Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.07.2010, Blaðsíða 21

Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.07.2010, Blaðsíða 21
The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 09 — 2010 20 small size. It’s a winner!” Runners-up: Krónan, for being a less-evil Bónus. Bónus, for their comparatively ultra-low prices and accessibility. And as always, Kjötborg gets an honourable mention for offering the best service in the known universe. (2009: Krónan) Best place to go for a date: Pisa Italian restaurants seem to bring up the romantic side in our readers. Probably has a lot to do with all the pasta, red wine and candle light on offer we imagine. Or maybe, as one panellist noted last year: “Italian food gets you in the mood.” In any case, last year’s winners, Ítalía, received many nominations this time around, but so did Italian stalwart Pisa on Lækjargata. In fact, they received a couple more than Ítalía, so it is our honour to deem them Reykjavík’s “best place to go for a date” of 2010. Remarked one reader: “The food on offer is just so gooooood... and since it isn’t a common place to go for a meal, you don’t have to worry about bumping into workmates or friends there.” (2009: Ítalía) Best newcomer restaurant: Noodle Station This didn’t take long to figure out. While their menu is limited to two dishes (and not at all vegetarian-friendly), there’s just something about Noodle Station’s noodles that keeps folks hooked, like they’re some sorta heroin-infused crack- noodles or something. The Station also provides “an international atmosphere that’s been missing from Reykjavík.” We don’t know if they’re actually sprinkling their noodles with crack (that’s probably illegal), but we do know we’re totally obsessed with the place. Welcome, Noodle Station! (2009: Saffran) Best goddamn restaurant: Saffran Saffran came in with a blast in early 2009, quickly winning a following for their cheap, plentiful and healthy- slanted (no sugar, no white wheat, lots of grain and spelt) take on Eastern cuisine. They’ve since opened up at a second location and even inspired a slew of ‘Saffran-inspired’ establishments all over town. We even hear they’re going international now. It’s no wonder they’re doing well. The food is consistently great and cheap (“I go there every week, and they have never messed up my order,” remarked one patron), and varied enough to merit repeat visits. Last year, we decided that a ‘best goddamn restaurant’ must be “cheap + tasty + varied + fresh + novel + accessible”. Phrases you readers used to nominate Saffran with were: “good, inventive cooking;” “consistent in quality,” “affordable” and “attainable.” So it was easy pickens. Congrats, Saffran, you are Grapevine’s BEST GODDAMN RESTAURANT of 2010! (Sidenote: Frankly, we were afraid to even include this category, seeing as our ‘BEST GODDAMN RESTAURANT OF 2009,’ closed down pretty much right after we picked ‘em. We’re afraid it might be a jinx-category. But then again, we think ‘best goddamn restaurant’ is something that needs to be highlighted. So here’s hoping that Saffran don’t throw in the towel anytime soon). (2009: Segurmo at Boston) Best family restaurant: Piri piri “Piri piri just has to win your ‘best family restaurant,’ Grapevine! Have you seen their playroom? It’s HUUUUUGE! The whole setup of the place also seems very family-oriented—they’ve been a regular Sunday stop for us and the kids since they opened. Also, the food is good, plentiful and cheap,” read an e-mail we received the other day. So we went there and checked it out, and we consulted with other family types out there. And thus it was concluded: Piri piri is Reykjavík’s family restaurant of 2010. Runners-up: Both Lauga-Ás and Hornið are still very good in this category, and a lot of folks swear by them. (2009: Hornið) Best place to grab a bite: Deli Deli seems to be a lot of folks favourites for this category, although they didn’t win unanimously by any stretch. Nominations for this category were scattered across the entire spectrum, with everyone from Santa María (last year’s winner) to KFC and Shell Select with their shrimp-dogs scoring votes. But ultimately Deli got the majority vote, and some convincing arguments to boot (“they’re cheap and pretty high quality!” – “Not the best place to eat in, but most excellent as take away, i.e. a great place to ‘grab a bite’!”) (2009: Santa María) Best cheap meal: Sub of the month’ at Subway As almost any working man or woman in Reykjavík will attest, Subway’s ‘sub of the month’ sandwich is a real lifesaver for when you need to get a quick satisfying lunch. OK, it’s Subway. But still – 370 ISK will get you a sandwich featuring some meatstuffs (that can be easily foregone) fresh veggies and a sauce of your choice. The price can’t be beat, and if you figure out a nice combination for the sub it’s pretty damn tasty. Runners-up: Balkanika (“They are really cheap, especially considering all the meat”) Best brunch buffet: Nítjánda After much urging from some of our panellists, we decided to bend the rules a little so we could bring your attention to the brunch