La petite maison

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Restaurants in Finland
Helsinki : La petite maison

When was established your restaurant and who had this idea?
We started in June 1999. I had had the idea for a long time before. I had known Raffaele for a many years and we had discussed the idea of opening small gourmet restaurant

How was choosen the name of the restaurant?
Restaurant is very small, 22 seats, it is located in beautiful small jugend-style house so it is la petite maison

For the persons who don't know well Helsinki, could you explain where your restaurant is located?
In the historical jugend-area of Helsinki, two blocks from the sea, just behind the Eira Hospital, easy to arrive with the trams 3b and 3T, close to the foreign embassies

What kind of environment is it?
see the last question

Is the location of a restaurant an important thing?
For us it is important to be in nice quiet area, away from the heavy traffic of center

How would you present or describe your restaurant?
Classic 1920 decor with paneled walls, painting and pictures of france, white tableclothes, linen serviettes, candle light, fresh roses, pastel colour, old french music in back ground, very romantic old fashioned setting

What kind of cuisine do you propose?
Classic french cooking from fresh material, Raffele visits wholesale market daily

What are the specialties of your restaurant that you would definitly recommend to our readers?
Long degustation menus
Fresh liver of duck slightly fried served on butterered toast, served with port wine sauce
Whole fried sole with white wine sauce and seasons vegetables
White chocolate mousse with berry melba sauce
Special weeks presenting cuisines of different parts of France

How often do you change the menu?
There are some dishes we can not change because customers ask for them like creamy lobster soup. Normally there are changes four times a year, up to seasons and special weeks about four times a year as well

What are the next dishes our readers should expect to discover and taste in your restaurant?
Dishes from southern France, lamb chops with honey and levender, rouget with fresh tomato sauce and herbs, nougat parfait with coffee syrop sauce

How do you select your chef?
Our kitchen chef Raffaele Salvatore and his talent are the reason for opening a restaurant

Is it difficult to find good chefs in Finland?
Yes it is

Regarding the decoration of your restaurant, did you choose / follow a certain theme or a certain style?
Building is historical and protected, decoration inside follows the same line

Is the decoration of a restaurant important?
Of course it is a big part of the dining experience

It is always necessary to discuss a little bit about money... What is the average price that a couple who come to have a classical meal should expect to pay?
3 course menus 40 and 45 and 60 euros.
We have a very large wine list, prices from 30 - 185 euros
See www.lapetitemaisonfinland.com

To conclude this interview, are there any projects or happenings in the near future for your restaurant?
At the moment we have special weeks of Alsace, during the spring there will be South of France
We are all the time adding new wines to our wine list

Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2003