N4KU was born out of a love for Asian cuisines, but it became a major food and media phenomenon by serving luxurious, unconventional Christmas porridges that became viral hits at Tuomaan Markkinat.

Head chef Valtteri Sinkkonen, how did you end up cooking rice porridge?
"We wanted to reinvent a beloved Finnish Christmas dish. Our passion for food and quality led us to create the best rice porridge. The same elements can be seen both in our porridges and our banh mi sandwiches. Earning the title of "hit porridge" feels like we found the almond!"

At À la Park, N4KU is once again venturing into new rice porridge territory with congee. Congee is originally a Chinese rice dish similar to porridge, with different versions served across Asia. It’s a savory, silky porridge traditionally served with salty toppings like meat, fish, or pickles.”

Why congee?
“There’s still very little of it available in Helsinki, if at all. Congee perfectly combines comfort food with street food. The dish brings together our two specialties — Asian flavors and rice porridge. It’s the perfect spin-off to our rice porridge story. A bowl full of umami and bold flavors.”

At the festival, you can expect a silky porridge with crispy toppings.

N4KU is known for bold flavors, which the masterminds behind the restaurant would love to see more in Finnish food culture. Sinkkonen hopes people would experiment flavor combinations more bravely. The restaurant's boldness is also reflected in how openly they’ve participated in a wide range of events.

What’s the best part of cooking at festivals?
“The vibe! No vibe, no game! Food and music go hand in hand, and at festivals, you get to see customers’ reactions right away. The energy and joy rub off on us too — assuming, of course, that people are digging what we’ve cooked.”