Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.10.2007, Síða 15

The first thing you notice when you sit down for a meal at the 101
Bar is the books. Every table has a stack of coffee table books on art,
photography and design; books that look expensive and important.
If you are looking for a place to sit and sip coffee and look at pretty
books about modern culture, this place will bury the local library
every single time.
As the restaurant is a part of the operations of the boutique
hotel 101, the chic interiors and attentive décor was to be expected
– very chic, and very black. There is a cold and calculated elegance
at work here manifested through a black theme that runs through all
design elements, from the Eames chairs to the menu.
While on the subject; the menu is a little less high end than
I expected from the hotel’s de facto restaurant. This is essentially a
bistro offering, featuring mostly common courses found at most bars
that serve food in the greater Reykjavík area. Besides the regular array
of burgers, sandwiches and pasta, the Tandoori seawolf and Bacalao
with pumpkin seed were the menu highlights.
We started the proceedings by sharing a dish of carpaccio
(1800 ISK). It tasted good, but the slices were too thick, which is a
turn-off when dealing with raw meat. For the main course, my partner
selected the Moroccan chicken breast with couscous (3200 ISK), a
spicy treat that I would probably opt for the next time I am there.
Myself, I ordered the 200 gram sirloin burger (2200 ISK).
Now, the sirloin burger is one serious hamburger. Not only is it
200 grams, it is made from a ground sirloin steak. It is a huge piece
of meat and, as burgers go, it is one of the better I’ve had in this town.
Obviously this is reflected by the price, which is a considerably higher
than you’d expect to pay for a hamburger. But the hiked up price
could hardly be justified for others than extreme burger enthusiasts.
Although 101 Bar/Restaurant is more expensive than similar
places in town, the extra money buys you attentive service, pleasing
surroundings and better privacy than you will get anywhere else, but
not necessarily better food.
Address:
Hverfisgata 10
101, Reykjavík
Tel.: 580-0101
Reviewed by
Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
101 Bar/Restaurant
In a historical building in the city centre, restaurant Fjalakötturinn
opened a little over a year ago and has quickly made a name for itself
in the downtown dining scene. The lunch buffet offered during the
day has become popular among business folks in the centre while
the diverse dinner menu attracts a wide range of diners.
Minimalist decorations, candlelit tables and black-and-white
photographs of Reykjavík back in the day add to the overall charm
this small restaurant has to offer. The waiter got us a table by the
window, overlooking one of the oldest streets in Reykjavík, and
quickly brought us a piece of smoked eel as an appetiser.
Fjalakötturinn specializes in Icelandic raw material so fish
courses, prepared in various ways, are plentiful on the menu, mixed
with meat and vegetable dishes. As starters we had “Harumaki” spring
rolls filled with crabmeat and served with ponzu dressing (1,820 ISK);
a crunchy, flavoursome and hearty dish. If you are not completely
starving, one portion for two should be more than enough as a
starter.
As a main course I was served salted cod with Israeli couscous,
cardamom sauce and vegetables (2,950) while my dining partner
opted for the lamb, served with potato-celery root terrine and long
beans (3,800). To complete the meal, the waiter picked out an
excellent wine from the extensive list. For wine enthusiasts, it’s worth
mentioning that Fjalakötturinn won the Wine Spectators Award in
2006 and 2007. Our main courses didn’t disappoint. The tasty vegetable
mix suited the fish fine and the lamb was cooked just right, although
my friend found the sauce a bit too heavy.
I’ve always been a big fan of chocolate and when our waiter
brought the desserts to the table I heard my stomach scream for
joy. The dessert consisted of six types of chocolate delicacies: dark
chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate ice-cream,
chocolate-mousse, chocolate soufflé. A chocolate heaven! If I would
have needed a reason to come back another time, this sure was it.
Fjalakötturinn
Address:
Fjalakötturinn
Aðalstræti 16
Tel.: 514 6060
Reviewed by
Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
Photo by GASPhoto by GAS
B10 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 16 2007 | Reviews
and a delicios lobster
at Fjörubordid in Stokkseyri
by the sea
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We don´t serve
foreigners...
Only 45 min. drive from Reykjavík is Eyrarbakki, a beautiful village by
the south coast, where foreigners have been feeling at home since
the 9th century AD. So welcome to Rauða húsið, a restaurant that
makes you feel at home.
because to us - nobody is foreign.
Tel: (+354) 483-3330,
Eyrarbakki - South coast
Oktoberfest
(need we say more…?)

Pósthússtræti 2, 101 Reykjavik – ICELAND / +354 599 1000 www.saltrestaurant.is