Interview by 007 Travelers: Restaurant Savotta / Eero Kaitanen & Reija Etholen-Dalton

Who:
Eero Kaitanen, Chef
Where: Restaurant Savotta, Helsinki, Finland
007 Connection: Bond restaurant "Smourazi" in the book "James Bond, The Authorized Biography of 007" (John Pearson).  Restaurant Savotta and restaurant Smourazi are a match on based of their location and book description.



Eero Kaitanen, how long have you been working here in restaurant Savotta?
- I've been working here for six years now and one and half years as a chef.

What is your education?
- I have graduated from the cooking school at the beginning of 21st century.

What is the best part of your job?
- Nice co-workers!

From where do the tourists mostly come here?
- From Asia and Russia.

We would like to taste the same food that Bond ate in the book "James Bond, The Authorized Biography of 007"
- Karelian casserole, here you are!

 

 

Who:
Reija Etholen-Dalton, Waitress
Where: Restaurant Savotta, Helsinki, Finland
007 Connection: Bond restaurant "Smourazi" in the book "James Bond, The Authorized Biography of 007" (John Pearson).  Restaurant Savotta and restaurant Smourazi are a match on based of their location and book description.
Reija Etholen-Dalton, is Timothy Dalton your relative?
- He's my cousin! *laughter*

What could you tell us about the history of this building?
-The décor of the restaurant Savotta is really old, all the furniture is imported and they are actually old, not just to make look like oldish. The floors are imported from Central Finland, form some old barn. The building was begun to be built in 1762, and in 1890 it was transferred to the City of Helsinki from Burtz. The building has been the Helsinki Police Department with its dungeons and registry office. First three Inspector Palmu movies have been filmed here. Catering services began in the 1980s. Before Savotta restaurant there has been for example an Italian restaurant, and the current restaurant has been in operation for 8-9 years.(2014)

Would you bring us something that Bond would drink here?
- Of course. Here is Uppotukki / Drunken Log.  There are moonshine and vermouth and a piece of rye bread in this tin mug. Bread represents an olive and this is Savotta's MARTINI!

See the whole 007 Travel story here

 

007 Travelers haastattelee: Ravintola Savotta / Eero Kaitanen & Reija Etholen-Dalton

Kuka:
Eero Kaitanen, hartsumestari
Missä: Ravintola Savotta, Helsinki
Milloin: 11.1.2014
007-yhteys: Bond-ravintola "Smourazi" kirjassa "James Bond, superagentin hurja elämä" (John Pearson).  Ravintola Savotta ja ravintola Smourazi ovat sijainniltaan ja kirjan kuvaukseltaan yhteensopivat.



Eero Kaitanen, kauanko olet työskennellyt ravintola Savotassa?
-Olen ollut täällä töissä nyt 6 vuotta, joista 1,5 vuotta hartsumestarina.

Mikä on koulutuksesi?
-Olen valmistunut kokkikoulusta 2000-luvun alkupuolella.

Mikä on parasta työssäsi?
-Mukava henkilökunta!

Minkä maalaisia turisteja ravintolassanne käy eniten?
-Enimmäkseen aasialaisia ja venäläisiä.

Haluaisimme maistaa samaa ruokaa, jota Bond söi kirjassa "James Bond, superagentin hurja elämä."
-Karjalanpaistia, olkaa hyvät!

Kuka:
Reija Etholen-Dalton, tarjoilija
Missä: Ravintola Savotta, Helsinki
Milloin: 11.1.2014
007-yhteys: Bond-ravintola "Smourazi" kirjassa "James Bond, superagentin hurja elämä" (John Pearson).  Ravintola Savotta ja ravintola Smourazi ovat sijainniltaan ja kirjan kuvaukseltaan yhteensopivat.




Reija Etholen-Dalton, oletko sukua Timothy Daltonille?
-Hän on serkkuni. *virnistää*

Kertoisitko meille tämän rakennuksen historiasta?
-Savottahenkinen sisustus on oikeasti vanhaa, kaikki huonekalut on tuotu vanhana paikalle, niitä ei ole ”vanhennettu”. Lattiat on tuotu Keski-Suomesta jostain vanhasta ladosta. Rakennusta on alettu rakentaa vuonna 1762, ja vuonna 1890 se siirtyi Helsingin kaupungille Burtzilta. Rakennuksessa on ollut Helsingin poliisilaitos selleineen ja maistraatteineen, ja mm. kolme ensimmäistä Komisario Palmu –elokuvaa on kuvattu täällä. Ravintolatoiminta käynnistyi 1980-luvulla. Savottaa ennen paikalla on ollut mm. italialainen ravintola, ja nykyinen Savotta on ollut toiminnassa 8-9 vuotta.(2014)

Voisitko tarjota meille juomaa jota Bond joisi täällä?
-Tottakai. Tässä Uppotukki / Drunken Log, näissä peltimukeissa on pontikkaa ja Vermuttia sekä leipäpalanen, joka vastaa oliivia. Tämä on Savotan MARTINI!

Lue koko 007-matkakertomus täältä



007 Travel video: Helsinki (FINLAND)

007 Restaurant: Savotta Restaurant (known as Smourazi in the Bond book), Helsinki, Finland

SAVOTTA RESTAURANT (known as SMOURAZI in the Bond book)

Location: Helsinki, Finland
Address: Aleksanterinkatu 22
Bond book appearance: James Bond, the Authorized Biography of 007

The Restaurant Savotta takes its guests directly from Senate Square to a nostalgic view of Finland from past decades. Both the authentic interior and the dishes, served in original style, have been inspired by the Finnish forests and thousands of lakes, with a dash of Finnish “sisu” and logging traditions. The restaurant pays homage to the thousands of lumberjacks and log floaters, the matrons and foremen at the logging sites, as well as the mill owners.

The old china designed by the world-renowned Arabia, the hundred-year-old floorboards, the old chairs and tables and many old artifacts have been brought from all over Finland. Each of them tells its own story from past decades and takes you back in time to the logging camps of the old days.

Savotta’s kitchen cherishes the Finnish food tradition. Savotta uses only Finnish ingredients from the pristine forests and lakes and from carefully selected small suppliers. The menu includes e.g. lake fish, game and berries, as well as traditional Finnish dishes with home-made touch perfected in the course of generations. In Savotta you can taste traditional Finnish delicacies e.g.  Karelian casserole, lamb in a wooden särä-dish and vendace pasty. Savotta also serves a good selection of Finnish beers including Lammin Sahti, which is strong traditional home-brewed Finnish beer.

"Bond enjoyed his first afternoon in Helsinki." 

"In the evening Birkin wanted to take Bond out for a dinner."

"They went to Smourazi, traditionally to the best Finnish restaurant in the city. It was opposite the Helsinki Cathedral, which is a massive building and its dome looks like a symmetric bold head. The restaurant was full, but the customers were mostly Swedish and somehow unwieldy ceremonious. Bond drank quite a few shots and stated that the crowd started to look more cheerful. Birkin wanted to order traditional Finnish food – savoury pie, Karelian casserole and reindeer tongue."

"The good side of the Finnish food is that gives you guts. (Finnish “sisu”) It is needed in the place like this. It´s a shame that you won´t be staying longer."

John Pearson: "James Bond, the Authorized Biography of 007"

See the whole travel story here

See more 007 RESTAURANTS (visited) here