Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.05.2010, Page 25
EAT ANd dRINK:
3 X ICE CREAM
1 ÍSBúð VESTURBæJAR
The undisputed master of Icelandic ice
cream, Ísbúð vesturbæjar beckons the people
of Reykjavík to queue in the wind and rain,
cold and less cold for a taste of the old and
new soft serve with toppings and sauces of
their choosing. Delish!
Hagamel 67, 107 Reykjavík
2 THE KIoSK IN INgÓLFSToRg
It’s your ice cream fix in the heart of 101. The
bonus feature of this place is that you can
order your ice cream to look like a smiley
face… y’know, if you’re into that kinda thing.
Ingólfstorg
3 10/11
Okay, so it’s not nice fresh soft serve, but
10/11 on Austurstræti stocks a rather
impressive freezer case of ice cream in more
flavours that you’ll find at most parlours.
Austurstræti 17.
3 X ETHNIC
1 SHALIMAR
Tasty Indian-Pakistani cuisine! When this
place says spicy, they mean spicy and when
I tell you it’s delicious, I mean it, too! Try
the Saag Aloo. You won’t be disappointed.
Austurstræti 4
2 THAI REYKJAVÍK
The new Thai place on Lækjargata (yes,
another Thai restaurant in Reykjavík) isn’t
much to look at but the goods are pretty
wonderful. Maybe ignore the plain white
walls and randomly places ornaments on the
windowsill and give it a try.
Lækjargata 8
3 SUSHISMIðJAN
If you’re looking for sushi, it’s wise to head
toward the harbour. Sushismiðjan is like
two restaurants in one, with an entrance
to the tiny little take-away counter on one
side of the building and a full-service eat-in
establishment on the other side. Both sides
are tasty.
geirsgata 3
3 X FISH
1 MELABúðIN
Isn’t it nice to walk up to a counter at a
grocery store and there is somebody on
the other side who is there to serve you
an assortment of fresh fish. It’s reasonably
priced, too.
Hagamelur 39
2 KoLAPoRTIð
Reykjavík’s weekly flea market boasts an
expansive fish and meat section. Often some
of the mongers are offering 2 for 1 on fillets
of frozen fish. Sweet deal!
Tryggvagata 19
3 FISKBúðIN FREYJUgÖTU
This quintessential Icelandic fish store offers
up a fresh catch of the day as well as pre-
made fish dishes that just need to be tossed
in the oven.
Freyjugata 1
Drop in for our lunch offers or take the
plunge and book a table for a culinary
experience without a match!
AROUND ICELAND without ever leaving
your table, four course trip,the only way to travel.
Take a trip around Iceland under the guidance of
our chefs. Tantalize your tastebuds with only
the best of what both the land and sea have to
offer treated with a daring choice of herbs and
spices from all corners of the island.
all the best
adventures
take place
under a bridge
www.fishcompany.is
We exceed high
expectations
Open for bistro style lunch every day from 11.30–14.00
and dinner wednesday to saturday from 19.00–22.00
Nordic House, Sturlugata 5, 101 Reykjavik, Tel. 6185071/8939693, www.dillrestaurant.is
www.yummiyummi.net
Smaralind
5544-633
and
Hverfisgata
# 123
588-2121
-
The three great places for Thai food
All same price
999.-
There are a lot of
positive reviews
about BanThai
that we are
the best thai restaurant
Authentic Thai cuisine
served in elegant surroundings
with Spicy, Very Delicious
and reasonable prices.
Private rooms on the 2nd floor.
Open Hours
18.00–22.00. Every day.
Tel; 692-0564, 5522-444
ELDSMIðJAN
Three pizzas in I was looking for some
competition, so I went with Eldsmiðjan,
the loins from whence my (so far) front-
runner Gamla smiðjan sprung. I even
ordered a similar pizza—trio di mare
(shrimp/scallop/mussels/artichokes/
garlic/black and green olives/oregano),
sans olives. I don’t like olives.
