A New Greenhouse Grows In Dublin

After his years in the west, Mickael Viljanen was ready for the capital. In 2012 he joined the founding team of a new restaurant in Dublin: The Greenhouse^[1][2].

It was a partnership. The Greenhouse was a joint venture with Eamonn O'Reilly^[1]. Viljanen ran the kitchen. The goal was clear from the start: to cook at the highest level in Ireland.

A Flying Start

The restaurant did not take long to make its mark. In its first year, Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide named The Greenhouse its Restaurant of the Year^[1]. For a brand-new opening, it was a huge vote of confidence.

On Television

2012 also put Viljanen in front of a wider audience. He appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Ireland that year^[1]. Home cooks across the country got a glimpse of the quiet Finn who was cooking some of the most ambitious food in the city.

Cooking In The Moment

The style was his own. He often made up dishes on the spot, using whatever produce came through the door that day^[1]. Guests could choose a seven-course menu or a set menu, but the most popular choice was the surprise menu^[1]. You sat down, trusted the chef and let him lead.

That way of working asks a lot of a kitchen. Ingredients must be perfect. The team must be able to adapt at a moment's notice. It also gives guests something rare: a meal that might never be cooked again in quite the same way.

Finnish, French, Irish

His plates mixed techniques from three traditions: the Finnish kitchen of his youth, classical French cooking and the produce of Ireland^[1]. He did not want to label it. It was simply his food.

The Greenhouse quickly became a place that chefs and critics talked about. Bigger prizes were coming. Within a few years, the Michelin inspectors would come knocking^[1][2].