Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2011, Qupperneq 28

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 9 — 2011
One of Reykjavik’s finest, the chic 1919 Restaurant
features top international and neo-Nordic cuisine.
The trendy 1919 Lounge provides a variety of
cocktails and the perfect atmosphere for you to relax
in and enjoy timeless luxury.
1919
R E STAU R A N T
AND LOUNGE
QUALITY TIME IN THE
HEART OF THE CITY
Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, Pósthússtræti 2, 101 Reykjavík, Tel: 599 1000
Taste the freshness
of a farmer’s market
Housed in one of the city’s oldest buildings, Fish
Market uses ingredients sourced directly from
the nation’s best farms, lakes, and sea to create
unforgettable Icelandic dishes with a modern twist.
AÐALSTRÆTI 12 | +354 578 8877 | FISHMARKET.IS
LUNCH WEEKDAYS 11:30 - 14:00 | EVENINGS 18:00 - 23:30
2008
GO LIST
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KIRKJUSTRÆTI
HAFNARSTRÆTI
AUSTURSTRÆTI
OPEN FOR LUNCH WEEKDAYS 11:30 - 14:00
OPEN EVERY EVENING 18:00 - 23:30
Special | Best Of Reykjavík - Best Thai and Best Goddamn Restaurant
Tómas Boonchang Is
The Real Deal
Ask for chopsticks, a knife, or heaven
forbid, soy sauce, and you shall not re-
ceive. Friendly Ban Thai owner and chef
Tómas Boonchang is clear about that.
He’s not interested in compromising
authenticity to please the uninformed
patron.
When Tómas and his wife moved
from southern Thailand to Iceland in
1987, he wasn’t sure that Icelanders
could really appreciate Thai food. In
fact, he didn’t go straight into the Thai
food business. The first restaurant he
opened in Reykjavík was called Ingólfs-
brunnur and it served Icelandic cafete-
ria-style food.
It wasn’t until four years later, in
1991, that he would buy the apartment
building at Laugavegur 130, tear down
some of the walls, and transform the
space into what is now the highly ac-
claimed Ban Thai restaurant.
Though it gets rave reviews today,
as Tómas displays proudly on the wall
for customers to see, the restaurant
wasn’t an instant success story. Get-
ting people to come was initially tricky,
and sometimes he says patrons refused
to pay for what they thought was too
spicy.
But rather than winning customers
over by accommodating to their re-
quests for less chilli or more bamboo
shoots, Tómas has stayed true to his
belief in delivering consistency and au-
thenticity. “The key to success is being
honest”, he says.
That means flavour derives from
real spices imported from Thailand
rather than MSG or other additives.
And when a customer makes an order,
nothing has been prepared in advance.
The meat has not been precooked and
the vegetables have not even been
chopped.
It would seem that many Thai food
establishments in Reykjavík don’t think
you can taste the difference, but really,
the green curry with chicken should
taste different from the green curry
with beef.
But do try something more excit-
ing than the green curry. There are 156
items on the menu, most of them can-
not be found elsewhere in Reykjavík,
and some of them are exclusive Ban
Thai specialities.
Yeah, we really have to thank Tómas
for keeping it real.
Ban Thai
Laugavegur 130, 101 G8
ANNA ANDERSEN
JULIA STAPLES / HVALREKI