Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.06.2010, Blaðsíða 29

EAT And dRInK:
3 X BEEF
1 VITABAR
It’s no secret that Vitabar serves up some
pretty awesome beef on a bun—with sliced
cheese, blue cheese or bacon—but this
unassuming joint also dishes out a proper
no-frills steak with potatoes and a large beer
for a steal.
Bergþórugata 21
2 73
The newest eatery on Laugavegur, 73’s menu
boast a burger rightly named ‘Epic’—300
grams of beef topped with bacon, cheese and
the standard burger veggies. That’s a whole
lotta beef!
Laugavegur 73
3 NOODLE STATION
Fancy a serving of beef with your noodles?
The Noodle Station has got you covered. Soft,
melt in your mouth strips of beef in the go-to
Noodle Station broth.
Skólavörðustigur 21A
3 X LAMB
1 BæJARINS BESTU
Iceland is full of sheep and lambs so, of
course, their unofficial national dish, the
hotdog, also includes juicy lamb meat (along
with a medley of other meats, as most
hotdogs will).
Hafnarstræti 17
2 GULLFOSS KAFFI
Many tourists’ first exposure to Icelandic lamb
is during a stop at this foss-side restaurant
while taking in the sites of the Golden Circle.
They serve up the best Icelandic meat soup
ever. Seriously.
Gullfoss, Selfoss
3 HAMBORGARAFABRIKKAN
This is the only place in Iceland (and possibly
the world!) where you can scarf down a
Lamburger while overlooking the historic
Höfði house where Reagan and Gorbachev
tossed around the idea of ending the Cold
War. Those guys probably would have liked a
Lamburger, too.
Höfðatún 2
3 X VEGGIES
1 SAFFRAN
Have you been to Saffran? Have you tried
their veggie burger? It’s not so much a burger
as it is a delicious medley of hummus, tomato,
leek, avocado, and mozzarella sandwiched
between two rounds of pumpkin naan. Oh
yeah.
Álfheimum 74
2 GRæNN KOSTUR
This little vegetarian restaurant is kinda
tucked away, but look for it and be thankful
that you did. They offer a range of daily
specials and old stand-bys, from spinach
pie, pizza, veggie burgers to good’ole healthy
salads. I’m a fan of the Indian Pie.
Skólavörðustigur 8
3 GARðURINN
Garðurinn is a cosy, little (seriously—it seats
10 people) vegetarian eatery that presents
its customers with a new and exciting menu
every day. Go there and be healthier.
Klapparstígur 37
Yummi Yummi Is,
Indeed, Yummy
First things first. The name Yummi
Yummi makes me smile. It’s so jovial and
sunny and happy, so it pleased me to no
end that, upon entering the small eatery
on Hverfisgata (Hverfisgata 123, to be
exact though it’s at the odd junction where
the street meets Laugavegur so it actually
seems like Laugavegur). I was greeted by
an equally jovial and sunny young man
behind the counter. He took down the
orders of my date and I—barbecue chicken
with rice and spicy pad Thai (both 999 ISK),
respectively—and fielded our questions
about all the other grocery items available.
Looking for an exotic shot of pure energy or
perhaps some rice flour? Look no further
than Yummi Yummi.
Our orders were prepared in a snap and
my date and I sat on the barstools facing
out to the street to dig in. My date’s chicken
was glazed in a dark, semi-sweet sauce and
was fanned out atop sticky rice. She and I
both commented on how awesome it was to
find a place serving up real sticky rice and
spoke fondly of previous encounters with
it. My spicy pad Thai came served in an
adorable cardboard container emblazoned
with a red dragon and the words “Asia Box.”
Its compact size was deceiving, and I found
myself hard pressed to finish my noodles—
luckily the box makes it easy to take-away.
The Pad Thai itself was really delicious.
The flat rice noodles were steaming hot,
spicy (though between my sniffles I was
told that the chef tuned down the spiciness,
and then I felt like a wimp) and the hint
of peanut carried throughout subtly. The
chicken mixed in with the dish was light
and tender and was well flavoured by the
fish sauce and chilli that saturated the
noodles. It was flavourful and hearty lunch.
The only downside of the whole meal
was the cutlery. Eating anything with a
spork is annoying and, I’ve discovered,
eating noodles with a spork is a downright
pain in the ass.
Flavour: Casual take-away Thai
Ambiance: No-frills casual
Service: Wonderfully upbeat and
welcoming
Yummi Yummi
Hverfisgata 123
What we think: Yummi
Yummi is yummy
GRAPEVINE FOOD REVIEW KEY
0 Should not be considered food
Edible, but not more than once
OK; not good, but not horrible eithert
Good, but not great.
Pretty damn good
Extraordinary
The Grapevine strives to give its readers
honest, unbiased reviews of dining estab-
lishments of myriad quality and price-rang-
es throughout the greater Reykjavík area
and, in this vein, we will tell it like it is. Plain
and simple. We are not all trained chefs; we
are just people who like to go out and enjoy
a meal with our friends and family from time
to time. As with many things shared with
friends and family, food is an experience,
an event, a happening and an occasion.
Food often plays central roles in celebration
and grieving and, removed from such oc-
currences, can maintain its ability to evoke
certain feelings or emotions within us.
Through our reviews the Grapevine will
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The opinions expressed are those of the
reviewer. CF