Dive

I don't know how many times we've passed the Seahorse Restaurant in Eira, but every time Jarkko would describe it as a 'classic dive'. Maybe there is a translation difference here as 'dive' usually is applied to pubs and diners of not quite the most pleasing reputation or patronage. It's slightly more damning than 'greasy spoon'.

We went there for dinner there the other night and, if this is a Finnish dive, then I want to see one on every corner. The food was hearty, delicious, served with understated but lovely presentation and reasonably priced. Jarkko ordered the herring steaks which made me rethink my lukewarm stance on herring and I had the breast of chicken served with the most delicious aura blue cheese sauce I've ever tasted. The pancakes with ice cream and jam for dessert were sublime. In the genre of Finnish cuisine, I don't think there is another restaurant that has such delicious, beautifully presented, reasonably priced food in a nice atmosphere like the Seahorse does. It's not listed in the travel guides so I presume that the people who go there like to keep it to themselves and I can't really blame them. :)