Wine Café Feeniks serves many needs
You can eat breakfast and lunch at the renewed Wine Café Feeniks, you can sit down for a coffee between lectures or relax at the end of the day with a glass of wine and tapas. The café is in a great location in Töölö, and it is perfect for intermission services at concerts or as a performance venue.
Sami Garam, who has had a long career as a chef, and Jyrki Tarvonen, a wine expert and front-of-house professional, decided to start running Café Feeniks together in the R-building at Uniarts Helsinki in Töölö. They renamed the café Viinikahvila Feeniks, which translates into Wine Café Phoenix. The expertise and experience of the owners is reflected in the café’s offering.
“We thought about who goes to Feeniks and what they do there. That is why Feeniks is a combination of a café, a lunch restaurant and a wine bar. It doesn’t have a proper kitchen, so food must be prepared with the help of an oven and a stove. The wine selection is not very extensive, but it is carefully considered and of high quality. Our offering must include wines of different price categories and non-alcoholic wines as well. We are also planning to organize wine tasting evenings,” says Jyrki Tarvonen.
Tarvonen has worked, for example, as a restaurant manager and most recently as the head of Hotel Arthur’s restaurant operations in Helsinki. He is a cook and waiter by training and has held front-of-house positions at different restaurants during his career. He says that he is a passionate wine enthusiast, and he has worked for an alcohol importing company.
“Jyrki is one of Finland’s best wine experts,” Sami Garam points out.
Garam is well known for television cooking shows and several cookbooks. He is involved in many things, including many restaurants. Many music professionals in the Garam family have had a close relationship with the Sibelius Academy through their studies and teaching work.
“Sami has 40 years’ experience as a chef and is a versatile professional in the restaurant industry. Together, we intend to get to know our customer base and their wishes with an open mind,” says Tarvonen.
Soup and salad for lunch, tapas in the evening
Feeniks has a customer seating capacity of about 50, and during the day it mainly serves students and teachers of the Sibelius Academy. In the evenings, the 550-seat concert hall next to Feeniks offers musical experiences. The R-building also has a chamber music hall and an early music hall.
“At lunch, we offer two different soups, one of which is vegan. There is also a salad, for example smoked salmon or shrimp salad. We also sell rolls and pastries throughout the day. Especially in the evening, and sometimes during the day, we sell pinchos and other tapas and recommend suitable wines to accompany them. Beers and stronger alcoholic beverages are also available. We are going to get an espresso machine for Feeniks. At the moment, we sell high-quality filter coffee and different types of tea,” says Tarvonen.
Garam emphasizes that the food must be suitable for the café and its surroundings, and above all for its customers.
“Our goal is to make Feeniks a relaxed café that gives you a good feeling and where good music is appreciated. The space is already very comfortable. The price-quality ratio of food and drinks must be good. We make sure that there is always something interesting to taste in our lunch food. There will be as little food waste as possible for both ecological and economic reasons,” says Garam.
Opportunities for student concerts and events
Garam envisions Sibelius Academy students organising their own concerts at Feeniks.
“Feeniks could host many kinds of events: matinees, evening concerts, media events or birthdays. Students could sell tickets to their own concerts if they want income. Even if the concerts were free, the performance experience would be valuable for the students. It is enough for us to get customers, and students do not have to pay us rent. Concerts could also be marketed to the customers of the neighbouring hotel,” says Garam.
The new owners are learning about their customers’ behaviour, needs and the restaurant’s weekly cycle gradually.
“Feeniks already has different functions, and they are all in perfect harmony. We do not change the space for the evening other than the lighting. We develop the café according to the actual use of the space,” says Tarvonen.
It seems that the Feeniks/Phoenix has once again risen from the ashes and is flying towards the sun. In addition to the myth of the phoenix, there are other stories associated with the café.
“We thought about finding out what Sibelius’ favourite foods and the delicacies of renowned music professionals associated with the Sibelius Academy were. We could make signature portions. We are happy to highlight the long history of the R-building, built in 1931, and the stories related to Feeniks,” says Tarvonen.
Opening hours
- Mon–Tue 9–15
- Wed–Fri 9–21
- Sat 15–21
Lunch
- Mon–Fri 11–14
- Soup or salad 8 €
- Soup and salad 10 €
- Coffee with lunch 1 €
Address
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9, 00100 Helsinki
Text: Päivi Brink