Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2011, Blaðsíða 24

Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2011, Blaðsíða 24
23 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2011 Best new coffeehouse C is for Cookie We love C is for Cookie, and apparently so do our readers and friends. So we made up a category for them. They are new and they sort of rule. This one’s for you, C is for Cookie. Stay strong! (New category) Best tea Te og kaffi This is the first time we have done ‘best tea’. But tea is pretty great and getting GOOD tea is often harder than one would think (making good tea does not sound like such a gruelling task, what with the portioned sacks and whatnot). Te og kaffi seem to be the popular pick here, as their baristas are trained at making tea and also because “they serve great mate, which is hard to come by in Iceland”. However, Litli Bóndabærinn reportedly have a British tea expert on staff, so they are definitely “one to watch”. (New category) Best sushi suZushii Picking ‘best sushi’ has never really been a problem, until now. See, we had a bunch of filmmakers sitting in on our ‘discussion session’, and it turns out that Icelandic filmmakers are re- ally, really, really opinionated when it comes to the subject of sushi. They argued and argued and often contra- dicted themselves, but in the end both them and our write-ins agreed that su- Zushii in Kringlan offer the best sushi in Reykjavík today. Why? “suZushii are consistent, fresh and have everything you need. Even though you have to go to effing Kringlan to get it”. Runners-up: Sushibarinn (“a local favourite, and for a reason”, “they of- fer a really nice selection of sake, better than what you get elsewhere”)), Fisk- markaðurinn (“good service, a perfect atmosphere... go there for lunch su- shi”). (2009: Sushismiðjan 2010: Sushibarinn) Best vegetarian Gló Gló are “fresh, new, inventive AND reasonably priced. This is why my vote goes their way”, remarked one vegetar- ian friend of the paper in a letter. The write-ins for Gló were so numerous this year we sorta wondered whether they had started a campaign to win. But then we went there for lunch. Congrat- ulations, Gló. You are awesome. Runners-up: Á næstu grösum (“the king of Reykjavík vegetarian”), Krúska (“I plain love it”). (2009: Á næstu grösum 2010: Á næstu grösum) Best hangover meal The Truck at Grái Kötturinn Last year, like the year before, we wound up hopelessly deadlocked, OJ trial-style, between the ‘trucks’ at Grái kötturinn and Prikið (for the uninitiated, ‘a truck’ usually entails bacon, eggs, pancakes and various other fried delicacies). Last year we went with Prikið, because they are a tad cheaper and they won the vote, but this year Grái Kötturinn reclaims the throne! Why? Because even though it comes with a price, “there is nothing like it. It’s even pretty great when you’re sober”. (2009: The Truck at Grái kötturinn 2010: The Truck at Prikið) Best soup The soups at Kryddlegin Hjörtu Kryddlegin Hjörtu not only offer what some claim to be “the best view in Reykjavík”, their soups are also hearty, inventive and “always delicious”. (2009: Lobster soup at Sægreifinn 2010: Most soups at Súpubarinn) Best place for a fancy meal Dill People running fancy restaurants in Reykjavík: don’t be sad that Dill takes the prize once again. Even though the rest of you are absolutely lovely (we firmly believe that the people of Reyk- javík are spoiled when it comes to fine- dining choices), Dill is still a step be- yond the rest. Is it their “location that will make you happy to live in Reykjavík for once”? Is it the “organic, fresh and novel ingredients”? Maybe, but mostly, “the sheer quality of Dill’s dining expe- rience” makes them the top contender. Runners-up: Fish Company (“service can be a trip, but the food is always su- perior”), Fiskmarkaðurinn (“head chef Hrefna is the shining star of Icelandic culinaria”), Primavera (“the superior Italian”). (2009: Gallery Restaurant at Hótel Holt 2010: Dill) Best place to go for a date Ítalía Popular vote and mail-ins ensured that Ítalía reclaimed their title from Pisa af- ter a year in the dark. That’s not to say that Pisa has gotten any worse, just that Ítalía’s decorations, service and atmo- sphere touched enough folks this year to place them a bar above the rest. “Can- dles, smooth music, relatively private seating... if I ever start dating again, my first date will be at Ítalía.” (2009: Ítalía 2010: Pisa) Best newcomer restaurant Sjávargrillið Everyone is in love with Sjávargril- lið right now. And why wouldn’t it be? They offer tasty and thought out authentic-style dishes inspired by and made out of the best ingredients Ice- land has to offer (shop local!) at a fair price. Emailers agree that “while their menu isn’t that far removed from what other Reykjavík seafood restaurants of- fer, they