Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.07.2004, Blaðsíða 30

A LOVING MEAL AT HORNIÐ
by Sonny Greco
My uncle Roberto, bless his memory, used to say that there
was no such thing as an Italian restaurant. He said that if you
wanted proper Italian food you should eat at home. If you could not
do that, you should go to a trattoria, the type that was run by a fam-
ily; with papa in the kitchen, the daughter serving the guests and
mama looking after the Cash Register. And maybe Rosa, the distant
cousin, taking care of the hats and the coats.
Northern Delights
by Robert Jackson
This time of the year the bookshops are full of illustrated books
directed at the tourist market. In them, the sky is blue, the moss is
green, the lava is black and the horses manes trail in the breeze. Not
many of us who live here have actually witnessed much of this parti-
clular scene, but the books sell well and do a fine job in promoting the
flora and fauna of Iceland to those who see them on the coffe tables of
returning visitors.
A new book joins the ‘Lost in
Iceland’ brigade this year, which
has a refreshing take on a area of
growing interest - Icelandic food. It
seems that fine food restaurants have
never been more prolific, nor busier,
in Reykjavík, and Erna Kaaber´s
‘Northern Delights’ is well worth a
read, particularly if you would like
to understand something about the
development of restaurant dining in
this country. The tradition of Icelan-
dic hospitality is at its core; Kaaber
refers to its inclusion in the ancient
Book of Settlement.
Fire is needed by the newcomer
Whose knees are frozen numb
Meat and clean linen a man
needs
Who has fared across the fells.
In the introduction to the book
Kaaber traces the history of dining
and hospitality when, in 1809, guests
were treated to a feast of sago soup
with red wine and raisins, followed
by salmon and tern´s eggs (who was
brave enough to collect them?) all
We may be in Reykjavík but if you
go to Hafnarstræti you´ll find a place
called Hornið which would have
pleased my uncle Roberto. It is as
plain as a good slice of Mozzarella
with thick slice of tomato on top,
and a generous dose of good basil
and olive oil in order to give it the
right taste. What else would you
want for a moderate price? Just
check the Menu and you will find a
wonderful selection of tasty, simple
and fine dishes. Even the breadbas-
ket looks tempting, - with “crestino
de pane con pesto e olivo.”
The pizzas include the traditional
Margheritas, Calzones (with a gen-
erous helping of mushrooms), Pesca-
tore, and my favorite, the quattro
stagioni. Among the Pasta selections
you will also find a fine Tagliatelle
prosciutto e funghi and an outstand-
ing pizza with scallops, mussels,
langoustines and other goodies
selected from the pure Icelandic fish
categories to pepper steak.
The amiable atmosphere is compli-
mented by a competent staff that
serves you with a happy flair. They
obviously like their job - and it
shows. The cooking is overseen by
Chef Jakob Magnússon. Yes, and
the place is run by his family. There
may not be a cousin Rosa to check
your hats and coats, but it seems that
Hornið has everything else.
This restaurant was founded exactly
25 years ago when Chef Magnús-
son returned to Icelandic after
having worked for a few years in
Copenhagen at (you guessed it) an
Italian pizza place, serving clients
from all over the world. It was not
an easy task to open such a place in
Reykjavik at the time. Hornið was
a first in many ways. Chef Magnús-
son had to fight for a wine license
and other necessary trappings. In
1979 Icelanders where not used to
this type of restaurant. If you went
out for a meal, it was a dress up
affair. There were fine grill rooms
and restaurants, mostly connected
to the bigger hotels. But few locals
knew what the word pizza stood for.
And many Icelanders thought that
Chef Magnússon was plain crazy to
think that a small place with table
service and seating for less than 40
people would survive. Let alone such
a ridiculous idea as serving coffee in
tiny cups, something called Espresso
(most people called it Expresso and
many still do).
Chef Magnússon is today one of our
foremost culinary experts. He has
served as a chairman of the Icelan-
dic Chef´s Association and of the
Nordic Association of Master Chefs.
He has also served as a consultant to
the team of international Judges at
the annual Food & Fun Festival in
Reykjavik, along with experts such as
the American culinary expert David
Rosengarten. Well, it seems that
Hornið, a restaurant in Reykjavík
has combined all the little things
that make you enjoy a meal that is
made with loving care. Congratula-
tions to the Magnússon family. May
you continue for at least another 25
years.
washed down with cognac. Here, too,
is the history of some Reykjavík´s
most famous eateries. The narrative
is laced with interesting detail and
colourful characters; the communists
and Kommakaffi and the journalists
and actors at Prikið, all feature.
The second half of the book is a tour
of the famous restaurants containing
more anecdotes and history . They’re
all here. Siggi Hall, Vox, Einar
Ben, La Primavera, Listasafnið and
others. And what makes it so good
is that for the cash-strapped reader
(which undoubtedly you are), Kaaber
gives each restaurant’s signature dish
accompanied with photos, which
themselves are good enough to eat.
So even if you can´t afford to actually
visit these places, a quick visit to the
supermarket and an evening of deter-
mined work will enable you to eat off
Humarhusið´s lemon grass lobster
tails, pig out on Apotek´s creme
brulee or, if you are truly getting into
the spirit of the country, The Three
Frencheman´s whale steak with pep-
pered gravy.
If all this proves too much for you,
then Kaaber completes the tour of
Reykjavík´s best with a visit to the
world´s most famous hotdog stand,
Bæjarins Beztu. So if your souflée
won´t rise and you´ve incinerated the
lamb, seek solace in the way we lesser
mortals do, with a brace of ‘Eina
með öllu’ - that´ll sort you out.
H
.S
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FOOD30