Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.05.2007, Síða 15

Organised for the second time, this year’s Akureyri International Music Festi-
val (AIM) will take place at various venues in the town of Akureyri (located
in the northern part of the country), from May 31 to June 2. With artists
as diverse as the Argentinean tango orchestra Orquesta Tipica Fernandez
Fierro and the Icelandic punk band Morðingjarnir, the blend of tango,
jazz, pop, electro and punk-rock that fills up the three day programme is
intended to bring together a mixed crowd of festival-goers from all over the
country. Among the artists performing this year are: VilHelm, Bob Justman
and Bela, who will be playing at Deiglan on May 31; Blúskompaníið, Park
Project and Mór will take on the stage at club 1929 on June 1; that same
night Cuban composer Hilaríó Dúran together with Tómas R. Einarsson and
his big-band will be creating a Latin jazz vibe at 1929. To mark the end of
the festival, The North Iceland Symphony Orchestra will throw a concert
at 1929 on June 2.
Morr Music Labelnight
As part of the festival, the German independent music label Morr Music
will take over the concert venue Græni Hatturinn on Friday night. Thomas
Morr founded the label in Berlin in 1991, which today is highly influential
in the music world, having released approximately 75 albums with bands
such as: The Notwist, múm, Styrofoam, B. Fleischmann, Phonem and Ms.
John Soda
The concerts at Græni Hatturinn will feature Berlin based electro post-
rock duo Tarwater, Belgian dance-pop group The Go Find and the electro
duo Isan from the UK. The two Icelandic bands that are signed to the label,
Benni Hemm Hemm and Seabear, will of course partake in the event.
Those unfortunate souls who for some reason are unable to attend
the festival can hold their breath. After performing in Akureyri, all of the
aforementioned Morr musicians will play another show together at Iðnó
Theatre in Reykjavík on June 5. Thomas Morr and DJ Apfelblut will keep
the crowd entertained between acts. Tickets for the concerts at Iðnó are
for sale at the 12 Tónar record shop on Skólavörðustígur 15.
Tickets for the AIM Festival are available at www.midi.is.
For a full programme see www.aimfestival.is
International Music
Festival in Akureyri
RVK_GV_INFO_FESTIVAL_B13B1_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 06_007_REVIEWS/FOOD
Opening its doors in 1989, Asía is among the oldest Asian
restaurants in the city. Specializing in the Chinese cuisine with
a western twist, the restaurant offers both take away and a
roomy dining area adorned with Chinese-style decorations. The
restaurant is open from lunch to the dinner hours.
A big draw is the Asía lunch buffet, served every day
from 12 to 14, where for 1.200 ISK you can help yourself to
some soup and six pre-prepared dishes accompanied by rice
and salad. Those who like to order single dishes should ask
for the lunch menu, which features a wide range of familiar
dishes including: fried egg-noodles with shrimps and chicken,
spring-rolls, lamb in curry, sweet and sour chicken and pan-
fried vegetables in oyster sauce. Add this with the fact that
most of the dishes cost 990 ISK and you get a fair restaurant
worth visiting during lunch breaks.
Our waiter brought us the lunch menu and when asked
recommended the chicken noodle-soup, adding that it was the
most popular dish on the menu. I took his advice and, after
finishing the soup, I could easily understand why.
I was served a giant bowl full of noodles, vegetables and
chicken as well as chilli paste and fresh ginger on the side.
At first the soup was a little bland, but after adding a full
spoon of chilli and a little bit of ginger to spice it up a bit, the
soup turned into a full-bodied energy boost. Some might say
I overpowered it a bit, but for me it was just what I needed
and woke me just up as if I had finished a couple of strong
espressos. I later learned that this particular miracle soup at
Asía is a famous hangover remedy among the downtown party
animals who need to get rid of the pain quickly, and that really
didn’t surprise me a bit.
My dining partner ordered the deep fried chicken in chilli
sauce and was served a stuffed plate with rice and salad. Not
as spicy as my soup, he was satisfied with the nicely cooked
and rich portion although the deep fried chicken was a little
too soggy to make me order it the next time around.
A special praise has to be given to the service, who were
friendly and attentive at all times.