buffet at Nítjánda. Yes, it is in Kópavogur, but this place is definitely worth the short trip. Located on the 19th floor of Kópavogur’s highest high-rise, they provide some truly fantastic all you can eat brunch along with a truly beautiful view. (2009: Vox) Best restaurant chain: Serrano Serrano specialises in huge and tasty burritos that come in all sorts of flavours, and they’re supposedly rather healthy, too. Much like last year, our panel agreed that “Serrano is king of Reykjavík’s restaurant chains, their argument boiling down to ‘Serrano rules!’” (2009: Serrano) Best seafood: Fish Company Surprisingly enough, Reykjavík doesn’t have that many places specialising in fresh seafood. But most of the ones around are actually pretty good, with Fish Market, Fish Company and Við tjörnina all doing some outstanding work in their field. Fish Company got the most votes this time around, though, with patrons remarking that their culinary skills and inventive menu wholly justified spending your week’s wages on eating there. Runners-up: Við tjörnina is a Reykjavík classic, with a lovely atmosphere to go with their excellent dishes, and Fish Market is pretty damn good too. They’ll take the prize next year, probably. (New category) Best place to go with a group of friends: Tapas Bar Tapas Bar has long been the best place to go out with a group of friends in Reykjavík, and this likely won’t change anytime soon. Their menu is accommodating to both impoverished students and big spenders (and it suits most tastes), the food is good and the atmosphere is very fine for sitting, eating and drinking all night long. They also score points for operating a late night kitchen. (New category) Best all-day hangout: Hressó Hressó is one of those places that have long since earned an undefined “Best of” status in all our hearts. We go there almost daily, the coffee is always fine, the staff are nice and it’s an excellent place to hang out. Hressó is a true 101 Reykjavík haven, doubly so if you’re unlucky enough to be a smoker, in which case their heated patio rules very profoundly. (2009: Hressó) Best must try dining experience: Moby Dick on a Stick at Sægreifinn You will try some pylsa while you’re in Iceland, unless you’re all vegan and stuff. So there’s no need for us to recommend that. Now, since you’re not vegan, then you also must try some ‘Moby Dick on a Stick’ at Sægreifinn by Reykjavík harbour. These minke-whale skewers are cheap and delicious to munch on, plus you can piss off all your PC friends back home. Pure fun! (2009: Bæjarins Bestu) Best tourist one-stop-shop: Kaffi Loki Kaffi Loki at Lokastígur won this one uncontested. And it’s not only a place where tourists can try all of Iceland’s weird and wacky foodstuffs (as well as some decidedly delicious, un-weird dishes), it’s also a great little café/bistro that locals love to frequent along with visitors. Definitely one of Reykjavík’s up-and-comers, and already a champion in its own category. (New category) Best pool (all-round): Laugardalslaug It seems everyone has a favourite pool. This isn’t really surprising given the fact that going to the pool is pretty much Icelanders’ (old and new) favourite hobby. In fact, all of the pools in town got mentioned, and even some out of town ones (the pools in Seltjarnarnes and Kópavogur, for instance). In the end, we decided to go with Laugardalslaug yet again, since they are pretty much ‘the mall’ of Icelandic pools, offering up a wide array of hot tubs, a freaking excellent new disco slide and some nice kiddie facilities. But the rest of them rule equally hard, so be sure not to discriminate. Deciding which pool you’re visiting on a given day is always a fun task. Runners-up: Every other pool in Reykjavík. And outside of Reykjavík. They all rule. Pools rule! (2009: Laugardalslaug) Best pool (for hot tubbing, lounging): Sundhöll Reykjavíkur Sorry to be repetitive, but there’s really none better than Sundhöll Reykjavíkur for hot tubbing. The tubs are hot and relaxing, and venturing through their dressing room is a worthwhile experience in itself. It’s also right in the middle of downtown, and it is an architectural miracle, goddamnit! Runners-up: Vesturbæjarlaug (“The tub talk gets intense in there! It’s an excellent place to meet people...”) (2009: Sundhöll Reykjavíkur) Best art museum: Listasafn Reykjavíkur Listasafn Reykjavíkur have been doing an excellent job as of late. The shows on display span everything from grassroots offerings to highbrow high-art, they regularly feature some very interesting lectures and events – and they are an excellent place to go for soup (not really an art museum’s job, but still a nice bonus). Our panellists agreed that the Listasafn Reykjavíkur team have been doing a great job, and they deserve a big ol’ pat on the back. Good work, team! (2009: Einar Jónsson museum and sculpture garden) Best gallery: i8 Gallery As one commentator remarked: “in Iceland, i8 Gallery are truly in a league of their own. Even though many of the other ones are doing well for themselves, there will be a long time until they reach the standard set by i8.” (2009: