SicaPelle Wining & Dining

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Restaurant Named After a Sculptor's Pet Pig

Opposite the 13th-century Porvoo Cathedral, half a flight below the cobblestones of Kirkkotori, sits SicaPelle Wining & Dining — a restaurant whose name carries genuine history. The building once belonged to sculptor Ville Vallgren, known in Paris as "Pariisin Ville," who kept a pet pig named Pelle. When the restaurant opened in 2012, it was named in that pig's honour. New owners took over in 2022 — chef Mikko Lahtinen and restaurateur Taru Sassi — but the spirited legacy of Pelle lives on in the name and the stories told within these walls.

The Kitchen and the Team

Mikko and Taru run SicaPelle together with their family and a small, committed team. The kitchen's approach is rooted in Finnish ingredients, handled with evident technique and a light touch of global influence. The current tasting menu moves through courses like scallop with oyster, tomato and Sichuan pepper; celeriac with Charolais beef, wild mushroom and black garlic; trout with spinach, shellfish and rouille; and a closing crème caramel with rhubarb, coconut and Vin Santo. It is the kind of Finnish fine dining that earns serious attention — SicaPelle holds a Fine level recognition from the White Guide, placing it among Finland's most closely watched dining rooms.

Two Ways to Eat Here

The main dinner menu runs at 98€ for the full experience or 69€ for a shorter version, with wine pairing at 72€ and a non-alcoholic pairing at 62€. For a more relaxed evening, the Wine Bistro offers a separate menu of smaller plates — brioche with malt butter, bresaola with sea buckthorn, bikini toast with portobello and truffle, pan-fried fish with spring cabbage and apple kombucha beurre blanc, and a pepper steak. It is an accessible, convivial side of the same kitchen, open from Wednesday through Sunday.

The Setting

The historic manor building, dating from the early 19th century, houses not only the restaurant but also Hotel Onni — four individually designed rooms upstairs and a suite in the courtyard garden. The banqueting hall, with windows framing the cathedral's silhouette, seats up to 80 guests and is available for private events, weddings, and corporate gatherings. Finnish fine dining rarely comes with quite this much atmosphere baked into the architecture itself.