Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.07.2010, Qupperneq 30

Food & Drink | Venue finder
3 Frakkar
Baldursgata 14 | G4
Aktu Taktu
Skúlugata 15 | E6
Alibaba
Veltusund 3b | D2
American Style
Tryggvagata 26 | D2
Argentína Steak-
house
Barónstígur | F6
Austurlanda-
hraðlestin
Hverfisgata 64A | F5
Á Næstu Grösum
Laugavegur 20B | E4
B5
Bankastræti 5 | E3
Bakkus
Tryggvagata 22 | D2
Ban Thai
Laugavegur 130 | G7
Basil & Lime
Klapparstíg 38 | E4
Babalú
Skólavörðustígur 22A
| G5
Balthazar
Hafnarstræti 1-3 | D2
Bæjarins Beztu
Tryggvagata | D3
Brons
Pósthússtræti 9 | E3
Café Cultura
Hverfisgata 18 | E4
Café d'Haiti
Tryggvagata 12 | D2
Café Loki
Lokastígur 28 | G4
Café Paris
Austurstræti 14 | E3
Café Roma
Rauðarárstígur 8 | G7
Deli
Bankastræti 14 | E5
Domo
Þingholtsstræti 5 | E3
Einar Ben
Veltusundi | E2
Eldsmiðjan
Bragagata 38A | G4
Fiskmarkaðurinn
Aðalstræti 12 | D2
Geysir Bar/Bistro
Aðalstræti 2 | D2
Garðurinn
Klappastigur 37 | F4
Glætan book café
Laugavegur 19 | F5
Grái Kötturinn
Hverfisgata 16A | E4
Grillhúsið
Tryggvagata 20 | D2
Habibi
Hafnarstræti 20 | E3
Hamborgarabúlla Tó-
masar (“Bullan”)
Geirsgata 1 | B2
Hlölla Bátar
Ingólfstorg | D2
Hornið
Hafnarstræti 15 | D3
Hótel Holt
Bergstaðarstræti 37
| G3
Humarhúsið
Amtmanstígur 1 | E3
Hressó
Austurstræti 20 | E4
Icelandic Fish & Chips
Tryggvagata 8 | B2
Indian Mango
Frakkastígur 12 | F5
Jómfrúin
Lækjargata 4 | E3
Kaffi Hljómalind
Laugavegur 21 | E4
Kaffifélagið
Skólavörðustígur 10
| F5
Kaffitár
Bankastræti 8 | E4
Kaffivagninn
Grandagarður 10 | A1
Kofi Tómasar Frænda
Laugavegur 2 | E4
Kornið
Lækjargata 4 | E3
Krua Thai
Tryggvagata 14 | D2
La Primavera
Austurstræti 9 | D2
Lystin
Laugavegur 73 | F6
Mokka
Skólavörðustígur 3A
| E4
Nonnabiti
Hafnarstræti 9 | D3
O Sushi
Lækjargata 2A | E3
Pisa
Lækjargötu 6b | E3
Pizza King
Hafnarstræti 18 | D3
Pizza Pronto
Vallarstræti 4 | E2
Pizzaverksmiðjan
Lækjargötu 8 | E3
Prikið
Bankastræti 12 | E3
Ráðhúskaffi | E2
Tjarnargata 11
Santa Maria
Laugavegur 22A, | F5
Serrano
Hringbraut 12 | H3
Shalimar
Austurstræti 4 | D2
Silfur
Pósthússtræti 11 | E3
Sjávarkjallarinn
Aðalstræti 2 | D2
Sólon
Bankastræti 7a | E3
Sushibarinn
Laugavegur 2 | E4
Sushismiðjan
Geirsgötu 3 | B2
Svarta Kaffi
Laugavegur 54 | F5
Sægreifinn
Verbúð 8, Geirsgata
| B2
Tapas
Vesturgata 3B | D2
Thorvaldsen
Austurstræti 8 | D2
Tíu Dropar
Laugavegur 27 | E5
Tívolí
Laugavegur 3 | E4
Vegamót
Vegamótastígur 4 | E4
Við Tjörnina
Templarasund 3 | E2
Vitabar
Bergþórugata 21 | G5
F D
For your mind, body and soul
R E V I E W S
Rauðarárstígur Is Coming To Life
Hey guess what! Grapevine’s food-editor, the mighty Catharine Fulton, is on vacation for this issue (and for the next one, too). Being on
vacation obviously disqualifies her from writing any food reviews for us, because she is in Toronto and as a rule we do not review Toronto
restaurants (you can just go read NOW Toronto or something if you want to read about them).
