30.1.2019

SpaceTime: Hanko Sushi, downtown Turku, 12pm lunch
Atmosphere: Stylish, modern, spot lights, big windows, peaceful piano music playing on speakers, black and white color theme
Food: Lunch offer sushi platter (medium), miso soup
Price: 13.50€

Thoughts: Hanko Sushi is a chain of restaurants around Finland, offering a variety of sushi as well as other Japanese foods. 

The interior of the restaurant in Hansakortteli offers around 25 customer seats and has a stylish modern design of black and white. My only gripe with the decor, are the lamps hanging over each table at rougly eye-level. They have this wireframe-style shader combined with a round bulb, that will create an irksome dazzle around your periphery as you're eating.

The platters they offer for lunch vary in size, from a small selection for under 10 euros, to a bigger one at over 16. The presentation of the food is not art, but it's certainly pleasant.

I thought the sushi and the miso soup were yummy. The ingredients seemed fresh and the rice was correctly cooked. I opted for the medium size platter (pictured below). It's not an awfully lot of food, so if you're looking to munch away until you almost burst, this may not be the establishment for you. Beyond that, definitely one of the better places to grab sushi in the city center.

29.1.2019

SpaceTime: Baan Thai, Turku, 12pm lunch
Atmosphere: Cosy, dark wood, dim light, bright jazzy guitar music playing on speaker, not busy
Food: Rice, chicken, veggies, soup (lunch offer)
Price: 7.50€

Thoughts: Baan Thai offers a relatively cheap lunch from a daily rotating menu. The restaurant has been around for a while. The slogan taped to the window reads: "Golden places, smiling faces", the meaning of which eludes me. Inside, a small dim dining room of dark wood for maybe 20 customers. Spot-lit Buddha statues on recessed shelves.

The lunch offer today was very plain and flavorless. Chicken bits in a clear, lightly salted broth, with broccoli and kale. Big bowl of white rice. The food was not bad, but it was very bland and mild, and I ended up adding soy sauce and chili oil to it. The appetizer soup was slightly more flavored, but nothing to write home about. 

The lunch is one of the cheapest I've found so far. It's not awful quality, despite the lack of flavor in today's serving: edible, but not delicious. Also, the portion size for the price is excellent. I'd consider going back if I was trying to save money and still gain my fill. However, if I was looking to derive pleasure from eating, I would go elsewhere. 

24.1.2019

SpaceTime: Lounasravintola Arvonen, Puutori, Turku, 12:30 lunch
Atmosphere: Small, not too bright, cozy, no music, hum of air conditioning
Food: Lunch buffet (sausage stroganoff potato mash, pea soup, pancakes, small salad table)
Price: 8.50€

Thoughts: Arvonen offers simple home cooking in a small dining space with less than 20 seats. The lunch offer changes daily. For the same price, take-away from the buffet is possible.

I thought the food was simple and tasty. The foods and salads tasted like you'd expect. The pancake was a bit tough for my taste, but definitely edible. The relatively low price point places this establishment reasonably high on my list of places to return to on a regular basis.

I learned that today was the last day in a while that the restaurant is open, since the owner, Mr. Arvonen will undergo hand surgery and will be closing the kitchen for at least a month. Recommended, for those looking to get as much lunch-value for as cheap as possible.

14.1.2019

SpaceTime: Bagel House, Turku, 1pm lunch
Atmosphere: Stylish, coffee-shop like, friendly, open, big windows, sofas and armchairs, relaxing music
Food: Salmon bagel with salad, tomato, sauce, pickes + hot tomato soup with basil and goat's cheese
Price: 10€

Thoughts: The place had a nice relaxing atmosphere and a stylish distinct look. The staff was friendly. Visually the dish looked nice and crisp. 

The tomato soup with goat's cheese tasted as expected. The bagel itself was a mixed bag for me. I'm not sure how bagels are supposed to be, but this doughnut cut in half like a sandwich, was a bit rough to my mouth. The relative hard crispiness and chewiness of the bagel did not go perfectly with the soft and saucy toppings, and I found myself constantly wiping my face with the napkin. The toppings tasted alright, but were nothing special in terms of flavor, quite mild.

This lunch was quite light, edible if rough. For the offering, I'd say the price was a bit too steep for what you get.

13.12.2018

Location: Sushi Panda, downtown Turku
Atmosphere: Modern black and white interior, large windows on busy street level, downtempo music
Food: Miso soup with salmon, sushi collection
Price: 10€

Thoughts: Miso soup was standard. Sushi was edible and looked delicious. Sushi rice was a bit raw which took away from the otherwise nice experience

12.12.2018

Place: Naughty BRGR, in Turku city center

Occasion: Lunch

Atmosphere: Edgy, with rap music even in the toilet

Food: Turku Burger with Aura cheese, Aura mustard and marinated onion, fries, chunky curry dip extra

Price: 14,40€

Thoughts: Good burger, not the cheapest one though. I regret the extra curry dip, it was hideous to my taste, so I left it.

Place: Bassi, sea food specialist in Turku

Occasion: Dinner

Atmosphere: Sophisticated, but noisy

Food: Creamy mushroom soup, fried pollock with potato and sauce, cranberry juice

Price: ~50€

Thoughts: Food was ok but not well worth the price, atmosphere was too loud and pub-like for my taste.

11.12.2018

Place: Ludu

Occasion: Lunch

Atmosphere: Stylish

Food: Potato-Rutabaga soup, Salmon with dill-potato, cucumber, foam sauce

Price: 16€

Thoughts: Food was nice, the most expensive lunch I've had so far though.

3.12.2018

SpaceTime: Naantalin Aurinkoinen, downtown Turku, lunchtime
Atmosphere: Few old-timers loitering about, bakery-ish.
Food: Creamy salmon soup, bread, salad, yesterday's stale doughnut
Price: 6.9€
Thoughts: For such a reasonable price, the offering is pretty good! If I want a light lunch, I might come back here often. Cheapest full meal I've found so far.

28.11.2018

SpaceTime: Bryggman's, downtown Turku, lunchtime
Atmosphere: Stylish, open, bright, rich-looking older women hanging around
Food: Spinach soup with egg, salad with sinful ingredients like salmon and goat's cheese
Price: 10.40€
Thoughts: Standard soup, sophisticated dining area, good toppings on salad. Not a bad choice for light lunch.