Restaurant Savoy
Premium restaurant water
When Helena Puolakka, who has spent more than 20 years running top restaurants around the world, returned from London in 2019 to run the kitchen and dining room at Restaurant Savoy, her task was to update the classic restaurant for today. The menu was simplified, flavours were freshened up and Finnish ingredients were brought to the plate. What wasn’t touched was the water served to customers. A Nordaq system had been installed in Savoy and bottled water had been replaced by ecological tap water.
“It was obvious to me that in Finland, the water we serve to customers comes from a tap, not a bottle. Using tap water is not only ecological but also makes sense. And most importantly, Nordaq’s water tastes different from all other water and is excellent,” says Puolakka.
Finnish tap water is known to be the best in the world, but it still contains small amounts of impurities and chemicals. Nordaq’s patented water purification system filters out impurities and unwanted flavours. The end result is clean water that retains the natural salts and minerals in the water.
“Thanks to the tap system, we are able to serve our customers fresh and cold premium water straight from the tap every night,” says Puolakka.
Water provided from a crystal bottle
Nordaq’s water is premium from the push of a button to the serving. To ensure a perfect customer experience, the water is served from a specially designed crystal bottle.
“Nordaq’s bubble water has smaller than normal bubbles. The water sparkles beautifully in the crystal bottle when poured for the customer. Nordaq bubble water also tastes better than other bubble waters. It has a fine finesse in its taste,” says Puolakka, noting that the design of the designer crystal-blown bottle is very well suited to Savoy.
In addition to the food and service, the restaurant is famous for its furniture and lighting designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto. For example, the “Aaltovaasi” in almost every Finnish home is actually called Savoy, and as the name suggests, it was originally designed for a restaurant.
Thanks to crystal bottles, there is no need for disposable water bottles at Savoy. This has reduced waste disposal and water storage is no longer a problem.
Nordaq water is not only an ecological alternative, it also enhances the customer’s taste experience, as the taste and quality of water are essential to the taste of food and wine. This is why it is the water of choice not only for Savoy and Palace, but also for more than 140 Michelin-starred chefs and over 700 five-star hotels in 65 countries on four continents.
Non-alcohol is growing in popularity
If Savoy had not already chosen Nordaq’s water solution to replace bottled water in 2019, now would be the time. Puolakka says that especially in the last two years, the sale of non-alcoholic beverages has grown enormously in popularity and Savoy wants to offer customers the best possible service – starting with water.
“The range of non-alcoholic alternatives has diversified and is interesting. Originally the trend started with mocktails, but now there are plenty of non-alcoholic wines and beers on offer. Non-alcoholic wine packages built for food have attracted a lot of interest, especially at corporate events.”
The sommelier team has developed the restaurant’s non-alcoholic Savoy Noir and Savoy Blanc wines. Tea, for example, is used extensively to extract the drinks and produce tannins and smoky aromas.
“We go to great lengths to make sure the drinks are not juicy.”
On three floors
The Savoy has Nordaq equipment on three different floors: the Cafe Savoy on the first floor, the Savoy party floor for private parties and meetings, and the restaurant on the eighth floor. The water system is regularly serviced by Barfix and if there are any problems with the equipment between servicing, Barfix’s service team will quickly take care of it. Puolakka stresses that a smooth and efficient service is an essential part of the restaurant’s service.
“The support and service provided by Barfix has been an essential part of the service package from the beginning. If something happens, I know who to call and that it will be dealt with immediately. In a busy environment, staff need to be able to rely on the equipment to work.”
At Savoy and Cafe Savoy, the unobtrusive device is installed in the kitchen, but it is easy to install anywhere in the restaurant. Both carbonated and non-carbonated water comes from the same unit.
