Indian Restaurants in Helsinki / Espoo area

[raumagal]

We are making a trip to Helsinki / Espoo next week and wanted to go to a good Indian restaurant. Any recommendations?


thanks very much!

[sinikala]

We are making a trip to Helsinki / Espoo next week and wanted to go to a good Indian restaurant. Any recommendations?

thanks very much!

Namaskaar is passable, not great, but the best I've had here.

[Hank W.]

I think if you look at the "south indian" thread there was a load of recommendations. A decent one in Leppävaara, the Nepalese places downtown are good too...

[sinikala]

I think if you look at the "south indian" thread there was a load of recommendations. A decent one in Leppävaara, the Nepalese places downtown are good too...

I knew it! I just knew someone would mention Nepalese!

[Hank W.]

So whats so wrong with the "passed as Nepalese" menu as it is more or less a copy of the "passed as Indian" menus the restaurants have? The Nepalese in Finland is more or less "North Indian" style. A lot of the small curry joints could then be Bangladeshi and Pakistani as well, I thought the cuisines discerned the style if you want to go nitpicking and not countries. You have "Indian" restaurants as you have "Chinese" restaurants... trying to find edible food I think is the key *burp*

And yes, a "Finnish restaurant" or "Swedish restaurant" would be selling same stuff with a bit of variety.

[karen]

Curry Palace in Leppävaara! I'll meet you there if you like.

[Rosamunda]

And there is this place in Olari which we go to from time to time... they did a great buffet for Mothers' Day we really rolled out of there after that:

http://www.peshawar.fi (it's Pakistani though, not Indian. Some organic items on the menu)

I prefer Maharaja to Namaskar (also on Mannerheimintie) but haven't been to either for ages.

[sinikala]

So whats so wrong with the "passed as Nepalese" menu as it is more or less a copy of the "passed as Indian" menus the restaurants have? The Nepalese in Finland is more or less "North Indian" style. A lot of the small curry joints could then be Bangladeshi and Pakistani as well, I thought the cuisines discerned the style if you want to go nitpicking and not countries. You have "Indian" restaurants as you have "Chinese" restaurants... trying to find edible food I think is the key *burp*

And yes, a "Finnish restaurant" or "Swedish restaurant" would be selling same stuff with a bit of variety.

Horse tranqs kicking in? That's like saying French and italian food are the same.... well they both use garlic don't they? Nepalese is nothing like Indian, it doesn't taste like Indian. It has as much in common with an Indian curry as it does with a Thai curry or a Chinese curry.

Pakistani and Bangladeshi are far harder to discern, possibly stemming from the fact that they used to be a part of India, Nepal never was. It's a lack of choice here that IMHO means that the natives simply don't know the difference and lump the two together. Similar to mex-itals & tex-mex's.

Edibility is a separate issue. I've found only one edible Chinese in Finland, but both the Nepalese I've tried here were absolutely awful. God, one of them served the food in a metal dimple tray like prison slops. Dire.

Of the Indian curry houses I've tried here over the years... Curry Palace we went there a couple of times when shopping in Sello, small portions for the price, but taste was fine, but a bit off the beaten path though. Maharaja was OK the first couple of times we ate there, but the last time last Autumn everything was far too salty (and I like a lot of salt). Namaskar is a fair curry house, it's not stunning, but it is passable and as a curry addict would be my recommendation, but it does not come within a country mile of either the curry we had in Dublin 3 weeks ago or one I had in Teddington 2 weeks ago.

Guess what we're having tonight?

[Hank W.]

Reindeer hoof soup

[enk]

Edibility is a separate issue. I've found only one edible Chinese in Finland, but both the Nepalese I've tried here were absolutely awful. God, one of them served the food in a metal dimple tray like prison slops. Dire.

What, you mean like a different versionof the standard thali?

-enk

[sammy]

Edibility is a separate issue. I've found only one edible Chinese in Finland, but both the Nepalese I've tried here were absolutely awful. God, one of them served the food in a metal dimple tray like prison slops. Dire.

What, you mean like a different versionof the standard thali?

-enk

I even bought some of these metal monsters myself (from Indiska) to serve Indian food from at home So I guess I'm guilty then! Expect a mugshot any day now

[enk]

I even bought some of these metal monsters myself (from Indiska) to serve Indian food from at home So I guess I'm guilty then! Expect a mugshot any day now

I don't know if it is a regional difference or what, but my best
friend's grandmother when I was younger used to feed us off
of those when she didn't want us slopping food everywhere.
Everyone else got to eat out of the gazillion little bowls on a tray,
but neither of us could roll the rice into balls the right way and usually
dribbled the food on our shirts.

