Siivouspäivä - Flea Market at My Inner Yard, 30 August

Since the Cleaning Day "Siivouspäivä" was established I have been planning to have my own flea market at our inner yard in Albertinkatu, Helsinki. During the Cleaning Day anyone can sell their old stuff on the streets and parks anywhere in Finland. That's so perfect. You don't have to pay for the table at a flea market nor you need to carry your stuff outside from your house.

So finally this year me and my friend Tuija are selling our clothes, shoes and bags at my inner yard. The clothes are flying out of our closets!

Photo © Marina Ekroos

Photo © Marina Ekroos

Photo © Marina Ekroos

Photo © Marina Ekroos

The sizes for clothing are 34-40 / XS-M. Shoe sizes are 39-41. I also sell some of my boyfriend's clothes (M-XL) and shoes (41 / 7.5). The brands we have for sell are:

• Adidas

• Bruuns Bazaar

• Cheap Monday

• Cos

• Designer's Remix

• Filippa K

• Gap

• Hankala

• Iloa

• Ivana Helsinki

• Liu Jo

• Lolly's Loundry

• Lumi

• Nanso

• Puma

• Svetlana Farafonova

• Tiger of Sweden

• Tsumori Chisato

• Velour

• Whyred

• Zara

• + some vintage.

Photo © Marina Ekroos

Photo © Marina Ekroos

Check out our Facebook Event here. And you are the most welcome to shop our stuff!

Saturday 30 August 2014,
from 11 am to 4 pm,
at Albertinkatu, Helsinki.

My talented and dear friend Marina Ekroos did the photography for us.

Siivouspaiva.com
facebook.com/siivouspaiva (Suomeksi)
facebook.com/cleaningday.org (in English)
Annan & Tuijan kirppis Siivouspäivänä 30.8. - Our Facebook Event

PS Tuija is nominated for the best dressed female at the Elle Style Awards 2014. If you like you can vote for her here!

Restaurant Day, 17 August 2014

Last Sunday it was the 14th Restaurant Day. During the day you can have your own restaurant and sell the food you want to where you want to, for example at your home or on the streets. This time I didn't have much time to attend the event so I only visited two restaurants.

At first I drove my bicycle to Ullanlinna where a blogger friend of mine Hanna had a Vietnamese restaurant Vietnomnom with her boyfriend. On my way I bumped into Mikko and Eeva with the dachshunds so I enjoyed the meal and the coffee in their lively company.

Luna & Juno

Restaurant Vietnomnom

There was a long queue and the tofu pho was already finished. Luckily the beef pho was made of organic beef. So I ordered the beef pho. It was so delicious and hot! I like to eat fresh chili so this was a meal made for me. After we had our stomachs filled we enjoyed some Vietnamese coffee. It's so sweet that you could replace a dessert with it.

I love fresh chili!

Hanna the lovely chef.

Vietnamese pho served by Hanna.

After the Vietnamise experience I went to a fleamarket that was held at my friend's home. After some shopping I drove to Fredrikintori square in Punavuori and found my friend Kirsi and two other girls serving currywurst, cookies and blueberry pie. I had the blueberry pie. It was delicious!

NYC-Helsinki-Berlin aka sausage ladies.

Currywurst for Berlin.

Blueberry pie for Helsinki.

Cookies for NYC.

It's a pitty I didn't have more time to explore the restaurants around the city. I drove by a group sitting next to the Local Register Offices but I wasn't hungry anymore so I just took their picture. If I've had more time I would have bought some coffee from 5 years old boy Sisu and his cousins at Pirkkola neighborhood.

Local Register Offices.

Crispbread.

My friend Hanna sent me this photo of her son Sisu (on the right) and his cousins selling coffee in Pirkkola. Photo © Hanna Arvela-Sarén

The next Restaurant Day will take place 15 November 2014. Maybe I will have my own restaurant then?

Where did you eat? What was the most interesting dish?

restaurantday.org
facebook.com/restaurantday

Restaurant Day is here again

Restaurant Day was invented here in Helsinki May 2011. The first time there were 45 restaurants in 13 cities. Today there are 2000 restaurants all over the world.

