Marimekko-inspired Finnish Food

The salmon chowder is served in a Marimekko bowl and plate

I have a friend in Hong Kong who is a devoted Marimekko fan. She wears the large dresses featuring the block flower prints, and has the tableware at home too. 

Like many people I was surprised to discover it is a Finnish brand, not Japanese! Marimekko is actually a textiles, clothing and home furnishing company started by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki in 1951.

The cafe has the Unikko poppy decor

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Unikko, or poppy pattern, and Canadian high-end retailer Holt Renfrew has a mini pop-up selling some Marimekko items from clothing to handbags to bowls and tea cups, as well as offering Finnish-inspired dishes at Holts Cafe.

Curious to see how they tasted, I went to the cafe today for brunch. Holts Cafe opens at 10am and I was there half an hour later, the only customer! It's a nice space, with lounge seating mostly for two and a dining room area to the left of the entrance. 

The cafe is decorated with a pillar in the grey Unikko design, as well as some cushions, alternating with blue striped ones from Marimekko as well. For the special menu, all the dishes are served on Marimekko tableware, a great way to promote the brand.

Perusing the menu, there are bites for the ladies-who-lunch crowd, such as a spring pea and cucumber salad, salmon chowder, and open-face smoked whitefish sandwiches called tartine. There's also cabbage rolls, and shrimp on toast.

Smoked whitefish tartine with salad

Keeping with the Finnish theme are drinks using Finlandia vodka -- but who is drinking vodka during the day, and especially at 10.30am? I asked for the non-alcoholic berry caipiroska, and it was served in a tiny (Marimekko) glass with lime juice, syrup and blueberries. Refreshing, but considering it's zero-proof, how about a larger glass or a discount on the drink (C$15)?

The salmon kasu chowder (C$18) arrived smelling fragrant from the fresh dill. The cream-based soup, featured chunks of kasu-cured salmon, leek, carrot, and potato. It was a delicious soup that wasn't too heavy on the cream, but the small potatoes were not bite-sized. Even though they were sliced in half, they had to be fished out and cut in half again.

I also ordered the smoked fish tartine (C$19) that came with small strips of smoked fish with thin slices of radish and red onion on yogurt and rye bread. The fish was a tad salty, but the flavour was flat -- it could have benefited from pickled red onion to elevate the taste. Nevertheless I enjoyed the mini butter lettuce salad on the side.

Finishing these two dishes left me feeling quite full for the rest of the day! 

The Marimekko pop-up and takeover is until July 31.

Holts Cafe

Holt Renfrew

737 Dunsmuir Street

Vancouver

604 678 0316