Confession first: I’m not, by nature, a great believer in fusion cuisine. Traditional food cultures are usually the result of decades — if not centuries — of refinement, and bolting them together often feels like culinary gimmickry. Too many fusion kitchens fail to grasp the soul of either cuisine, mixing flavours on the surface and hoping for the best.
Thankfully, that’s not the case at Bistro Ego, which proudly describes itself as French–Japanese. It’s an alluring but risky marriage: can two of the world’s most refined cuisines really coexist on the same plate without tripping over each other?
French cooking, after all, is built on the mastery of sauces and the codification of classical techniques, while Japanese cuisine is deeply rooted in the pursuit of umami – the fifth taste, first identified and celebrated in Japan. Ego works because it approaches this meeting point with restraint. Sometimes with such restraint that you find yourself double-checking the menu to work out which part of the dish is meant to be Japanese.
The kitchen is led by Piero Silvani, winner of the Finnish Chef of the Year 2025 competition, and the food is anything but egotistical. Despite the name, Ego doesn’t shout. It trusts its audience. Sauces are used sparingly, never as camouflage. Ingredients are treated with reverence: crudo-style fish, or quail, for instance, is dry-aged with almost devotional care to achieve perfect texture.
The flavours are elegant and nuanced, very much in line with the wider Olo Group approach – including its Michelin-starred flagship, Olo. The flavours are elegant and understated. On Helsinki’s dining scene, where some restaurants lean a little too heavily on sauce-driven theatrics, this kind of quiet confidence is refreshing.
There are no easy shortcuts here. At a time when every other restaurant seems to be throwing miso at dishes for an instant flavour boost, Ego uses it sparingly – but when it does, it lands. Case in point: the miso ice cream, which is genuinely excellent.
If there’s one area where Ego does lean into its name, it’s presentation – and unapologetically so. Plates arrive adorned with flowers, looking less like dinner and more like small, edible works of art.
The service is relaxed and genuinely warm, instantly putting you at ease. That said, on an ordinary Tuesday night the atmosphere felt almost too calm. Ego is by no means one of the city’s buzziest dining rooms – you won’t come here to feel on the cutting edge or at the epicentre of what’s happening.
So why not the full five stars? The interplay of flavours is intriguing, and by the end of the meal you’ll want to work your way through the entire menu. Still, none of the dishes quite delivers that ecstatic, must-come-back-for-this-alone moment. Portions are also on the restrained side, especially if you order à la carte. Entrées (€14–22) and main courses (€24–34) rack up in price faster than they do in size. Nobody leaves overfed – and this is definitely not the place for anyone craving lorry-driver portions.
The smart move is the four-course menu (€59). That’s where the value clicks into place – and where Bistro Ego’s subtle strengths really come into their own.
Dining and Cooking