I have been attending the event many times, not every time but like every other I think. The most memorable restaurants for me have been Le Frog in Siltasaari (August 2011) and a restaurant at someone's home in Kruununhaka that served tasty crostinis (August 2013). There has also been many more really nice and interesting restaurants. Some years there have been so many customers that most of the restaurants run out off food. Those times I ended up eating in a real restaurant.

Frog legs were tasty. Le Frog, Restaurant Day, 2011.

Le Frog Menu, 2011.

Cup cakes at Kääntöpöytä in Pasila, 2011.

Kääntöpöytä in Pasila, 2011.

Hertta enjoying her cup cake at Kääntöpöytä, 2011.

Cosy restaurant in Torkkelinmäki, 2011.

Today I am going to test Hanna's Vietnomnom restaurant in Ullanlinna. She serves pho, banh mi and coffee + tea.

Do you have any recommendations where I should taste something delicious?

restaurantday.org, 17 August 2014
facebook.com/restaurantday

Food Fes... I mean Flow Festival 2014

I have been attending the Flow Festival in Helsinki every year since it was held for the first time in 2004. This year the festival will take place on August 8 - 10 in Suvilahti.

For me it is also a street food festival. They have a really good variety of food stalls. Every year at the festival one topic to talk about is the food. What are you going to eat and what have you already eaten. What would you recommend. After that you can talk about the music.

Photo © Flow Festival

Photo © Flow Festival / Riitta Sourander

You will find a list of the food stalls here. And to check out the bar venues click here.

I am interested in trying the following ones:

• Kaartin Hodari & Hummeri

• Food Truck by Richard McCormick’s

• New York Ninja

• Mat

• Taco Bot

• Tokyo Girl

• Craft Beer Bar

• Food Arcade Wine Bar.

Photo © Flow Festival / Jussi Hellsten

Photo © Flow Festival / Helen Korpak

And now we can talk about the music. I wish to hear and see some of the following artists:

• DJ Kridlokk, Friday 17:15
• Peanut Butter Wolf, Friday 17:30
• Käki & Harri Hännikäinen, Friday 20:30
• Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def, Friday 23:00
• Sasse & Jori Hulkkonen, dj set, Friday 23:15
• Noah Kin, Saturday 16:00
• Didier, dj set, Saturday 17:00
• Les Ambassadeurs, Saturday 17:00
• Sarah Kivi & Non-Orchestra, Saturday 18:00
• Neneh Cherry with RocketNumberNine, Saturday 20:00
• Paperi T & Khid, Satruday 20:00
• Sin Cos Tan, Sunday 16:30
• Outkast, Sunday 21:10

On the Flow website you can make your own schedule with My Flow.

Every year I make this list of the artists I want to see. And usually I just end up socializing, eating and drinking. Well, of course I always see some gigs as well.

Photo © Flow Festival / Jussi Hellsten

Photo © Flow Festival / Niklas Sandström

See you at Flow Festival!

www.flowfestival.com

Street Food Carnival in Helsinki

Did you know that the Restaurant Day was invented here in Finland? Well, of course you did if you are local. Well, now we have something more! This summer Richard McCormick and Ville Junttila had a great idea to invite food trucks to sell street food at Kasarmitori square in Helsinki. The Carnival takes places every Wednesday evening during this summer.

Follow that Truck!

Of course Marina took a picture of me instagramming.

Today me and Marina went to test the food. The weather was HOT and my brain had melted obviously. I forgot my Nikon at home. So Marina who lives close to the carnival square was kind enough to borrow me her Canon. We were strolling thought all the trucks and ended up choosing sushi burritos from Richard McCormick's Food Truck, home made lime lemonade from Voileipä-polkupyörä (Sandwich Bicycle) and frozen yogurt from Yobot cargo bicycle.

Sushi + burrito = delicious!

Sushi burrito was cool, I've once had similar in Bob's Kitchen in Paris. Mine was filled with teriyaki vegetables, Marinas' with Korean BBQ pork. The price was 10 euros each, so I am not sure if it is a suitable price for street food. But then again of course the ingredients and everything are so expensive here in Finland.

Voileipä-polkupyörä means sandwich bicycle.

Lime lemonade was fresh!

Lime Flesh.

Frozen yogurt was perfect for the hot weather.

Few of the photos are taken by Marina Ekroos.

The event is still happening until 9 pm this evening! Check it out on Facebook.