I am your food reviewer man for this issue. Haukur S. Magnússon. Editor-editor of this very publication. I have not written a food
review for over two years, and when it was time to write the following ones, I remembered why. See, I pretty much like all food, and (since
my parents run a restaurant in Ísafjörður) I have a deep sympathy for people in the restaurant industry. So maybe read them with that in
mind.
ANYWAY. For this edition, I thought I’d review some of the restaurants in my neighbourhood of Norðurmýri. This formerly busy
‘hood, which once marked the beginning of Laugavegur proper (until city planners killed it) has been pretty vacant since I moved there
in 2003. There have been few active shops and restaurants there, but the number seems growing. Right now, there are at least three active
restaurants on Rauðarárstígur, and below you may read reviews for two of them. Now, if all goes according to plan we shall pretty soon see
the once-glorious street transform into a hub of commerce and activity. Things are gonna change, I can feel it.
HAUKUR S. MAGNúSSON
JULIA STAPLES
Madonna
Rauðarárstígur 27-29
What we think: Just really
nice
Flavour: Consistently nice
Ambiance: Italian-Icelandic
Service: Homey and welcoming
We’re Going Back To Madonna,
That’s For Sure
We felt good about Madonna as soon as
we entered. The place offers a cosy Italian
atmosphere, as interpreted by Icelanders,
with some genuinely nice, down to Earth
service that makes one feel at home.
After pondering the surprisingly
modestly priced menu (with most of the
pasta dishes were under 2.000 ISK, the
meat dishes going for around 3.000 and
the pizzas evening out at circa 1.500 ISK
for a small one, which is enough) we
decided to go for plates of lamb carpaccio
and Parma ham for starters, followed by
a C4 pizza ((pepperoni, pineapple, fresh
chillies, jalapenos and cayenne pepper)
and some lobster pasta.
The starters were good. The Parma
ham (1.690 ISK) was sprinkled with
melon, mango, Parmesan and Maldon,
attractively laid out on a plate and doused
with balsamico. The dish was rather salty,
but the melon and mango came to the
rescue (as well as the beer).
Lamb carpaccio (1.590 ISK) was
somewhat of a novelty for my companion.
She claimed not to have eaten raw
lamb, ever, and was nicely surprised
by the dish’s taste and tenderness. The
Parmesan and rucola complimented it
nicely. Win.
We did not have to wait long for our
main courses, but waiting a while in
the setting of Madonna wouldn’t have
been all that bad. The pizza (1.190),
when it came, was hot and spicy, a
damn fine pizza even though it wasn’t
groundbreaking in any way. Just a down
to Earth, honest Icelandic pizza. I plan on
enjoying it again some day.
Truth be told, we didn’t expect much
of the lobster pasta (2.690). Generally,
lobster pastas in Iceland tend to be bland,
creamy concoctions, sprinkled with a few
langoustine tails. This was something
else. The sauce was fresh and thin, the
spaghetti fresh and the lobster (er...
langoustine) plentiful. A very satisfying
course, especially considering the price.
For dessert, we had ‘Créme brulée
Italiano’ (990 ISK) and a ‘dessert pizza’
(990 ISK), which is basically a small pizza
topped with almond flakes, bananas,
syrup and chocolate chips. The créme
brulée was runny and unimpressive, if
alright tasting, and the dessert pizza was
a novelty that wore thin way too soon. We
decided that Madonna wasn’t the sort of
place you needed to get dessert at, but if
you did you should stick with something
basic, like ice cream.
Look. Madonna is by no means the
best restaurant in Reykjavík. But the
food we enjoyed that night was certainly
of real quality and goof value for money,
and the prices make you imagine you
could well frequent the place regularly. In
fact, I plan on going there again, soon, as
finding a nice, cheap sit-down restaurant
in Reykjavík is no mean feat. I’ll keep you
posted if they start messing up.
They put on such a
beautiful meal for us.
We had the most amazing
freshest fish I’ve ever had
in my life. It was all so
perfectly cooked too...
beautiful!”
Jamie Oliver’s Diary
AUSTURSTRÆTI 9. Tel: 561 8555
“
PRICE AROUND
BIG PORTION
1.100 - 1.400 ISK
OPENING HOURS
Daily from
11:30 - 20:30
Weekends from
11:30 - 20:30
OVER
COUR
SES50
RESTAURANTTHAI
www.nudluhusid.is
LAUGAVEGI 59