Dragon Spring, Helsinki, Finland
French Films is a five-piece band from Espoo/Järvenpää, Finland. Their music is often described as sunny garage pop from the 60’s combined with 80’s punk and new wave. The band was formed in February of 2010 and has already been getting attention all over the world after releasing the debut EP, Golden Sea, in October of 2010. Currently working on their debut album, they’re also getting ready for touring Europe in May.
Judging by the creative name you probably never would have guessed it’s a Chinese restaurant we’re talking about. It’s located in Kamppi, in all aspects a very central part of Helsinki. Right next to the restaurant is Finland’s most well-known music venue Tavastia and the hectic shopping center / bus terminal –combo “Kamppi”.
About the restaurant itself… Let’s keep it simple. Whenever we’re playing a gig nearby or just strolling around town, Dragon Spring is for us the place to eat and have that relaxing moment to ourselves. The food, as in almost every Chinese restaurant around here, is generally very basic and somewhat influenced by Finnish food customs. There are of course a few exceptions that make Dragon Spring a place worth mentioning: Try any dish that involves sweet & sour sauce, the must-have beef with mushrooms and bamboo shoots, or perhaps most importantly the garlic-chili paste that’s on every table. Vegetarian meals do really good job aswell! Just don’t try the whatever with curry sauce unless you have no idea of what real curry tastes like…
In addition to the food, the atmosphere is something else. The staff welcomes you with sincere smiles, takes your orders way too fast, and, after you’ve been to the place a couple of times, starts guessing what you’ll have this time. In other words, it’s utter perfection.
All in all, if you are nearby and happen to have a thing for Chinese food, give Dragon Spring a chance. It might not give the Sichuan cuisine connoisseur a new, mind-blowing gastro-experience, but it will definitely leave you with a satisfied feeling and a smile on your face. And at what price? During lunch hours (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) you can get the whole three course deal for less than 10 €. Bié kèqi!”
Chinese restaurant Dragon Spring
Urho Kekkosen katu 4 – 6
Helsinki. Map
Paté Paté, Copenhagen, Denmark
Øyvind Blomstrøm plays guitar in El Cuero who will release their third album this year. Their last performance at by:larm got them a front page in the by:larm newspaper, and a raving review from Uncut writer Eden Park. This year they will strike again! See them at by:Larm, 19th of February 11:30pm at Rockefeller!
Paté Paté is a fantastic restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. Placed in Kødboderne in Vesterbro, it’s kind of hip and trendy because of the huge transformations in the meatpacking district over the last few years. The slaughter house look makes a great atmosphere for concerts, art, food, drinks or just strolling about for a chill beer.
The waiters at Paté Paté welcomes you in, and tells you everything you want to know about todays menu with great confidence. The placing of the restaurant gives them easy access to meat, so the menu will change slightly from day to day, depending on what part of the lamb, veal etc. they are using. With hardcore, simple food, made with great elegance and amazing flavours, the chefs at Paté Paté made me one of the best meals I ate in all of 2010!
Food for me is on of the main things I care about besides music, and one of the things that make travelling so interesting and fascinating. A good meal can make your day, and a bad meal can certainly ruin your day in many different ways! So nothing makes me happier than a good value meal, eating a rustique dinner in the sunshine outside a kickass restaurant. At Paté Paté I ate grilled veal tounge for starters, accompanied by a lovely salad with beets and poached egg (this was actually two starters, but I had to try both, haha!). Very fresh. I’m pretty full at this moment, but then I’m hit with the main course, which is the best damn braised lamb I’ve ever had. Served with peas and carrots, it’s a pretty simple dish with three or four tastes, but when things are cooked to maximum perfection, that’s really all you need. This dinner really opened my eyes for easy, simple cooking, and their passion for food and wine makes it worth every penny!
Tribal Cafe, LA, USA
Sonny Kay is a Los Angeles resident. He used to play in several legendary Hardcore bands in the 90s and ran the excellent GSL label. He now concentrates on being an artist and designer and being am art director for the Rodriguez Lopez Productions and Sargent House labels. You can read more about Sonny here
In my opinion, one of the best kept food secrets in Los Angeles is Tribal Café in Echo Park (but within a hair of MacArthur Park). In a city teeming with overpriced cafés serving “Earth-conscious” fare - with a hefty dose of unconvincing greenwashing - Tribal Café is the real deal. It’s rough around the edges and it makes no apologies. The vibe is similar to places like the Che Café in San Diego, the legendary punk venue/vegetarian eatery (and in fact, Tribal itself hosts beginning bands and songwriters most nights of the week). The decor could have been created by a high-school art class, and in fact, the interior walls double as an art gallery for what seems like kids of that age. The café really seems to function on “island time” - don’t bother going if you’re in a rush or only have 20 minutes to spare; things at the Tribal Café tend to move at their own pace. However, you get the distinct feeling that the staff really care about you and the food they’re preparing - something virtually unheard of in this fast-paced city.
Anyway, the food… The menu is ENORMOUS. I never have an easy time deciding (although the veggie burrito with soy chicken is near and dear to my heart). The focus is on “Californian cuisine”: Mexican (burritos, tostadas, etc.), salads, sandwiches and wraps, soups, and an overwhelmingly lengthy list of fresh juice concoctions. The café caters to both vegetarians (tofu, soy meats, tempeh) and carnivores alike, sells chilled Kombucha and sugary pastries, and (inexplicably) a vast selection of the same old junk potato chips and snacks you’d find in any gas station… not sure why, but I’d guess it has to do with the kids attending shows in the evenings.
Regardless, the servings are as large as the menu, stuffed full of fresh vegetables of all kinds, delicious homemade sauces, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds. It’s like nothing else in L.A., and the icing on the cake is the price - nothing on the menu is over seven or eight dollars! You heard me. It’s literally half the price of a comparable meal in trendier/higher-rent parts of town. I don’t know how they can keep it so cheap, not to mention that they open at 9 a.m. (and have been promising to start opening at 6 a.m.!). As if all of this wasn’t enough, parking in the neighborhood is free - very rare in L.A. - and they even have a case full of complimentary used books that gets re-stocked every couple of weeks! Truly one of a kind. My only complaint is their website, which is like something from the dark ages and more comedy than functionality. Don’t let it dissuade you.
Tribal Café
1651 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026-5026
(213) 483-4458
http://www.tribalcafe.com/
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