Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2007, Page 15

It seems that the introduction of an Icelandic microbrewery has been long
overdue: it was nearly twenty years ago that the ban on beer was lifted,
and since then big-brand beers have dominated the nation’s shelves. As
Iceland’s first (and only) microbrewery, Kaldi was founded as an alternative
to the preservative, sugar, and chemical-heavy beers that are generally sold
in the state alcohol store and in bars.
The idea for Kaldi came after Agnes Sigurðardóttir and Ólafur Ólafsson
(Kaldi is a husband and wife operation) watched an engaging segment
on the news about the popularity of microbrews in Denmark. After much
inquiry, they saw the opportunity to buy equipment and grains from the
Czech Republic. Along with the deal came expert Czech brewmaster David
Masa. They soon brought the brewery to their hometown of Árskógssandur,
a small coastal town northwest of Akureyri, where the opportunity for work
was not exactly abundant.
While it would be cheaper for the brewery to add preservatives found
in larger beers like Viking or Thule, the founders of Kaldi opted for qual-
ity: “We like this type of beer, and that’s why we chose to brew it,” says
Ólafsson. Due to the lack of additives, the beer has a shelf life of only 3
months (Beers with preservatives have a one-year shelf-life). Still, Ólafsson
believes that the popularity of the beer will grow as people become more
health-conscious.
While generally available at the Vínbúð, Kaldi can only be found in two
bars in Reykjavik and a few in Akureyri. Due to the small size of the brewery,
Ólafsson does not expect that many bars will be picking up the brew in the
near future.
Kaldi: The Coolest Beer
in Iceland
RVK_GV_INFO_BEVERAGE_B13B1_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 07_007_REVIEWS/FOOD
Grænn Kostur, or “The Green Choice,” is a small vegan/vege-
tarian restaurant in downtown Reykjavík. Seating around 30-40
people, Grænn Kostur is tucked away on Skólavörðustígur off
Laugavegur.
Grænn Kostur has been serving healthy organic vegan and
vegetarian food for ten years. Their current menu consists of
veggie burgers, pizza, spinach pie, soups and various salads.
Staying true to their philosophy of veganism and healthy eating,
Grænn Kostur does not use dairy products, white flour, sugar,
yeast or eggs in their dishes. However, tangy yogurt dip and
goat cheese crumbs are offered for those not on a strict vegan
diet.
The bright and airy restaurant was almost empty when my
friend and I stopped by for a late lunch one Saturday afternoon.
The attentive staff gave us servings of all of the day’s offerings.
The day’s special, Indian casserole served with rice and salad,
was a nice introduction to the food of Grænn Kostur. Still on
the Indian theme, the flavourful Indian pie was made from rice
and vegetables and was as much a hit with my carnivorous
companion than with any vegetarian diner.
We were also offered Spinach pie and Spinach Lasagne.
The Spinach pie was satisfactory but apparently the Spinach
Lasagne needs no introduction. The understandably extremely
popular dish is made with spelt lasagne sheets and delicious
organic fresh spinach but at least on this occasion was served
with a melon salad – not the most obvious combination.
We tried a vegetarian version of Tom Yum Thai soup made
from chilli, garlic, vegetables and tofu. The spicy soup was cold
before we got to it, but was delicious all the same. At 700 ISK
the freshly made soup comes with bread and hummus. Again,
while all three aspects of this dish – the soup, the bread and
the hummus were delicious – I’m not too sure about combining
them.
The vegetable burger topped with crunchy sunflowers,
pepitas and sesame seeds accompanied by a salad of crisp let-
tuce and baby spinach leaves, peas, cucumber, onion, tomato,
bell peppers and artichokes drizzled in yogurt sauce was the
standout dish.
Grænn Kostur also serves a variety of cakes, including raw
fruit and nut cake.
Averaging out at around 1000 ISK, whether you’re a
vegetarian or not you’re bound to enjoy a light, healthy and
inexpensive meal at Grænn Kostur.
Grænn kostur
Skólavörðustigur 8b, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 552 2028
Being one of only a handful of strictly organic restaurants in
town, Maður Lifandi (which translates to “Man Alive!”) has
a practical philosophy: show sceptics that organic food is not
intimidating. The store/cafeteria offers books on vegetarian
eating, cooking classes, vitamins, organic ingredients (including
hummus, curries and sauces made in-store) and online recipes.
