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A place with a lot of potential but not quite there yet: Restaurant Fino (3. September 2021)

| October 16, 2021 | 0 Comments

The Fino was recommended to me so it was time to give it a try. The evening started with an “amuse bouche” which was nice but quite a portion. But definitely good to get started

After having placed our order, we were served “fennel bread and sourdough bread”. While I did not try the sourdough, I absolutely loved the fennel bread – it was just so overwhelmingly flavorful and enjoyable that, if I wasn’t still kind of stuffed from lunch, I would have eaten kilos of it.

As a starter, I went for the “gyozas with smoked sturgeon, smoked sturgeon emulsion, spring onion, pickled chanterelles, cherries” (34 PLN) which were amazingly good. The combination of flavors was great. However, I must say that the chef (still quite young) has a way of combining flavors which fit together and does this very good. However, somehow we got the feeling that all is not as refined as it should be, i.e., the single flavors somehow go together but in terms of nuances and details, they are not there yet where they could be and should be. So, while I definitely see the Fino as a good place, there can definitely something be added to make it exquisite.

The “squid ceviche in coconut and sea buckthorn, fish tapioca chips, raddish, marinated ginger, coriander” (36 PLN) on the other hand was rather standard. The ceviche was very mushy and more like a goo than like ceviche. Of course, not easy with squid but still, it did not really resemble much to a ceviche.

The palate cleanser served was “fennel sorbet with foam” and while it was actually good, the intensity of the fennel sorbet was too huge, meaning, a much smaller portion would also have done the trick and ultimately been better since like that it was just too much.

I decided to go for a vegan version of the “scallops, black pudding, crackling, burned cauliflower puree, smashed green peas, citrus tapioca” (47 PLN) and that was a mistake. I love to try new things and I must say the black pudding was recreated deliciously. However, the scallops or whatever it actually was were inedible. Not sure how this is enjoyable to anyone but, from my perspective, this was not to be enjoyed at all. The rest of the dish was fine, however, again, the flavors were too strong and somehow didn’t really “smoothen” out.

The “duck breast, peanut emulsion, compressed pear with saffron, spicy peanuts, Jerusalem artichoke in tempura, pak choi” (68 PLN) was fine in terms of ingredients on the plate but somehow lacked a theme here. So, all in all, the dishes were good but definitely far from great – I mean, I see a lot of potential but I also see some work to be done here.

Since I had not finished my ‘scallops’, upon asking me, I told the waitress that I was not satisfied with the dish so she sent the chef who came to inquire what had gone wrong and I told him, that the scallops were not enjoyable so he brought us an “apology dessert” which was toffee and ice cream and which was nice. Not so much for the apology dessert itself but much more for the time the chef took to come talk to us, I must say that it speaks of eagerness to incorporate feedback. And that is something I can appreciate.

All in all, the Restaurant Fino is decent in terms of food. It’s actually good but it lacks the refinement you would wish for in a bit upper class cuisine, so frankly, a pity it’s not there yet. Still, the gyozas were delicious and are something I can absolutely recommend.

Just make sure to book a table in advance – and call them since they had never replied to my email (but had confirmed the reservation in their system). So, in conclusion, worth visiting a bit down the line when the learning curve has improved and the dishes become rounder, smoother, and there is a better interplay of ingredients.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Fino

Grząska 1

80-833 Gdańsk (PL)

Tel.: +48 789 399 082

E-Mail: rezerwacja.fino@gmail.com

Homepage: http://www.restauracjefino.pl

About the Author:

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.
300 PLN (incl. tip) Filed in: Gdansk (PL), Restaurants
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