And yes, they were Indian. The lot of them were born in India.

-enk

[raamv]

What, you mean like a different version of the standard thali?
-enk

There is NO standard thali. ( PERIOD). Thali is North Indian for a plate.
Saying "Indian restaurant" is like saying Is there any "European restaurant" in Helsinki?
Ok this is how the mind of an Indian works:
When an Indian asks: Is there an Indian restaurant here,
(S)He means that is there a restaurant ( without thinking) that is catering very close to the place where I come from ( which can be discerned form their first and last name ).
The place heirarchy follows this pattern:
1) Place where I was born ( Village/town/city)
2) Place where I grew up ( Village/town/city)
3) Place where I emigrated from ( Village/town/city)
4) If not the place where I come from then its the region where I come from
5) if not the region I come from then its ok if there is ANYhere from india here
6) if not Any Indian, then is there a Nepalese or Bhutanese( ) or Bangladesh
7) OH shucks Pakistani! is ok too if all else fails..
e.g.: A person from hyderabad will mean by an Indian restaurant in this fashion: A restaurant that serves:
1) Rice with gongra chutney and really thick and HOT rasam (soup) and sambhar (aka a Thali in this case is rice sambhar chutney, doesnt include a ROTI or applaam(papad) ) and mebbe some curd with rice.
2 or 3) Madras masala Dosa, vada, rice and Madras/mysore Rasam OR a bangalore sambhar(eeks shock: shock: ) or a Kearla Ericheri!
4) a North Indian Nan and muglai panneer or a chole masala
5) A Punjabi kadai
6) A nepalese masala ( YEEEKKKK )
7) a Pakistani Chicken ( if vegetarian, you can imagine this shock shock: shock: , if non-vegetarian then its a BOON).
India has 24 states with > 1800 dialets spoken with >> 100000 dishes made in a different way and called in a different way in different places.
If you ask me, There is NO Indian restaurant in either Stockholm or helsinki. Most of the food are made by Nepalese or bangladeshi cooks.
CURRY is Different in India in each state: BUT (a big one)Generally
Curry in South India is Dry roasted veggies ( no "onions ginger garlic tomaotes" BUT Turmeric+cumene+coriander+chili)
Curry in North India is WET : veggies cooked in masala("onions ginger garlic and tomatoes"=masala)
In my opinion, The place opposite Kammpi Metro entrance is the Closest thing that I ve tasted to Indian.I would rather reccomend a Pakistani Chicken place(mebbe Peshawar..havent been there) ( as Pakistanis are Really good at making chicken dishes) than a Nepalese or bangladeshi indian place. Satkar(OK IMO) and Curry Palace(but I ve not been there) is an exception ...cept that some North Indian friends reccomended them Have heared OK things about Everest But that is Nepalese and Claims to be Nepalese. If you want an European experience and an Indian cuisine, I reccomend EATZ!.
For Vegan Food, I ve heard(not been there) that the Hare Krishna temple which has a restaurant in Itämerenkatu in Ruoholahthi has some good food, at least by the locals, it is good.

As for Dosa(roasted rice thin pancakes), EEEKks...Lucky for me that the Best South Indian chef in the world is staying in my house now (Wow Thanx Ma)!! I can enjoy something close to a bliss in terms of food! I would avoid Maharajas ( Expensive), namashkar(YUKKY everything)

[sinikala]

Yeah, it was some sort of tray, I have never had one of those trays before. I've never been given one in an indian restaurant anywhere.

Of course other people's experiences may vary, but I vaguely remember trying a paneer saag in one and some sort of vegetable kofta in another nepalese restaurant, the latter came in a slightly spicy version of Campbell's cream of tomato soup.

Perhaps I just had bad experiences.

[raamv]

Oh yes!! If you want to Eat the Indian food the right way,
use your correct HAND with fingers...
and Yes the Tray is called the Thali.
In South India, the traditional way of eating food was in a plate made of Bana leaf and in poorer villages, the leaf from a tree whose name I forgot, but the leaf was big enuff to hold the rice and the mixes! They still sell them packed food in the train stations in South India.!