Later Sunday was the first time on this trip that we got to geek out on beer. After a short metro ride to outer Helsinki, we stopped at arguably the best "strip mall" bar in the world: Olutravintola Pikkulintu. We started with the Cantillon Pikkulintu Viskilambic, a lambic aged in a bourbon barrel of which Cantillon blended only 192 bottles especially for this bar. This was exceptional, unique, and worth flying to Helsinki for. Next up was a triple IPA brewed for Pikkulintu by Shaun Hill of Grassroots, the same Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead fame. Finally, we were lucky enough to try a bottle of 2005 Narke Kaggen! stormaktsporter. This little bottle had subtle, perfect hints of oxidization and we're glad we got to try it at this age. The bartender was fantastic and we would've stayed all night if the budget and time allowed, but dinner beckoned.
We headed back on the metro to just north of city center, to an area where most of the Finns hang out. Based on a recommendation from the city tourist office, we found a little hole-in-the-wall Ukrainian restaurant. The stroganoff was great and their specialty, meat-stuffed dumplings with currants, was exceptional. Overall, a fantastic day for our taste buds.
Next up are the Aland Islands and not sure when we'll be able to post again, but expect an update some time Wednesday.
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