Breakfast at Scandic Simonkenttä

Photo: Scandic

I like breakfasts. Especially when it’s a free hotel breakfast on a leisurely weekend morning. I was a lucky winner of a playful contest arranged by our workplace and got to reclaim my price (the free breakfast) at my choice of Scandic Hotel. And I got to take a friend with me as well! We decided to choose Scandic Simonkenttä, located in Kamppi. Briefly – Scandic is the largest Nordic hotel operator. There are five of Scandic Hotels in Helsinki and all of them are located very near the city center. Knowing that Scandic is a big hotel chain, I didn’t really expect Simonkenttä’s interior to be mind-blowing or as unique as some boutique hotels tend to be. The hotel’s interior was quite ordinary – it couldn’t really annoy or bother anyone. However, Scandic is, as far as I know, a high-quality and a good hotel chain, so I would hope that they would invest a bit more to the cosyness of the different spaces. The restaurant, where the breakfast was served, was for example quite everyday-like. When I’m staying at a hotel or just having a breakfast there, I wouldn’t necessarily want to be reminded by the everyday, even though the reason for my stay would be, let’s say, a business trip.

Nevertheless, the somewhat plain and uninspiring surroundings were compensated by the luxurious breakfast. If I had to describe it it with one word it would have to be abundant. The buffet table naturally included the traditional scrambled eggs and bacon, but I paid attention to the slightly more unordinary items such as the herring assortment, warm vegetables and falafels, served with tzatziki. As for breakfast it was, indeed, quite heavy and I would rather call it a brunch table. And I ate for the whole day – I could not eat anything until very late in the evening. I give the biggest credits for the large selection of gluten free and vegan products. They had their very own table filled with various items all the way from different gluten free pastries and non-dairy yogurts to vegan cheeses and cold cuts. Being curious, I wanted to taste some of these different delicacies and especially the gluten free mixed seed bread impressed me. The vegan bread toppings, however, did not. But that is not Scandic’s fault. To be honest, I just wanted to try the vegan cheeses because I wouldn’t buy a full package of them just because I want to taste them. Nevertheless: if I really were a vegan, I would really appreciate these products – they are a very welcome addition alongside to the “wide” selection of cucumber and salad…

There is a small danger of eating too much here so I highly recommend to stop by when you’re not in a hurry. An abundant breakfast like this would go to waste on a busy weekday morning!

Scandic Simonkenttä:
The hotel is located right next to Kamppi keskus, the address is Simonkatu 9. Breakfast is included to the room rate, otherwise it costs 17,50 € and served from Monday to Thursday at 6.00-10.00, on Saturday at 7.00-10.30 and on Sunday at 8.00-11.00.
https://www.scandichotels.fi/hotellit/suomi/helsinki/scandic-simonkentta