B-Smokery

Beware vegetariens, this post is not for you ;) (don't worry though, we at Inside Out Helsinki have covered some great veggie friendly places, and are planning to cover some more in the future too!) B -Smokery is the place to go to when meat craving.
Everything started in 2011, during Restaurant day, when B-Smokery owners sold in 4 hours over 200 kg of scrumptious pork ribs. They then knew this was a Eureka moment! These six guys, with no real resto experience, decided then to open a Barbecue restaurant, and found the perfect spot at Teurastamo. The joint opened in January 2014, and has been booming ever since.

The place is located in the former slaughterhouse district, and has a nice cozy industrial rustic feel to it. The atmosphere is laid back and casual, the staff extra friendly and you can pop in there for lunch or dinner.
=> Good to know : the extra big dinner portions, which are rare in typical Helsinki cuisine. Also, B-Smokery has a very nice selection of quality wines which are particularly enjoyable to have with ribs and meat.
Inside Out Helsinki particularly recommends its mouth watering baby back ribs, along with their baked sweet potatoes. They also offer delicious sandwiches and hamburgers, such as the Philly sandwich.

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Further information:

Address:Työpajankatu 2 R1 C, 00580 Helsinki, Finland
Phone: +358 40 777 5959
Website: http://bsmokery.fi/
Email: info@bsmokery.fi

Opening times:
Monday - Closed
Tuesday 11 am - 2 pm
Wednesday 11 am - 2 pm
Thursday 11 am - 2 pm & 5 pm - 10 pm
Friday 111 am - 2 pm & 5 pm - 10 pm
Saturday 1 pm -10 pm
Sunday - Closed

Zodiak

Zodiak's main entrance. Fun fact: the Z at the back of the hall is originally Nokia's N.

Both Inside Out Helsinki founders, Emilie McDermott and Hanna Råst, are dancers. It was therefore natural for us to cover such a unique must go-to dance institution as Zodiak.The special thing about Zodiak is that it is an “umbrella-venue” for the freelance contemporary dance, dance makers AND also for the audience. At Zodiak’s core is the belief that art should come first; artists are still very much involved in the decision-making process and the shaping of the Center’s activities. Once a choreographer/production is selected in Zodiak’s performance program, they have full trust in the artistic team, and do their best to help them create their work.

=> Good to know: in addition to co-producing new contemporary dance works, Zodiak also organizes several dance courses per season. They are mostly open for anyone who wants to participate (no need to have a dance background). 

Zodiak is a vital part of Helsinki's contemporary art scene, which in itself is very active and lively at the moment. There are a lot of artists who move fluently between different art forms, and by doing so, cause the art forms (dance, theatre, visual arts, music) to evolve and take new forms.

Image above is shot from the rehearsal for the show Divine - New Age musical by Go Go tanssiryhmä Kuumat Putket which is coming on December 2015.

Image of the braids and the wide view below are from a new show Epic Failing by Maija Hirvanen which has it's premiere on Wednesday 11th of November.

Image above: © Zodiak, Anna Cadia - Paula Salminen - Satu Herrala: Merenneito Annabel ja surullinen Marjatta (Fall 2015). Photo: Katri Naukkarinen

The history of Zodiak begins in 1986, when an association called Zodiak Presents was created. It was a loose production collective set up by five female freelance choreographers. Zodiak marked a departure from the tight-knit group identity of Finnish dance companies founded in the 70’s and 80’s in that each choreographer has always been free to work independently with the artists of their choice, irrespective of whether they are Zodiak members. For ten years Zodiak Presents played an active role as a production cooperative for independent dance artists, premiering an average of 8–10 productions annually, motley at the Cable Factory.

In 1997, Zodiak Presents entered a new era by reinventing itself as the Zodiak – Center for New Dance, now with the mission of becoming a broader, more inclusive forum for both the dance profession and the general public. Zodiak – Center for New Dance premiered its first production at the Helsinki Cable Factory in February 1997. The Centre inherited its artist-led philosophy and independent production model from Zodiak Presents.

Helsinki’s dance scene is fairly active: most of the Finnish contemporary dance scene takes place in the Helsinki area. Helsinki is definitely the place to be, if you’re a dancer living or coming to Finland. 