still manage to take it a notch further”, noting that “while the service is often dangerously krútt-like, that’s maybe why their prices are tolerable.” (2009: Saffran 2010: Noodle Station) Best goddamn restaurant Ban Thai This one posed a huge problem. On the one hand, we felt that there really wasn’t a restaurant out there that fit our qualifications for ‘best goddamn res- taurant’ (i.e. ‘on the cheaper side’, ‘con- sistent’, ‘tasty’ and ‘available’. On the other, both restaurants we have award- ed this prize have somehow gone under (Segurmo) or noticeably decreased in quality (Saffran, likely due to the fact that “they are running franchises all over town now and don’t have oversight over their cooking” as one reader put it), so we are sort of hesitant to award this prize to anyone (last year we wrote: “Frankly, we were afraid to even in- clude 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...” Then our restaurant mail-ins, when perused closely, started forming a co- herent message. That message read, in various shapes, sizes and forms: “res- taurants come and go, but Ban Thai has not faltered for so many years”. Wheth- er the category was best cheap restau- rant, best place to grab a bite, best Thai restaurant or best goddamn restaurant, Ban Thai grabbed votes in every cat- egory... lots of them.“They’re cheap for a sit-down meal, and they’re super au- thentic,” wrote one friend while anoth- er remarked “it’s properly spicy, which for ‘ethnic foods’ in Iceland is almost an anomaly”. So we thought: since they’ve been good for so long and since our readers and associates like them so much, they can’t possibly be jinxed by this prize. So here’s to you, Ban Thai. Don’t go open- ing up any (more) franchises, please! (2009: Segurmo at Boston 2010: Saffran) Best family restaurant Laundromat Café “Grapevine, I swear if Laundromat aren’t picked as best family restaurant, I WILL NEVER READ YOU AGAIN OR BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU SAY! HAVE YOU BEEN TO THEIR BASE- MENT AREA? HAVE YOU?” Runner-up: Lauga-Ás (“it’s where I take my family, food for everyone and a relaxed atmosphere”). (2009: Hornið 2010: Piri-Piri) Best place to grab a bite Mamma Steina Surprisingly enough, Mamma Steina’s ‘authentic Icelandic home-cooking’ got many, many votes for this category (because, really, ‘authentic, Icelandic home-cooking’? ). It is true, they are cheap and tasty and some of that old- school Icelandic stuff tastes pretty good. “it’s probably not very good for you, but it’s tasty and it’s cheap. Your grandma might be serving this, in a good way!” Maybe those ancient Ice- landers had something going for them ? (2009: Santa María 2010: Deli) Best cheap meal Noodle Station The soups at Noodle Stations are filled with noodly goodness, meat, veggies and various other stuff we’re not sure of. Apparently, it’s so good, “you can even drink the broth!”. And it’s on the cheap side: “it’s under 1000 krónur and it leaves you satisfied and full for a long, long time. It’s maybe not a miracle, but it’s still awesome value for money!” Runners-up: Subway (“they’ve left 101, and their price has gone up, but their monthly offers are still excellent value for money!”), Balkanika (“why is everyone not eating there all the time?”) (2010: ‘Sub of the month’ at Subway) Best brunch Vox It’s a little pricey, but Vox’s brunch buf- fet is definitely worth it on account of having everything you’ll ever want to brunch on, in unlimited quantities. Re- marked one commenter: “going there makes me ashamed of ever attempting homemade brunch”. (2009: Vox 2010: Nítjánda) Best restaurant chain Serrano Serrano specialize in huge and tasty burritos that come in all sorts of f la- vours, and they’re supposedly rather healthy, too. Much like last year, and the year before, everyone agrees that “Serrano is home-grown, cheap, lovely and wonderful if you’re hung-over!”. (2009: Serrano 2010: Serrano) Best seafood Við Tjörnina Við Tjörnina know how to handle their seafood, and the atmosphere is of the ‘classic Icelandic’ variety in such a way that we had more than one email saying that something amounting to “if I had foreign guests stopping over for a sin- gle day, this is the place I’d take them”, with one writer adding: “I’d make them get the steinbítur”. Runners-up: Fishmarket are lots of people’s “personal favourite”, as are Fish Company and Icelandic Fish and Chips. (2010: Fish Company) Best place to go with a group of friends Tapas Bar A moderate pricing policy, a late night kitchen and an atmosphere that en- sures you’ll be in no hurry to leave even after you’ve ordered seconds on your seconds keeps Tapas Bar at the top of this game yet another year. (2010: Tapas Bar) Best all-day hangout Hressó Because the location is awesome, be- cause you can sit outside or inside, because you can drink coffee or get drunk, because