Gallery Kling og Bang) Best museum: Þjóðmenningarhús Their current ‘Icelandic film’ exhibit (see more elsewhere in this issue) makes Þjóðmenningarhús (“The Culture House”) a shoo-in for this category. It really is worth spending the day there. Since you’re into museums, be sure to check out Þjóðminjasafn Íslands and Árbæjarsafn too, though. They are also pretty excellent. Best place to spend a rainy day: A hot tub While Borgarbókasafnið didn’t get any worse since winning this category last year (indeed, you will have a good time spending a rainy day there – or a hot and sunny one, for that matter), many readers were intent on pointing out the pleasures of any of Reykjavík’s hot pots for a rainy day distraction. Who are we to argue? (2009: Borgarbókasafnið) Best place to rent a movie: Laugarásvideó burned to the ground shortly after winning this category last year. Then they rebuilt. And they somehow managed to retain their ‘biggest fucking film, TV show and whatever else that's pressed to DVD collection in Europe’ status throughout the transition. Laugarásvideó: our hats are permanently off to y'all! Stay strong. (2009: Laugarásvídeó) Best biking tour: Ægissíða-Elliðaárdalur Alright. We all know biking around is a fun, healthy and excellent way to kill some time. Last year, we big-upped the Grandi-Nauthólsvík route, which is great for coastline sightseeing, picnic-eating and general getting-some- wind-in-your-face-and-being-all-joyous- about-life. This year, we’re going to shift our sights a little, but not too much. Instead of starting at Grandi, you should start at Ægissíða, bike past Öskjuhlíð and Nauthólsvík and go all the way to Elliðaárdalur. Once there, you can find a nice spot by the river, munch on some lunch and ponder life. It’ll be good – we promise. (2009: Grandi-Nauthólsvík) Best place to go for a walk: Þingholt Strolling through the Þingholt neighbourhood in 101 Reykjavík is always a life-affirming experience. There are all sorts of tiny streets to be explored, noisy parties to be passed-by and cuddly cats to greet. The houses are all tiny and lovely, and the air smells of trees and parties past. A fine place to stroll along daydreamin’, especially as twilight sets in. (2009: Laugardalur) Best romantic walk: Sæbraut This might sound cliché, but walking Sæbraut as the sun sets (or rises – we can barely tell these days to be honest) with a loved one, stopping to take in the super-popular photo-op sculpture Sólfar as well as Yoko Ono’s Peace Column (when it’s turned on, in winter), is pretty goddamn romantic. If the weather’s right and the sun colours the sky, there’s really nothing better. Bonus points for being an easy cab-hailing point, if the mood strikes ya. Runner-up: Öskjuhlíð. ‘Cuz we love it. (2009: Öskjuhlíð) Best place to go for a jog: Laugardalur Our panel of expert joggers agreed that Laugardalurinn is without doubt THE place to jog in Reykjavík. It has lots of things going for it: it’s almost never windy, there are several paths of differing length available, and you can go swimming afterwards. You can also jog through the Reykjavík Botanical Gardens, and they just smell so lovely! (2009: Elliðaárdalur) Best place to go fishing: True, Elliðaá has the salmon, but any dock in Reykjavík will provide ample quantities of bull rout and pollock. While you shouldn’t technically eat dockfish, sitting at the harbour and pulling some up can be a real treat. (2009: Elliðaárdalur) Best place to go gay cruising: öskjuhlíð While gay cruising in Reykjavík will usually take place on the internet or at a club or bar, Öskjuhlíð is often named as a primary location for informal male hook-ups in the Reykjavík gay community, mostly due to the fact that it’s peaceful, beautiful and free. It is a cruising place reminiscent of big cities’ parks, although you can’t really expect to score so much. But if you do, you can bet it’s interesting. Runners-up: On weekends, Barbara is a solid place for gay adventures (for both genders, too!). It’s also a totally nice bar. Dudes that make dress code should also try and find out the location for the local (secret) Leather Bar, proudly serving Iceland’s leather community for years. Best place to enjoy a Zen moment: Sit in front of Alþingi and have a Zen moment, will you? It seems like it really needs it. (2009: Reykjavík Botanical Gardens) Best place to cheer up: Húsdýragarðurinn Nothing has changed since last year, so we’ll just repeat what we said then: Some people like revelling in their misery when The Blues attack. That is all fine and well, and gives ample opportunity to enjoy some good old depressing music. Sometimes, though, you’ll wish for a speedy recovery so you can get back into the happy rhythm of life, and what better place to do so than at Húsdýragarðurinn – Reykjavík’s very own petting zoo. Animals are awesome, and funny. If the baby seals don’t cheer you up, and the piglets don’t cheer you up, and he sheep don’t cheer you up, and none of the other animals do.... you probably don’t stand a chance. ACTIVITIES BEST OF THE REYKJAVÍK 2010
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