpected dining experience.

While the ambiance might be a bit nostalgic-snoozy––Edith Piaf tunes and reproductions of well-known, impressionist oeuvres on the walls––Timonen’s dishes are titillating. The bowl of umami-oozing onion soup and the fermented onion stuffed with creamy emmer wheat, topped with a cucumber curl are both sure to jostle your senses and keep you guessing. How is it possible that these tart and aquatic flavors can conjure aromas of sushi without a single morsel of fish, rice or seaweed? The wine list is French and classic through and through.

A vivacious Sancerre from Eric Louis has rich exotic notes and hints of stone fruit. Paired with asparagus pudding and beautiful morels from France it suddenly sings of passionfruit. A simple dish of fried perch and white asparagus is astutely balanced with oyster sauce, onion foam and pickled white asparagus, offering a generous bouquet of summery flavors. Enjoy this creation with a Provençal Grenache Noir rosé, its faintly bitter and acidic lingonberry notes will highlight the earthy perch.

A fruitful match. The pre-dessert is an inventive, deconstructed version of a macaron with dried black olives, coffee and passionfruit; one tiny mouthful that underlines the brilliant union of sweet and savory. Summertime, your menu progression might end with a fresh ode to the season: goat’s milk ice cream with rhubarb jam, rhubarb pickle and a drizzle of rhubarb balsamic reduction. Ready for a post-prandial sip of caffeinated rocket fuel?

Think again. Lyon eschews the idea of capping a meal with the tried-and-true espresso. In a decidedly un-French move, the restaurant serves drip coffee from Swedish roastery Johan & Nyström. La Bomba exhibits sweet and round whiffs of raspberry and milk chocolate, incredibly coaxed out of a blend that contains 60% Ugandan robusta.