Eldsmiðjan’s pizza is delicious, the
toppings are fresh and bountiful and
the sauce is well balanced, sandwiched
between the crust and cheese. My sole
point of contention where Eldsmiðjan is
concerned is the texture of their crust.
Maybe it’s too thin? Maybe it could use
another minute or two in the oven? I
don’t like when my pizza is so floppy.
Mini-competition verdict: Eldsmiðjan
makes a pretty great pizza, there’s no
arguing that but, this round goes to
Gamla smiðjan.
What We Think: Good and tasty pizza,
just slightly limp.
Flavour on Arrival: Wonderful.
Flavour once Cold: Still good.
Delivery Time: 47 minutes
Rating:
Website: www.eldsmidjan.is
HRÓI HÖTTUR
Dear Hrói Höttur,
This is not a love letter. I don’t know how
you managed to make your pizza sauce
taste so oddly sweet and everything else
taste like nothing. It really does boggle
the mind. What was also boggling was
how perfectly round and uniform your
pizza was. Do you use pre-fab crust? It
kinda tasted that way and it kinda tasted
like cardboard.
I made a huge mistake daring to
continue my “same toppings as the
previous two” challenge on you. Like
drinking tap water in Mexico. It didn’t
taste good and it didn’t feel so good
either.
Still, I’ll give you a point because you
steal from the rich and give to the poor
or something like that. And maybe I’ll
give you another shot when my taste buds
are intoxicated enough to not know the
difference. You’re probably okay then.
What We Think: Sweet? Bland? Meh.
Flavour on Arrival: Meh/Blech.
Flavour once Cold: Still bad.
Delivery Time: 35 minutes
Rating:
Website: www.hroi.is
RIZZo
Rizzo’s pizza was a pleasant surprise.
Craving variety and wanting to spoil
myself I first gravitated to Rizzo’s Lúxus
menu, deciding upon the Palermo
(garlic/marinated lobster/cherry
tomatoes/cucumber/leek/lettuce/lime
dressing) and then I tossed in a Pavia
(ham/mushroom/asparagus/camembert)
as well.
When I opened the box and had a
look at my ‘luxury’ pizza I was slightly
disappointed. It was iceberg lettuce
soggily spread over top of the pizza that
had been generously drizzled with the
lime dressing. I don’t really know what I
was expecting, but it wasn’t that. Looks
can be deceiving, I suppose, because this
pizza was actually pretty great. The Pavia
could have used some more camembert,
but was also rather delicious. If these
guys were to thin out their crust a little
more I’d consider them a real contender.
What We Think: What a pleasant
surprise!
Flavour on Arrival: Quite tasty.
Flavour once Cold: … it was all eaten
while hot.
Delivery Time: 53 minutes
Rating:
Website: www.rizzo.is
DoMINo’S
Domino’s is the kind of place that seems
to taste the exact same no matter what
continent you are ordering on. Like
McDonalds. If the pizza were consistently
amazing then I’d applaud their effort
at quality control. But the pizza is often
average.
I ordered the Crème Mexicano (green
pepper/mushrooms/red onion/fajita
chicken/cream cheese) and the Domino’s
Paradís (mushroom/black olives/garlic/
grilled pepper/red onion/spinach). Again,
I vetoed the olives. I was optimistic when
the fellow taking my order asked if I
would like normal crust or thin crust;
I chose thin. Understandably I was let
down when the pizza that arrived at my
house a short while later was the thickest
crust I had sampled in Reykjavík. Thick
and bready.
The toppings on both pies were
abundant, making for a hefty slice with
that thick crust and all. The chicken on
the Mexicano pizza could very well have
just been a boiled breast as it lacked any
flavour that would hint 'fajita' and, come
to think of it, the lack of 'oomph' was my
issue with all the toppings, actually. It
was tasty, but a little seasoning would go
a long way. Turn it up a notch, Domino's!
What We Think: Needs more oomph!
Flavour on Arrival: Average pizza.
Flavour once Cold: Kinda better than
when hot.
Delivery Time: 35 minutes
Rating: