Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.08.2007, Page 16

I found the following assertion on one of the websites dedicated to the
Icelandic wool: ‘Wool is cool.’ Unchallengeable, indeed. Wool is a source of
Iceland’s national pride, and flocks of sheep peacefully grazing on emerald
pastures in summertime are among the most favourite tourist attractions.
Icelandic wool escaped the country’s borders a long time ago and made
the country actually known in the world, along with its geysers, the Blue
Lagoon and Bobby Fischer.
Bryndís Eiríksdóttir, one of the senior members of the Handknitting As-
sociation of Iceland (Handprjónasamband Íslands) has been involved with
the production of woollen garments for already 30 years, and knows about
wool perhaps more than anyone else. She says that the wool used for all
the knitted garments, such as ‘lopapeysa’, one can purchase in Iceland
comes exclusively from sheep, as it can also originate from goats, rabbits
and lamas.
The first sheep came to Iceland in the year 874 along with the first
settlers. The sheep they brought along had a very different fleece, much
thinner and milder, but the severe climate transformed it in order to give the
animals the chance to survive. That is how the uniqueness of the Icelandic
wool had been acquired. Now it consists of two types of fibres: the inner
ones insulate cold and remove body moisture, they are very fine and soft
and are used primarily for knitting babies’ garments. The outer fibres are
long and glossy, and thanks to them water is repelled: snowflakes and rain
drops slide down, and thus can’t get inside and make a sheep feel cold or
uncomfortable. Clean air, crystal water, complete freedom, and the stress-
free relaxing atmosphere of vast Icelandic pastures make the wool truly
unique; later on, it communicates its uniqueness to the garments.
Bryndís says that it takes about 25 hours to knit a standard lopapeysa.
Fleece may vary in colour from strawberry blonde to charcoal black, and
although it is very easy to dye, Icelanders prefer natural colours as the rich
pattern makes chemical dyeing unnecessary. Thanks to this, garments retain
as much of their original nature as possible and never irritate the skin.
Although the history of lopapeysa counts barely decades, knitting has
always been a traditional occupation in the Icelandic families, where both
women and men would participate. The Industrial Revolution arrived in
Iceland at the late nineteenth century, and until then all of the wool had
been washed in the hot springs and processed by hand. Just imagine what
standard of quality was maintained at that time! It appears that the Icelandic
knitters of today set no less rigorous demands so that the garments they
produce can be a source of pride for them and pleasure for us.
Quest for the
Icelandic Wool
RVK_GV_INFO_WOOL_B11B10_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 1_007_REVIEWS/FOOD
After a vigorous session of yoga, I can imagine that there are
few things more satisfying than a ridiculously healthy meal.
Ravaging a thick, bloody hamburger isn’t exactly appealing after
cleansing your mind, body and soul, right? So, at least, attests
the philosophy behind Gló, a newly opened organic restaurant
in collaboration with the Rope yoga studio in Laugardalur.
Gló utilises a refreshingly uncluttered approach to healthy
eating. Without flooding its dishes with an excess of spice and
ingredients, Gló offers simple and wholesome organic cuisine
that serves a quick and healthy purpose. You can even skip
the yoga if you want.
On a recent Wednesday morning, my dining companion
and I ventured into the small and stylised dining area in the
Listhús building. The menu options were marginal but sufficient.
For the carnivore, a chicken casserole with a side of wild rice
and three different salads, including an apple and julienned
beet salad, a plantain salad and a Waldorf salad, all for 1,250
ISK. I selected a pumpkin and apple soup for 850 ISK, which
was followed by a basket of whole-wheat bread and garlic
hummus on a small wooden tray.
The soup was quite delicious, topped with a fanciful splatter
of cream and a sprinkling of lightly toasted salvia which,
combined, created a warm and tangy taste quite unlike anything
I have laid taste buds on before. The chicken was well cooked,
lightly spiced and prepared with okra, giving it a gumbo-like
quality, a detail and an ingredient that my dining companion
was quite thrilled by.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the portions were very appropriate,
and by the end of our meal we were not only full, but felt quite
good about it. We finished with lattes and two servings of the
day’s dessert, Hjónabandssæla, an Icelandic pie, topped with
blueberries and a side of whipped cream. Hjónabandssæla,
something that here in Iceland you might expect and enjoy
mainly at tea at your grandmother’s house, is a dessert made
simply from oatmeal, butter, flour and jam. A fitting end to
our fit meal.
With fresh and high-quality ingredients, simple delivery, and
the news of an impending juice bar, Gló has already crawled
onto the map of Reykjavík’s health-conscious, but it is quite
qualified to catch the attention of the rest of us. Thankfully,
they don’t make eating well all that complicated. VÞ
Gló
Engjateigur 19, 105 Reykjavík, tel.: 553 1111
“Straight friendly” Q Bar is located in the middle of 101 Reykja-
vík. It has, in the six or so months since it took on its incarnation
as a gay bar, gained a reputation as a fun place to partake in
casual drinking and late nights out. Not content with catering
solely to Reykjavík’s queer drinker contingent, the bar recently
introduced a menu of modern bar food; soups, salads, Tapas
and wraps may now be enjoyed there for a reasonable price.
The Grapevine investigated.
Arriving early Thursday evening, it soon became clear
that those meaning to enjoy the newfangled menu at Q Bar
must make the important distinction that it isn’t a restaurant,
so much as a bar that offers food. The name and cheap-ish
pricing policy indicate as much. We adapted to the different
service standards a bar will offer and thus weren’t particularly
concerned by having to wait fifteen minutes before any of
the staff noted our presence. The tango course being taught
in front of our table may have contributed to this, but also
contributed to the quality of our evening, as it was entertaining
to watch.
We were in for a treat when they did. Perusing the menu
while sipping on impressive Strawberry Mojitos, we had dif-
ficulties deciding which of the tempting Tapas to order (prices
ranging from 590 to 990 ISK) and whether to get Falafel wraps
or perhaps some Indian chicken ones (1,190 ISK for both). We
wound up ordering way too much food for two relatively sane
persons to handle in a single sitting.
The Tapas were satisfactory. Shrimp served in a typical Thai
chilli dipping sauce lived up to its name, as did the marinated
salmon and Chicken Satay sticks (the addition of nuts proved
essential here). The breaded, deep-fried lobster was as tender
as one would expect, although the unimaginative use of the
same chilli sauce was a drawback. The Tapas menu is a good
choice when starting off an evening with drinks; the price and
size of the servings befitting the late afternoon/early evening
snacking so prevalent in today’s hectic, borderline-alcoholic
lifestyles.
As for the main courses, we found our fruity chicken salad
to be a tasty concoction, even though the bits of chicken
were dry at times. Falafel wraps and accompanying hummus
dip were also to be reckoned with, and went down well with
glasses of Q Bar’s surprisingly good house wine. We will surely
be eating at Q Bar again. HM
Q Bar
Ingólfsstræti 3, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 551 9660
The statistical truth is that, in any capital city, for every three
restaurants that show off with fancy décor, there is one that
doesn’t need to. Vín og Skel, tucked away in a little alley just
off of Laugavegur, looks like your grandmother’s basement
(with paintings of ships and families that seem prehistoric),
if your grandmother happens to be a hopeless romantic and
serves the best seafood dishes you might ever have.
My friend and I started with the fantastic Langoustines
(2,800 ISK), two large tails from the Norway Lobster, which
can be found off the eastern coast of Iceland. The meat from
langoustines, when cooked as correctly as Vín og Skel cooks it,
is so soft that it must be scraped out with a specifically designed
small fork. This starter came in a large bowl with a puddle of
garlic butter and a side salad with tactfully zig-zagged balsamic
vinaigrette.
The second course was a dish of escargot soaked in garlic
parsley butter and an extremely imaginative dish of Minke
Whale Carpaccio. The dark purple carpaccio came with another
green salad in balsamic vinaigrette, with the minke whale
thinly sliced and pounded. While I usually find whale meat to
taste a little like cigarette ash, I was surprised by how much
of the herby and flavourful carpaccio I had taken in before I
remembered my supposed qualms with whale meat.
Our waitress emerged from the kitchen with our main
course, the Seafood Feast (3,800 ISK), and she managed to
drag most of the North Sea with her. The “feast” included sea
crab, shrimp, Icelandic lobster tail (a smaller variety), clam, and
baby octopus. The ocean assortment was prepared in a sweet
and stew-like white wine sauce, one of the most flavoursome
parts of the meal.
As if the meal hadn’t been its own kind of dessert, we
soon received the house Crème brûlée (970 ISK). With it came
a glass of Tia Maria Cognac, a dessert wine fashioned from
Jamaican coffee beans (the coffee smell and taste faint, but
fortunately detectable.) We also received double espresso with
a bar of Sirius dark chocolate with a hint of orange.
So we had the “Surprise Menu” at 5,600 ISK, and while
the four courses may have amounted to an impossible quantity
of food, it was entirely worth it. It was unbelievable. CF
Vín og Skel
Laugavegur 55b, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 534 4700
Reviews by Chandler Fredrick, Haukur Magnússon and Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir Photos by Héðinn Eiríksson
Text by Alena Krasovskaya Photo by Gulli
Happy Hour
7 days a week from 17:00 – 20:00
Pósthússtræti 2, 101 Reykjavik – ICELAND / +354 599 1000 www.saltrestaurant.is