The Cultured Traveller - Fourth Anniversary Edition, September-November 2018 Issue 23

THE COCK Open 12-hours every day except Sundays, for late breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between, The Cock is one of those places that when a friend suggests meeting there for lunch, everyone unanimously agrees. Because everyone loves The Cock - it’s as simple as that. It’s hip and trendy without being in any way painfully fashionable, and its central location - on the edge of the Design District yet a stone’s throw from Esplanadi - make it the perfect place for a relaxed and informal gathering. You can drop in alone and have a drink or a light bite, or hook up with your mates and go all out with oysters, steak tartare and bubbles. The simplicity of the food menu extends to the drinks, which capitalise on seasonal flavours and local ingredients in a range of cocktails which are fresh and thirst-quenching. “The Cock Lunch Break” is great value for money at just EUR13 Monday through Friday from 11.00 ‘til 14.30 to eat in or take-away, and includes a daily changing menu of fresh salads, made-from-scratch soups and stews, freshly baked bread and organic coffee. Yum yum – we love The Cock! http://thecock.fi NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU ULTIMA The brainchild of two of Finland’s leading chefs, Henri Alén and Tommi Tuominen, Ultima has been creating a stir since it launched in May 2018 as an experimental restaurant, combining high quality cuisine with stateof-the-art food technology. Located near the Old Market Hall on South Harbour, diners can literally see their meals growing around them, since the restaurant houses a hydroponic system, aeroponic potato tubes, balloonshaped pendants with crickets living inside them and a mushroom-growing statue. And, yes, the insects are on the menu. In keeping with a world-wide trend towards sustainability, 90 percent of the kitchen’s ingredients originate from Finland. You can try elk-meat tartare or wild fish with Ultima’s version of a fermented Asian sauce, using broad beans in place of soya. www.restaurant-ultima.fi/en/ DAWN GIBSON Sep-Nov 2018 The Cultured Traveller 115