Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.07.2010, Qupperneq 36

EAT AnD DRInK:
3 X MALL FOOD COURT
1 SUZUSHII (KRINGLAN)
So, food court sushi is rarely/never as good
as the stuff in the fancier sushi eateries,
but kudos of the good people of SuZushii
for recognizing the need for a quick and
simple sushi place for the mall-going crowd.
Kudos, also, for making the sushi to order,
rather than offering plastic trays of pre-made
maki that have been sitting around for
godknowshowlong.
Kringlan
2 SERRANO (SMÁRALIND)
OK, so Serrano is a chain. I know. But the
Serrano at Smáralind is far superior, in my
humble opinion, to that at Kringlan. The same
burrito tasted wildly different at Kringlan than
it did at Smáralind—and by different I mean
worse.
Hagasmára 1, Kópavogur
3 ENERGÍA (SMÁRALIND)
Men, are you tired of walking around the
penis mall with your women, while they fawn
over countless pair of shoes and head off to
yet another change room with more clothes
than you’re likely to buy in a lifetime? Energía
is a nice place to retire to, re-energise with an
espresso and then venture back out to hmm
and huhhh over the selection of rompers and
leggings leaving your lady perplexed. They
have nice salads, too.
Hagasmári 1, Kópavogur
3 X THINGS IN THE
VIETNAM MARKET ON
SUðURLANDSBRAUT
1 EXOTIC JUICES
Coconut Juice loaded with pulp and other
exotic fruit juices that you can’t find walking
the aisles of Bónus are plentiful at the
Vietnam Market. So many sweet varieties to
choose from—try them all!
2 CURRY
Curry pastes, curry powders, curry delight!
Amp up your home cooking with some new
and wonderful flavours from the market!
3 NOODLES
In these trying economic times, you need
food that will be cheap and filling—hello
noodles! With Phở being the iconic dish
of Vietnam, it’s no wonder the market in
Reykjavík is the place to go for all your
noodle shopping… go for rice too, they’re got
enough of that to sink a ship, or, at the very
least, fill one with rice.
3 X BABALú
(Skólavörðustígur 22 A)
1 BREAKFAST PANINI
Have you had the breakfast panini at Babalú
yet? It’s stuffed with egg and bacon and
cheese and love and you should try it the
moment you get the hankering for a breakfast
panini. I get such a hankering daily.
2 CAKES & PIES
Babalú makes some really awesome cakes
and pies. Their apple pie is to die for and their
cheesecake is just begging you to indulge a
little. Tasty!
3 CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES
Hot bevies loaded with caffeine are good, but
when your café’s staff presents you with a
cappuccino topped with a chocolate-powder
smiley face, it’s one hell of a pick-me-up…
even before putting the cup up to your lips.
Lunch Time Retreat
From the makers of the NLFÍ
Rehabilitation and Health Clinic in
Hveragerði to the health-loving folk
of Reykjavík, Krúska—the newest
health joint on the market—is sure to
be a contender. Firstly, for those who
don’t know what Krúska means, it’s
a blend of ground wheat that was the
staple food item of Iceland’s pioneering
vegeta rians, providing nutrients when
the only produce on the market was
onion and potatoes.
Krúska, the restaurant at
Suðurlandsbraut 12, has a lot more to
offer than ground wheat… though it
does sell bags of the stuff in one corner
of the store that doubles as a health-
food grocer. And it’s not just vegetarian
fare this place is selling, either; on the
day of my visit I was presented with
a selection of salads, turkey wraps,
chicken salads, and fish balls in
addition to the vegetable quiche (1390
ISK) that I settled on. My lunch date
chose the fish balls (1490 ISK).
It’s a good thing the food we
ordered is healthy, because the serving
sizes were massive. My slice of quiche,
full of potatoes, carrots, greens and
egg and topped with a crisp sesame
seed crust, covered half my plate and
the other half was heaped high with
fresh green salad, drizzled with a light,
Eastern tasting dressing. The quiche
itself was quite tasty. I’m not sure how
the chefs managed to make a quiche
taste light, but they succeeded. Along
with the surprisingly and pleasantly
light and airy texture of the quiche
was a disappointingly light amount
of spice. The dish was f lavoured with
curry, but I would have appreciated
more saturation of the f lavour
throughout to up the ante of the meal.
The salad accompanying the quiche
was fresh and crisp and I would put
that dressing on everything I eat if
I had the recipe. Rumour has it that
Krúska may be offering up some
healthy cooking lessons in the fall. If
this turns out to be true, I’m there!
My date’s fish balls were awesome.
We had a lengthy discussion while she
ate them about how we never make
fish balls in our own homes, though
we’re both quite big fans of the dish.
If I could make fish balls as moist and
delicate as Krúska I’d be making them
every night, I think. These balls were
nice! My date’s fish balls were sided
by the same green salad that I enjoyed
and a generous helping of couscous,
mixed with dried fruits, both of which
she enjoyed immensely.
Though the servings were plentiful
and our stomachs were full, my date
and I still ventured on to share a slice
of chocolate cake for dessert (510 ISK).
The thin, unleavened cake was über
moist and rich and was joined on the
plate by a dollop of whipped cream and a
medley of stewed berries. A sweet (and
still healthy, as far as I’m concerned)
end to a satisfying meal.
Flavour: Flavour: Delicious!
Ambiance: Bright and summery
Service: So sweet and friendly!
Krúska
Suðurlandsbraut 12
What we think: Good and
good for you!