Gastone

On the recommendation from the concierge at the hotel we were staying at we went to Gastone’s for dinner last night. Located right off the Esplanadi it was easy to find & in a wonderful area. We were seated at a great table for two right by the front window that was wonderful, not sure of the seating in the rest of the restaurant but our spot was great.
I started with the mushroom soup that was very good while my wife ordered a pasta with mushrooms that she loved. For a main course I enjoyed a stuffed rolled eggplant that contained cheese & spinach in a light tomato sauce while my wife had the grilled lamb tenderloin which was also very good. Finally for dessert I enjoyed the cheese plate with 3 different cheeses one of which was just outstanding and my wife had the caramelized pineapple cake which was good. The waiter was very helpful in wine pairings & did a good job.
They also offered a 3 or 4 plate fixed menu that looked good which we did debate about trying but just decided to order ala carte. Being from the US it was much different then what we would usually see in an Italian restaurant so if you want a different experience I’d say give it a try.

The location is good: very close to Esplanadi. Décor and service were OK. Loud atmosphere on Saturday night. Decent bread, olive oil, and wine.
But the pasta ala pescatore were very salty and boring (pasta with 3 shrimps and 3 octopus rings, buried under green onions and nothing else. No peas, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, or anything.
The artic char was correctly cooked but incredibly salty, and served with plain steamed veggies (boring again), and a side of risotto which was a pale version of anything resembling a risotto (bland, more liquid than creamy).
2 (decent) glasses of wine and 2 (terrible) entrees will set you back Eu 65. Ouch.
Our forays into foreign cuisine in Helsinki have not paid off. It seems that there is a higher chance (although no guarantee) of getting a decent meal if you stick to traditional Finnish food. It won’t be cheap either, but at least it might be edible.