Finland has two new Michelin star restaurants following an awards ceremony for the Nordic region held in Helsinki on Monday evening.
The Room in Helsinki and Tapio Ruka in the municipality of Kuusamo in Northern Ostrobothnia each received one Michelin star for the first time.
British-born Connor Laybourne — who co-owns Tapio Ruka along with his Finnish spouse Johanna Mourujärvi — expressed his delight at receiving the star, especially as its location makes it the most northerly restaurant in the Michelin guidebook this year.
The couple run the tiny restaurant themselves, with Mourujärvi in charge of the 18-seat dining room and Laybourne the kitchen, and they do everything — from cleaning to washing up.
They offer a seasonally changing menu with a focus on unique Nordic ingredients, according to a press release from the Ruka-Kuusamo tourism board, and source much of their ingredients from the family farm near Lake Mourujärvi — including berries, vegetables and reindeer meat.
Further south, Kozeen Shiwani's The Room was also celebrating receiving a coveted Michelin star on Monday evening. The restaurant only opened for business last autumn.
Born in the Kurdish region of Iraq, Shiwani blends Middle Eastern cuisine with Nordic influence in his cooking.
Last year, five Finnish restaurants received one Michelin star: three in Helsinki (Finnjävel Salonki, Grön and Olo) one in Turku (Kaskis) and one in Porvoo (Vår).
The Helsinki-based Demo, which also had one star, is set to close its doors in July.
One 2-star restaurant in Finland, no 3-star
Finland did not receive any new two-star restaurants, meaning The Palace in Helsinki is the country's only two-star eatery.
There were no three-star awards for Finland this year either.
However, Nokka Restaurant in Helsinki received a 'Green Star' for sustainable gastronomy and both 305 and Plein — also based in the capital — received a mention for their good value for money.
A Michelin star is an international rating system to recognise the world's best restaurants and their chefs, and they have been awarded since 1930.
Edit note added on 29.5.2024 at 09:53 to correct that Kuusamo is located in Northern Ostrobothnia.
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