Another Restaurant Day is upon us!

Restaurant Day has become very popular and will take place for the third time on Saturday 19 November, 2011.

This community event which was first launched in Finland encourages people to open pop-up restaurants for one day across the country. Restaurant Day is the brainchild of a group of people in Helsinki who wish to encourage others to have fun, do things together and experiment with various restaurant concepts.

The event which was launched in the social media and on the Internet has quickly gathered momentum: The number of restaurants has more than quadrupled since the first Restaurant Day. This time there will be over 200 enthusiastic restaurateurs in over 30 locations – the following locations have joined Helsinki: Uurainen, Hirvensalmi, Aura, Hanko, Hollola, Kausala, Klaukkala and Kemi.

”Restaurant Day is a one day culinary carnival in celebration of restaurant and food culture, which will enliven both the environment and the city culture. The event is intended for all, and it is great to see how this phenomenon has spread across Finland, featuring the most unique restaurant concepts," explains Olli Sirén, one of the founding members of Restaurant Day.

Restaurant Day Tips

Imagination has been given free rein in the creation of these restaurants. Below are a few interesting examples of what is on offer on Saturday:

- At the Skidisti Raakaa restaurant, children are allowed to play at being chef and, with the help of adults, to prepare a raw food lunch for themselves.
-One of the places catering for international tastes is Canarinho, which offers home-made Brazilian food.
-The November Garten offers German delicacies and the Pinjan Herkkula cuisine features foods from Middle Eastern and African countries.
-Anyone hoping for adventure can saunter to the Satumaan kahvila to admire a flamenco show, or observe how foodstuffs are transformed during an afternoon into works of art at the Elintarviketaide Tintura.
-Entirely new surroundings can be experienced at the Le Garage restaurant (which, as the name indicates, is set up in a garage) or the Karhusuon Kota-Ravintola which has been set up in a  Lapp-style hut.
-For those appreciating a party atmosphere at the piste, there is the After Ski restaurant. The Dagen Efter on the other hand will ensure that everyone is in great shape after starting the rounds by enjoying a pizza and a painkiller, and by watching an episode of the legendary MacGyver.
-The furriest in the family have not been forgotten either: The Perró Gastronomo & Picas Tostada invites dogs to sample either Salmón Verde or Reno Papilla.