Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.05.2011, Síða 43

F D
For your mind, body and soul
“Baby wipes? What baby wipes?”
A few weeks ago my partner and I
began venturing on regular pram walks
with our bouncing little bundle of joy.
As we meandered towards the ducky
pleasures of the pond we would often
stroll by the recently opened baby café/
restaurant Iðunnareplið, situated in
Templarasund, right across the street
from the Alþingi parking lot. Despite
this scenic setting, we never ventured
inside since what we saw when we
peeked in the windows resembled the
IKEA cafeteria.
However, the philosophy of the place
appealed, and so we decided to give it
its fair day in court. Iðunnareplið is
built around a brilliant concept, clearly
carefully crafted by a loving parent
to create a comfortable environment
where the needs of infants and their
parents are immediately met with
minimal fuss. The staff are constantly
alert to the needs of their customers,
offering unsolicited breastfeeding
pillows and beanbag chairs before you
even realise you need them. The diaper
changing station offers the essentials,
so there is no need to panic even if you
forgot to bring your diaper wipes. The
relief this kind of pre-emptive baby
product offering provides frazzled
parents—who routinely forget to bring
one baby care essential or the other with
them on every outing—simply cannot
be overstated. The atmosphere of the
place is all it promises to be; the family-
friendliness is cranked up to eleven,
with the walls bedecked in children’s
drawings and cartoon-character murals
and the playroom visible on a TV screen
from the dining area via a security
camera.
So, the food. Dishes are very
reasonably priced, ranging from 350
ISK for a bowl of porridge to 1.690
ISK for a meal of chicken breast and
couscous. As the adult menu (the place
also offers a brilliant menu of pureed
fruits and vegetables for infants) is
geared towards the dietary needs of
the breastfeeding mother, omitting
ingredients known to commonly
cause problems such as garlic and
onions, Iðunnareplið might run a risk
of alienating clientele who prefer the
f lavour of their food to take a walk on
the wild side. Based on my observations,
this shouldn’t be a problem. My partner
and I went for the Caesar salad and
cheeseburger, respectively. The salad
was delicious; the fresh greens were a
welcome change of pace from the pre-
bagged-in-Holland types of vegetables
that pass for salad ingredients in
many Reykjavík restaurants, and the
mild dressing was generously meted
out. The cheeseburger was well
constructed, those same fresh greens
providing a refreshing contrast to that
old Icelandic sjoppa-burger standby,
the pink hamborgara sauce. The meat
patty was lamentably of the sad and
compressed variety, detracting from
the enjoyment of an otherwise fine
burger, but overall the impression was
favourable. Dinner was followed by a
truly great cappuccino.
Iðunnareplið’s fault lies not in its
menu, but in its IKEA-cafeteria style
interior decorating. This place suffers
from the inevitable comparison to Við
Tjörnina, the impeccably furnished fine
dining establishment it is situated right
below. While it would be unrealistic
to suggest that a small, f ledgling
operation such as Iðunnareplið hire
a gang of hip and cool designers for
a makeover, there are undoubtedly
things that can be improved upon with
minimal cost. The space has many
beautiful and ornate architectural
features from a time gone by that could
be capitalised upon for maximum
impact. Maybe some interior designers
on parental leave are willing to help out
this promising little business?
As for the family of Madeleine T, we
will definitely return to Iðunnareplið.
And next time we’ll forget to bring the
baby wipes.
MADELEINE T
HVALREKI
We exceed high
expectations
Open for bistro style lunch every day from 11.30–14.00
and dinner wednesday to saturday from 19.00–22.00
Nordic House, Sturlugata 5, 101 Reykjavik, Tel. 6185071/8939693, www.dillrestaurant.is
Iðunnareplið
Templarasund 3
2 X Places To Eat Breakfast
Prikið
That red house on Bankastræti with a rooster
above the door is a great place to get break-
fast, especially if you’re here from the United
States where establishments like IHOP haunt
every interstate exit. Prikið serves up dishes
like ‘Truck’ and ‘Station wagon’ that are full
of pancakes, fresh toast, eggs, bacon and all
that jazz. They also serve Cheerios and Cocoa
Puffs.
Bankastræti 12, 101.
Vox (Hilton Nordica
So maybe you didn’t fork up whatever it costs
stay here. But, if you’re looking for a fancy
and delicious breakfast, there’s no question
that you should go to the Hilton Nordica to
eat all you can eat at their wonderful Icelandic
breakfast buffet. If you’re German you can
probably get a pretty nice lunch out of it too.
Sudurlandsbraut 2, 108
2 X Places To Queue Up For
Bæjarins bestu
It’s a hot dog stand. Chances are you’ve heard
of it as it is the ‘Town’s Best.’ But in case you
haven’t, I’d better mention it. It hardly matters
what time of day it is, there’s always a line at
this little hot dog stand. Don’t order a Clinton
(named after Bill) for you’ll be getting a boring
hot dog with nothing but sinnep (Icelandic
mustard). The proper way to order it is, “eina
með öllu,” or “one with everything.”
Tryggvagata, 101.
Ísbúð Vesturbæjar
There’s often a line at this classic ice cream
parlour, which is located in 107 Reykjavík, not
far from downtown Reykjavík. In fact, if you’re
downtown you should definitely walk there
because this isn’t a healthy, trendy Pinkberry
or Red Mango kind of place. This is a rich,
decadent, creamy ice cream kind of place with
toppings galore. Go wild.
Hagamel 67, 107.
AA
BAR - SUNNY TERRACE
BOSTON
LAUGAVEGUR 28B - 2ND FLOOR, 101 REYKJAVÍK
OPEN 16-01 WEEKDAYS 16-03 WEEKENDS