Thu 03/12/09 (Day 40) - Borscht

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I skipped the pea soup at lunch today, but something good still came from work. That is that I learned about Eläkeläiset. Eläkeläiset: I think in Finnish this is something like "retired guys", "pensioners" or of that ilk. They are a band that remakes rock songs in the German Humppa music style. You know, with the accordian, lederhosen and beer swinging. It's definitely worth checking out (youtube). For those of my generation I recommend "Smells Like Humppa". I'm sure Kurt is rolling in his grave.

After work I met my friend Carol for dinner at Ravintola Natalie. It's a cozy little place, dark and comfortable with an eclectic Eastern European motif. The menu has a Ukranian slant so I tried a few new things. For my starter I had borsht. Now I'd heard of borscht, but that's about as far as my knowledge went. After a little research I learned it's mostly an Eastern European thing, although there's variations all over the world. The traditional Eastern European style is hot and based with beetroot. As I've never had it before I cannot say whether this was good or bad borsht. It was pretty potent with vinegar, a thin broth with chunks of beet in it and some other, difficult to identify (possibly onions or gherkins), vegetables. Not bad, but not my favorite thing on Earth; it's nice to try something new though. I do, however, definitely recommend their lamb. Served with herbed rice and pickled vegetables it is simple, but delectable! Perfectly tender chunks of lamb in a thick gravy with whole cloves of sweet garlic and pieces of onion. It paired imacculately with the Lindeman's Cabernet blend I chose.

I am slowly working on my goal of eating at every restaurant in Tampere 😉

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Photos

Borscht
Beets in vinegar?

Outside Natalie
It's in a neat, older building sharing space with a theater (the stage kind, not screen kind).