In the heart of the Design District Helsinki lies Sushibar, a chic little restaurant bringing together Finnish design and Japanese food.

SUSHIBAR is a fairly new entity to the Design District Helsinki scene. It opened in December after a month of renovation, transforming the corner space from an interior shop into a restaurant. Within only a few months of existence, Sushibar has already witnessed a growing amount of customers and loyal regulars.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Matti Sarkkinen and Anders Westerholm, two young entrepreneurs who are also the owners of a popular Japanese restaurant Raku Ya. “The idea for Sushibar actually started from Raku Ya.

The Irish national holiday of Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrating Ireland’s famous patron saint, has become a worldwide celebration. New York City conducts an annual parade just as entertaining as that of Dublin, while here in Helsinki, the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day have become extremely popular, beginning on 14 March in all the Irish bars in the city. Live bands, drinks promotions and the famous traditional Irish atmosphere are sure to be found, with a great Céad Míle Fáilte on arrival. In Molly Malone’s pub, Lapin Kulta drinkers will find their pint coloured green to mark the occasion.

Be amazed – some of the best and most exciting wines out there are made from grape varieties you may never have heard of.

WHEN IT comes to wines, most of us tend to stick to what we know. Nobody wants to turn up at a friend’s house with a bottle of Scottish wine so hideous that it ends up being used to run a gas heater, or waste five euros on a bottle of something Portuguese you can’t pronounce the name of, and which turns out to be carrot liqueur. And yet some of the best and most exciting wines out there are made from grape varieties that you didn't even know existed. Helsinki Times walks you through a selection that might stun and amaze your friends.

THE PROPOSAL to dedicate one day per week entirely to vegetarian food in schools and day care centres has caused heated conversation during the past month. Websites offering place for conversation over the issue are packed with supporting and opposing opinions alike. Some cheer on the proposal initiated by Emma Kari of the Greens, regarding it an excellent method to teach children about healthy eating and ecological decisions. Others are appalled by the idea that their growing children will be denied meat of any kind, worried that they will not receive a sufficient amount of energy and protein to keep them going until the evening. At least Helsinki has already approved the proposal along with Tampere, where the weekly vegetarian day will commence next year.

In a Kallio corner sits a cosy coffee shop with a heart of gold.

“HAVE I DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN,” was the first comment of one surprised customer as she stepped inside Villipuutarha, the Wild Garden Café. The atmosphere inside the tiny café in Kallio is truly heavenly with the décor made up of all things delicate. The interior is covered in dried roses, there’s a few old nighties hanging on the wall, an angel statue, dolls sitting on steps of old ladders, aged furniture, flowery wallpaper, plants and the like all around.

Too cold to go outside? Viinitkotiin can deliver consignments of wine to your door.

For those frustrated by the occasional limitations of Alko’s range, importing wine has long been an option – but not always an easy one. With wine importers Viinitkotiin launching their business at a small tasting a few weeks ago, the options for consumers have suddenly become a little wider.

“We kind of felt there was a need for quality wines to be presented to the public through a website. You can’t always get what you want from Alko,” says Violetta Teetor, originally from South Africa. “And besides, if you buy someone a gift from there, everyone knows what you paid for it!”

What is the point of congesting the already overloaded, glutted wine market with yet more products? The point is made when the monopoly is not meeting the needs of discerning consumers who want something a little extra, something with quality at an affordable price. And this is where Viinitkotiin steps in with some knock-out Portuguese wines as part of their range of wines from all over the world. But first let’s clear the palate with a swig of some excellent Champagne.

Luckily for fans of Thai food, a new restaurant in the centre of Helsinki offers some of the best-value dishes of any nationality.

I don’t know how many lunch restaurants there are in Helsinki, but I’m thinking it’s a lot. Many more people eat out for lunch than for dinner, it seems, and you can find just about anything on a lunch menu somewhere. However, it’s not been the easiest thing to find good and cheap Thai food in town. You can find pretty good Thai but it’s not cheap for the most part. Luckily for fans of the cuisine that are on a tight budget, there is one new lunch place in the centre of Helsinki where one can find some of the best value food of any kind.

The shopkeepers at one small Helsinki shop are attempting to start a shopping revolution.

Remember the days when the local shopkeeper knew you by your first name and offered kids a taste of fresh bread every time they walked in clinching to their mother’s hems? Stepping into the small shop is like stepping right back into the good old days. As soon as I’m in the door I am greeted with a smile and offered a cup of steaming fair-trade coffee to warm my freezing fingers. This is not special treatment, but the genuine warmth with which each customer is treated at Juuren Puoti, The Juuri Shop.

To help people in their hunt for proper food amidst the ever-increasing pace of modern life, Helsinki Times tested a variety of ready-made meals.

Ready-made meals have become an integral part of Finnish food culture. Their popularity has been on a steady rise for years, and food manufacturers have invested heavily in their attempt to make their meals the tastiest and most alluring ones on the market. As a result, Finnish grocery stores boast an extensive selection of all kinds of microwave meals, salads and other instant eats.