the specials are often special and just because, Hressó re- mains Reykjavík’s designated all-day hangout. (2009: Hressó 2010: Hressó) Best must try dining experience The svið at Fljótt og Gott, BSÍ “Leaving Iceland without feasting on seared sheep heads seems like a waste of air travel”. Also, we can’t recom- mend the ‘Moby Dick on a Stick’ at Sea Baron anymore because whale lovers might get upset. Fortunately, nobody cares about sheep (in fact, “sheep lover” sounds fairly criminal). (2009: Bæjarins Bestu 2010: Moby Dick on a Stick at Sægreifinn) Best tourist one-stop- shop Kolaportið At Kolaportið (an institution to be sure, but you know, it's really big), you can try every crazy Icelandic dish in a uniquely Icelandic environment. And then you can shop for used DVDs and Linkin Park t-shirts. What’s not to love? (2010: Kaffi Loki) ACTIVITIES BEST OF THE REYKJAVÍK 2011 Best pool (all-round) Neslaugin, Seltjarnarnes For the good people of Reykjavík, pool- going is as about close to a ‘religion’ as you’ll get with this bunch of atheists. Everyone has their favourite, so pick- ing ‘the best one in town’ is always a hard task. After a long and heated de- bate, we decided to bend the rules a tad so the non-Reykjavík based Neslaugin swimming pool could reap the benefits of all the points and mail-in votes it got on account of it being really charming and nice (Seltjarnarnes is practically in Reykjavík anyway). To sum up the arguments: Neslaugin has everything needed for a satisfying pool experi- ence. It’s small but never too crowded, you can properly stretch out in the hot-tub, it’s great for tanning, they use saltwater instead of chlorine, there’s a proper water-slide for kids and, accord- ing to several tips, it’s the cleanest pool in the city. (2009: Laugardalslaug 2010: Laugardalslaug) Best pool (for hot tub- bing, lounging) Laugardalslaug Laugardalslaug wins this category due to its diversity. As one reader puts it: “Laugardalslaug is the Tivoli of hot- tubs”. Need we say more? (2009: Sundhöll Reykjavíkur 2010: Sundhöll Reykjavíkur) Best art museum Einar Jónsson museum and sculp- ture garden Einar Jónsson was Iceland’s lead- ing sculptor and his museum on Skólavörðuholt is the first of its kind in Iceland. So it’s very understand- able that it holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Reykjavík and their visitors. The sculptures also look awesome. “It’s a dramatic experience. The outside garden with the impres- sive sculptures is breathtaking. The architecture is groundbreaking. The exhibition inspiring. Einar Jónsson’s museum has it all in one package”, remarked one email. We won’t argue with that. (2009: Einar Jónsson museum and sculp- ture garden 2010: Listasafn Reykjavíkur ) Best gallery i8 Gallery At the risk of repeating ourselves (ha ha ha), i8 win this one again, “for be- ing consistently great”. (2009: Gallery Kling og Bang 2010: i8 Gallery) Best museum Icelandic National Museum Anyone interested in Icelandic his- tory will enjoy the highly ambitious exhibition at the National Museum, which offers an adventurous insight into Iceland’s history and heritage, where the past meets the future. The museum shop on the ground f loor is also the best one in town, where you’ll find quality Icelandic design as well as objects related to the exhibitions on display. (2010: Þjóðmenningarhús) Best place to spend a rainy day Bíó Paradís Hot-tubs are still awesome, rain or shine, but there’s a new chill-out in town that outdoes the rest on a rainy day. With its selection of alternative films, shorts and old Icelandic clas- sics—and a nice café where you can sit down with a beer before or after the show, Bíó Paradís is simply put “exactly what Reykjavík has been miss- ing!” Also, their popcorn portions are gigantic! (2009: Borgarbókasafnið 2010: A hot tub) Best place to rent a movie Aðalvídeóleigan Laugarásvídeó are still strong, but two years without Aðalvídeóleigan and its expert staff/excellent selection getting a nod is TOO DAMN LONG. (2009: Laugarásvídeó 2010: Laugarásvídeó) Best biking tour Harpa-Laugarnes The way from the old harbour along Sæbraut all the way to Laugarnes is an ideal biking route for many reasons. There is a marked biking path and the coastline view on a sunny day is just magnificent. Please take a minute or two to admire our brand-new concert hall Harpa before you bike along, after all, we spent millions of billions on it—you might as well enjoy it! (2009: Grandi-Nauthólsvík 2010: Ægisíða-Elliðaárdalur) Best place to go for a walk Kringlan You’ve been through Laugardalur, paying special attention to the botani- cal gardens and the swimming pool. Then you strolled through Þingholt, greeting the cats and taking extra care not to step into any vomit left there SEND US YOUR TIPS FOR 2012: bestof@grapevine.is
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