Asía
Laugavegur 10, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 562 6210
Dining at Vegamót is in my view never a disappointing expe-
rience. The exceptionally large, varied and reasonably priced
menu – if you consider the quality and rich portions – puts this
casual two-floored bistro, which turns into a vibrant nightclub
during weekends, into a special category. The menu includes
some over-the-top dishes such as my favourite, the Louisiana
chicken strips, as well as steak-sandwich covered with béar-
naise sauce, chicken burritos, bagels, lobster soup and Cesar
salad a la Vegamót, along with some decent wines to go with
the meal.
In my experience with this place, I can always count on
enjoying a nice meal in a lively atmosphere as can be expected,
and I’m not the only one to hold that opinion. During lunch or
dinner hours every table at Vegamót is usually full, so I was a
bit surprised when my friend and I arrived a little before seven
on a Thursday evening and the place wasn’t packed. I soon
realised that it probably had nothing to do with decreasing
popularity but all to do with the fact that Eiríkur Hauksson
was about to hit the stage in the Eurovision competition in
Helsinki.
It had been a warm day, so the outdoor terrace was still
lined with tables. It was a little bit too chilly for us to sit outside
so we settled for the inside seating, but I have to add that on
a sunny day the terrace becomes a great sunspot, perfect for
drinking, eating and relaxing.
But back to the food. I can almost guarantee that all din-
ers will find something to suit their tastes on the menu and
the today’s specials never cease to impress either. In desperate
need of a good dose of proteins and vitamins, I decided on the
fish of the day: pan-fried catfish served with Provencal sauce,
vegetables and couscous. My friend ordered the tagliolini
lobster pasta and was more than satisfied with the tasty blue
cheese and pesto dressing and the garlic sautéed lobster tails
that stuffed her plate. Both dishes proved to be just as we had
expected – full-flavoured and gratifying.
For dessert, we couldn’t resist the chocolate brownie, which
at Vegamót is served warm with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice
cream. The cake proved to be an absolutely delicious ending
to a great meal.
Vegamót
Vegamótastígur 4, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 511 3040
Situated on the ground floor of the Intercultural Centre op-
posite the National Theatre is the aptly named Café Cultura
– a restaurant/bar with a relaxed feel.
The cosmopolitan bistro-style menu focuses on simple
fusion food and includes variations of popular international
dishes. The current menu consists of: sandwiches, falafels,
hamburgers, soups, salads and light meals including pasta
dishes, Quesadillas, Indian or Chinese style chicken, and Span-
ish Pintxos. The menu of the day can be found written on the
board above the bar.
The lively music aside, the place was fairly quiet when my
friend and I stopped by for an early meal one Friday evening.
As we took our time choosing from the diverse menu, we
ordered the Pan Catalan as a starter, which our friendly waiter
brought to us just moments later. The slices of toasted baguette
were drizzled in olive oil and topped with a flavourful mix of
tomatoes and herbs. A serving of crunchy mixed lettuce and
mint came with the well presented and delicious appetizer
- perfect for two.
The vegetarian options on the menu are a little limited
and vegetable lasagne is not something I would usually order,
but Cultura’s variation with layers of bell peppers, zucchini,
crunchy celery, carrot, and creamy béchamel sauce topped
with mozzarella was a good choice from the menu of the day.
Accompanied by a mix of fresh salad, at 1,190 ISK it made for
a nice summer-ish meal.
My friend opted for the Greek Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich
at 1,230 ISK. The toasted pita was filled with fried chicken,
feta, crisp salad and onion - all covered in a tangy yogurt sauce.
Served with a rich portion of fries, my hungry companion could
barely eat fast enough. “When food is this good you have to
enjoy it,” he replied when I jokingly threatened to focus my
review on his table manners.
It is refreshing to see adequate rather than impossibly huge
sized portions being served. While the dessert menu of Cultura
brownie, Apple cake and Blanco y Negro was tempting, we
decided to skip it for another time.
Come by Café Cultura for its no fuss approach to fresh
and well presented food. At an average price of 1,200 ISK
for a main course, Cultura is an affordable option for a light
meal in downtown Reykjavík.
Café Cultura
Hverfisgata 18, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 530 9314
Reviewed by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir Reviewed by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir Reviewed by Zoë Robert Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
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www.elding.is
or visitCall us on
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Puffin season
Oct
13:00
9:00
Sept
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9:00
July
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17:00
9:00
June
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17:00
9:00
May
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Aug
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April
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