Dinner on the water at Fryysarinranta Restaurant in Porvoo

In Porvoo, there are two restaurants that are housed in the historical red shore houses along Porvoo River. These are: (1) Johans and (2) Fryysarinranta Restaurant. Both restaurants were on my agenda to try, however, Johans was closed when I was there so that left me with the latter.

I was also tipped off by the hotel staff at Hotel Onni that Fryysarinranta is open late so I decided to have dinner here instead of lunch. The Finns actually eat dinner very early, so being open late in this part of the world means they are open until 20:00 or 21:00 or they play it by ear depending on how the evening goes, i.e. are they expecting more diners, etc. It is a case by case thing here in the small villages.

Fryysarinranta Restaurant 
Website: Fryysarinranta Restaurant (only in Finnish and Swedish but the menu has an English translation)

The restaurant is one of the red shore houses on the river and it has a big charming terrace. I first came here earlier in the day to reserve a table for 20:00 but I was advised by one of the servers that for the day they are closing early, so with that I arrived a bit earlier, at 19:00 =)

So glad I followed my hunches to pay a visit first to the restaurant, otherwise I would have been pulling my hairs apart if I came and was told the kitched has just closed.

Before I got seated I went around the restaurant, naturally to inspect. Nordic design is cool in my book and I will not let this chance pass by without having seen the interior of a red shore house.

The interior of the restaurant is kept in tact along with the history of the building and the natural characteristics of the raw materials used in the construction. So I am not disappointed, quite happy and appreciative in fact to have seen this. Typically Nordic style: bare, wooden, rugged finnish, cabin outdoorsy style, simple yet you see clearly the design lines.

Above pictures were taken in the upper floor of the restaurant which has an annex dining room leading to the kitchen (this is at the main entrance). Then I went down this wooden staircase to the section of the restaurant below. There is a big traditional warehouse door that opens wide to the balcony terrace.

It is warm and it is lovely weather outside so it is best to sit at the outdoor terrace on the water.

Snails and Grilled Seasonal Vegetables

For my starter, I ordered the Fryysari’s snails in garlic and Roquefort butter, and for my main, a vegetarian plate of grilled seasonal vegetables: aubergine, paprika, chicory with pureed potato and green salad.

The outdoor terrace on the water.

It is not even 8PM and I was one of the last few guests. Many ate early and have left already and I cannot help but eavesdrop on the conversation of these teeners in front of me. They were talking about travel and the working holiday visa. One of the few things I am happy about with my life these days... being able to travel to any place I want to and not being a student anymore.

My plate almost got hit by a bird poo. A few years ago the same thing landed in my hair in Malaga, Spain. On the beach, so I had no choice but to dunk into the water and rinse my hair.

A double espresso please before I go.

This was a very nice meal altogether. The location, the terrace, the view, the ambiance and the food were all great. My review rating: 4.2 stars out of 5.

And indeed, I was the last woman standing at 20:30. They have closed the kitchen half an hour ago and have already started cleaning up the restaurant for tomorrow. If you plan to eat dinner in Porvoo, I suggest you schedule this early, and if you intend to eat later than 19:00, I highly recommend that you reserve in advance to make sure the restaurant stays open for you.

Travel Period: May 2013
Destination: Porvoo (Uusimaa), Finland

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