=> Zodiak is one of the few places in Helsinki where you can see dance, and only dance, throughout the year.

Image above: © Zodiak, Sonja Jokiniemi: Hmm (Spring 2015) Photo: Timo Wright

=> What to look forward to: the next big thing for Zodiak is the year 2017 when Zodiak-Center for New Dance will celebrate its 20th anniversary, and the organization behind Zodiak (i.e. Zodiac Presents) celebrates its 30th anniversary. The second big project in the future is the House of Dance at the Cable Factory  To be continued... 

Zodiak – Center for New Dance

Further information

Zodiak stage entrance is through glass doors marked with the letter V. Doors open one hour before each performance. While waiting for the performance, the audience is invited to read culture magazines provided by Kultti ry and to enjoy the Zodiak Cafe. Buy tickets in advance!

Zodiak office is located at staircase B, 1 1/2 floor. Office is normally open between 11 am and 4 pm. Contact info of our staff can be found by scrolling down this page.

zodiak@zodiak.fi

Tel. +358 (0)9 694 4948

Fax. +358 (0)9 562 5805

Postal address:
Tallberginkatu 1 B/154
FIN-00180 Helsinki

Full program and more info: www.zodiak.fi

Sandro

 Sandro Kallio

The first brunch Inside Outer Emilie McDermott had when she arrived in Helsinki, was at Sandro: an authentic scrumptious Moroccan brunch. Homemade, with fresh fruits and juices, everything was tasteful. Since then, Sandro has become one of InsideOut Helsinki's favorite go-to food places. 

Sandro was the name of a small kiosk that used to be there in place of the first restaurant, which opened in Kallio in 2012. The owners wanted to keep the name as it was already a neighborhood hit at that time. The intention at first was to open a stylish but casual place where you could grab cocktails, have some food and listen to good music. A few years later, Sandro is serving full-on Marrakesh Madness experience with different lunches, brunches and dinner in two locations (Kallio and Eira), plus catering and food trucks for events.

The delicious eclectic cuisine reflects the owners rich multi-cultural background. Originally from Asia, they lived in Scandinavia, but also Spain and London, before settling for good in Helsinki. Sandro is the symbol of Helsinki's dynamic ever changing and growing food scene. Finnish cuisine traditionally was known as rather modest and under-stated. But with this light shed on Helsinki new addresses and chefs (e.g. to name a few, Nokia or Spies), it's changing. 

The food here at Sandro is always sure to surprise your tastebuds, and satisfy your cravings. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and most of all you are sure to have a genuine experience here. As the owners say :

"Our guests should feel at home and not have the feeling that the waiters are educating them"

=> Inside Out Helsinki recommends the "Marrakech Madness Brunch" on Sundays, but also any of their delicious refined vegan or vegetarian dishes, such as their lentil soups, or vegetable dumplings. Their different tagines are also to die for! 

Sandro Eira

Sandro has two addresses: the original address, Kallio, as seen in the photos above. And its new location in Eira, as seen below.

Sandro is already focused a lot on vegan/ vegetarian cuisine and plans on continuing to gear the place towards that direction in the future. The restaurant stresses the importance of seasonality and sustainability, as does InsideOut Helsinki for its choice of addresses, and they use as much as possible local and organic ingredients.

"We want to serve people fresh, seasonal and natural food, something that will contribute positively to their overall wellbeing and happiness."

 Further information: 

Website:

http://sandro.fi/

Addresses :

Kallio

Kolmas Linja 17

00530 /

Helsinki

09 428 92317

info@sandro.fi

Opening times:
Mon – Thurs
10:30 am – 12:00 am
Friday 
10:30 am – 02:00 am
Saturday
10:00 am – 02:00 am 

Sunday                      
10:00 am – 12:00 am

Eira

Tehtaankatu 34 D

00150

Helsinki

040 765 7693

info@sandro.fi

Opening times:

 Mon-Thu
10:30 am-11:00 pm (kitchen closes at 10:00 pm)
Fri
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sunday
10:00 – 11:00 pm (kitchen closes at 10:00 pm)