Proprietor Helga Mogensen knows that people can be hesitant
when it comes to organic cuisine, and that is why she has made
Maður Lifandi an open learning environment for all budding
health-food nuts.
Maður Lifandi has a cafeteria feel, with a hipper dining area
downstairs. A fresh salad bar teases you at the beginning of
the line just before the posted menus appear. Unfortunately,
the English menu obviously lacks the descriptions that the Ice-
landic menus have, and the smoothie menu is entirely absent
for English speakers. The atmosphere in Maður is clean, with
hardwood floors and a nice distance between tables, which is
comforting given the eventual crowd of lunching down-towners.
To the side of the main ordering area is a refrigerated selection
of healthy juices, store made sauces and popular to-go orders
(Helga told me that the all of the to-go orders are customer
favourites).
For lunch, I ordered the Chicken Burrito with a Salad (900
kr), which came wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla with just
the right level of flakiness. Inside was a unique combination of
curried chicken, cooked spinach, tomato, and mustard seeds.
The accompanying salsa, which was tangy, contended a little
bit with the sweetness of the spinach, and I found that leaving
this combination out of the equation was the better decision.
The burrito’s size was relatively modest, which was actually a
refreshing break from the gutbusters I am used to as a Southern
Californian. My friend decided on the special, which is a Carib-
bean plate (1,200 kr) with black beans, couscous, guacamole,
and the less recognizable yucca and squash. The combination
was great, the ingredients fresh, and the simple side salad nicely
complemented the plate. Simplicity was the key here.
Before we left, Helga urged me to dump my scepticism
for gluten-free knock-offs and finally convinced me to try
the Hrákaka (or ‘raw cake’), a spicy nut and berry cake made
without wheat or spelt (Maður lifandi accommodates most
dietary restrictions). The cake came with cream and fresh fruit
and offered something unique and unexpectedly good to the
typical dessert menu.
Maður lifandi
Borgartún 24, 104 Reykjavík, tel.: 585 8700
The restaurant Á næstu grösum, located on the corner of
Laugavegur and Klapparstígur, is popular with locals who
want healthy and nutritious meals served fast and reasonably
priced. This cosy eatery boasts an easygoing atmosphere and
a nice selection of vegan and vegetarian meals cooked from
quality ingredients without sugar, yeast or manufactured
food additives like MSG. Organic vegetables are also used
whenever possible.
The small dining room was almost fully seated when we
arrived but my dining partner and I were able to get a table by
the window, overlooking Laugavegur. After bringing us fresh
orange juice and organic soda for drinks, our friendly waitress
invited us to the buffet. At Á næstu grösum there is no actual
menu and it is sort of a self-service dining-spot featuring an
impressive buffet and a waiter armed with a large spoon who
will stuff your plate with anything you find appetizing.
The today’s specials constantly change, so the many regulars
will always find some new and exciting dishes written on the
blackboard above the counter. The buffet itself, which is divided
into diverse hot and cold dishes, always features numerous
wholesome courses such as soups, lasagne, veggie-stews,
pea patties, quiches and side servings as fresh salads, rice and
sauces. It’s worth mentioning that Fridays and Saturdays are
dedicated to Indian cuisine, a particularly popular weekend
feast.
I opted for a mixed plate and sampled a portion of ve-
getables in Thai curry, aubergine terrine, delicious lasagne,
well-flavoured fried chickpea patties with spicy tomato sauce
and rice, potato salad as well as tomato-fruit salad and fresh
vegetables on the side. Although my plate was completely
stuffed, I couldn’t resist some freshly baked bread with hum-
mus, but the choices of chutney, butter and extra virgin olive
oil are also offered as toppings, and you can have as much as
you can eat.
After mixing all the tasty delights there was no room for
anything else than a cup of coffee, which was a shame as the
cakes at Á næstu grösum are ’world-famous’ (at least among
the regular clientele). I’ve tried the sugar free banana cake
before and can easily recommend it to future visitors.
Here, dining out can be both quick and enjoyable and the
take-away offered can become useful as well, whether you
need to grab a meal or a yummy piece of cake to take home
for a late-night snack.
First Vegetarian
Laugavegur 20b, 101 Reykjavík, tel.: 552 8410
Reviewed by Zoë Robert Reviewed by Chandler Fredrick Reviewed by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir Text by Chandler Fredrick
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April
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