Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.08.2010, Blaðsíða 33

EAT AnD DRInK:
3 X SANDWICHES
1 SANDHOLT
Laying eyes upon the fresh baguette
sandwiches and selection of wraps—the
lax, with a kick of dill and creamy dressing,
is superb—in the glass display is like
taking in the offerings of a quaint Parisian
patisserie. The sandwiches are delicious,
too, especially when enjoyed in Sandholt’s
cosy eating area.
Laugavegur 36
2 TE OG KAFFI
This chain boasts a selection of focacce
that are tasty on their own but get amped
up a notch after spending a couple of
minutes in the sandwich press. The star of
the show is the grilled chicken, sun-dried
tomato and mozzarella variety, with bonus
sun-dried tomatoes baked into the bread.
Austurstræti 18 (in Eymundsson)
3 SUBWAY
Sizeable, fast, filling, stuffed only with the
stuff you’re craving. It’s far from gourmet,
but sometimes that’s just how a sandwich
should be.
Austurstræti 3
3 X ICELANDIC HOME
COOKING
1 POTTURINN OG PANNAN:
Good’ole Icelandic home cooking, and
as much of it as you can stomach during
lunch-time hours. What makes Potturinn
og Pannan special is that it manages to not
feel like a cafeteria, as some buffets can.
Brautarholti 22
2 FLJÓTT OG GOTT
Okay, so it’s the restaurant in BSÍ, but it’s
still Icelandic home cooked meals without
the frills or embellishments of modern
restaurants. This cafeteria restaurant offers
up the staples of Icelandic home cooking;
plokkfiskur, meatballs, breaded fish,
potatoes. Good simple food.
Vatnsmýrarvegur 10
3 MúLAKAFFI
Their restaurant menu is set by the
day, and offers the likes of plokkfiskur,
hangikjöt tarts, lamb chops and soups.
Plus, if you’re looking to have some quality
home cooked Icelandic fare at your next
event, Múlakaffi caters! Apparently this
place has been around since before street
numbers existed.
Hallarmúli
3 X UNHEALTHY
1 RIKKI CHAN
You can practically taste the MSG itself
and feel the pounds securely fastening
themselves to your midsection when
scarfing down the generous portions
doled out at the Chinese food component
of the Kringlan food court. But it’s a lot of
food for relatively little money and it tastes
pretty decent.
Kringlan mall
2 AMERICAN STYLE
Burgers topped with bacon and cheese
and other burgers and sided with
fries and cocktail sauce, etc. A trip to
American Style is a practice in gluttonous
overindulgence.
Tryggvagata 26
3 EIN MEð ÖLLU
Newsflash: hotdogs aren’t health food. Far
from it.
Throughout the city
CATHARINE FULTON
CATHARINE FULTON
Bed And (Very Basic) Breakfast
A search for a morning bite in
Seyðisfjörður took my breakfast date and
I to Hótel Aldan (Norðurgata 2), where a
breakfast buffet is served daily for 1.650
ISK. The setting is idyllic, a gorgeous old
wooden hotel with a charming country-
style dining room, so there was no better
place in our collective mind to start the
day with a quiet cup of coffee and a some
nice fare.
Now, I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels of
varying star-counts in my time—as a
matter of fact, I’ve called three hotels my
temporary home in the month of July
alone—so a hotel breakfast buffet has
become standard fare for me. As such I
can generally gauge what will be on offer
based on the menu price of the buffet
and, for 1.650 ISK, I would have bet my
first born that a hot dish or two would be
served up alongside the standard issue
breads, meats and cheeses. I was wrong.
The breakfast buffet at Hótel Aldan is as
basic as it comes, for an above average
price.
The spread comprised of two tables,
one topped with platters of bread, deli
meats and slices of gouda, and the second
featuring a single platter of sliced fruits,
a trio of cold cereals, plastic cartons of
yogurt and a pitcher of milk. Our coffee
order was brought to the table and is
included in the price of the buffet.
My date dove right into the bread,
meat and cheese while I prepared a bowl
of Cheerios and muesli, over which
I poured milk that turned out to be
room temperature and not particularly
appealing. The rolls were nice and fresh,
at least, and were filling if not at all worth
the hefty price tag.
The coffee was adequate—nothing
spectacular—and my date’s tea order
arrived as a nice assortment of teas to
choose from along with sugar, honey and
lemon.
The food wasn’t bad. It was just so
very basic, and so appallingly overpriced
that it left an unpleasant taste regardless.
I do, however, understand they do a nice
dinner. I’d go back for that.
Flavour: Basic hotel continental
breakfast
Ambiance: Charming and cosy
Service: Tired and unenthusiastic
Hótel Aldan
Norðurgata 2, Seyðisfjörður
What we think: Way too
expensive
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
“
Open Every Day
from 11.00-22.00
Situated by the
Reykjavik Harbor
ICELANDIC
FRESH SUSHI
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