Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2011, Síða 59

F D
For your mind, body and soul
Madeleine T.: This is Grapevine’s
annual best of, top of the pops issue.
Now, I am not one for superlatives. I
continually come back to Dill. Dill is
on the top of my list. There is nothing
that compares to it in Iceland. I rather
inactively choose not to take part in
this, as I do not believe in this gold
star dunce cap reward system. I find
that really boring. Dill does reign king
of haute cuisine in Iceland. For our
readers that have not had the pleasure
of dining here, can you talk about the
mission and spirit of Dill?
Gunnar Karl Gíslason: We opened up
two years ago. Then, the whole thing
was about this Nordic Kitchen. We were
going to open this Nordic restaurant,
and of course we did. Both me and Óli
[Dill Sommelier and co-founder Ólafur
Örn Ólafsson] had worked at Vox
before, so it was logical to come here
and open up a restaurant in the Nordic
House. It was probably the perfect way
to move on.
We had our things at Vox, but we
wanted to take it further. I wanted a
smaller location so the whole thing
would be more personal. When Nordic
House director Max Dager offered me
the location, I really could not say no.
First of all, the house, location and the
view are unbelievable. We had some
investors who were coming into this
project with us. Then came the crisis,
and the investors dropped out, so it was
only Óli and I left. We were thinking
that maybe it was too much for the two
of us to handle, but we could not say no.
We had to find a new strategy.
When we opened, we noticed that
because of the crisis, the prices on all
of the imported ingredients from the
other Nordic countries started to go
up, not only a little bit, but a lot. So our
Nordic restaurant is thus probably more
Icelandic than Nordic. We basically
try to find ingredients in Iceland, and
if we cannot find them here, then we
look to the other Nordic countries. It
is much more Icelandic than it was in
the beginning, and it is much more
Icelandic than the things we were
doing at Vox.
In addition, I think in these two
years since we started here, I have
started to focus more on the traditions:
the traditions of making the food.
I am looking at the producers and I
try to find producers that are making
things in the really old tradition. For
example, we only buy fish from one
guy in Hauganes, and this guy makes
a beautiful bacalao. He is the third
generation in Hauganes, using the
same methods. It’s a one-year process.
Some places have started to actually
inject the cod with salt; which of course
is not the same. So we have chosen
to use his products. The same with
harðfiskur, which is dried outside, as
opposed to using an oven.
WHERE IS THE FRESH FISH IN
ICELAND?
MT: Maybe that wouldn’t be such a
problem, injecting salt into the bacalao,
if that was strictly our export bacalao.
The problem would be in Portugal, and
maybe then they would re-establish
their fish salting tradition.
It is so difficult for us to find
fresh ingredients here in Reykjavík,
especially fresh fish and seafood. I find
this absurd. I have lived in several cities
around the world, and have always had
easier access to fresh seafood than
in the capital city one of the world’s
largest fish exporters. Everything is
packed and shipped off for export. It
is becoming slightly easier to find,
especially if you own a car, but you still
have to hunt.
GG: It is getting easier now, especially
for restaurants. I learned to cook at
a restaurant in Akureyri, and it was
impossible to get fresh fish, this was
a long time ago, you more or less had
to buy it frozen. Now the situation is
much better. Here we get everything
fresh, everyday.
MT: With the abundance of geothermal
energy that we have in here in Iceland,
we have the ability to produce most of
our agricultural needs and become once
again a nation with a self-sustainable
food supply. With greenhouses using
DILL REIGNS SUPREME
3 Frakkar
Baldursgata 14 | G5
Aktu Taktu
Skúlugata 15 | E7
Alibaba
Veltusund 3b | D3
American Style
Tryggvagata 26 | D4
Argentína Steakhouse
Barónstígur | F7
Austurlanda-
hraðlestin
Hverfisgata 64A | F7
Á Næstu Grösum
Laugavegur 20B | F5
B5
Bankastræti 5 | E4
Bakkus
Tryggvagata 22 | D3
Ban Thai
Laugavegur 130 | G8
Babalú
Skólavörðustígur 22A
| F5
Bæjarins Beztu
Tryggvagata | D4
Íslenski Barinn
Pósthússtræti 9 | E4
Bar Ellefu
Hverfisgata 18 | E5
Café d'Haiti
Tryggvagata 12 | D4
Café Loki
Lokastígur 28 | G6
Café Paris
Austurstræti 14 | E4
Café Roma
Rauðarárstígur 8 | G8
Deli
Bankastræti 14 | E5
Domo
Þingholtsstræti 5 | E4
Einar Ben
Veltusundi | D3
Eldsmiðjan
Bragagata 38A | G5
Fiskmarkaðurinn
Aðalstræti 12 | E3
Geysir Bar/Bistro
Aðalstræti 2 | D3
Garðurinn
Klappastigur 37 | F5
Gata
Laugavegur 3 | E5
Glætan book café
Laugavegur 19 | E5
Grái Kötturinn
Hverfisgata 16A | E5
Grillhúsið
Tryggvagata 20 | D3
Habibi
Hafnarstræti 20 | D4
Hamborgarabúlla
Tómasar (“Bullan”)
Geirsgata 1 | C3
Hlölla Bátar
Ingólfstorg | D3
Hornið
Hafnarstræti 15 | D4
Hótel Holt
Bergstaðarstræti 37
| G5
Humarhúsið
Amtmannstígur 1 | E4
Hressó
Austurstræti 20 | E4
Icelandic Fish & Chips
Tryggvagata 8 | D3
Indian Mango
Frakkastígur 12 | F6
Jómfrúin
Lækjargata 4 | E4
Fjallkonubakaríið
Laugavegur 21 | F5
Kaffifélagið
Skólavörðustígur 10
| E5
Kaffitár
Bankastræti 8 | E5
Kaffivagninn
Grandagarður 10 | B2
Kofi Tómasar Frænda
Laugavegur 2 | E5
Kornið
Lækjargata 4 | E4
Krua Thai
Tryggvagata 14 | D3
La Primavera
Austurstræti 9 | E4
Mokka
Skólavörðustígur 3A
| E5
Nonnabiti
Hafnarstræti 9 | D4
O Sushi
Lækjargata 2A | E4
Pisa
Lækjargötu 6b | E4
Pizza King
Hafnarstræti 18 | D4
Express Pizza
Vallarstræti 4 | E4
Gamla Smiðjan
Lækjargötu 8 | E4
Prikið
Bankastræti 12 | E5
Ráðhúskaffi | E3
Tjarnargata 11
Santa Maria
Laugavegur 22A, | F6
Serrano
Hringbraut 12 | I5
Shalimar
Austurstræti 4 | E3
Silfur
Pósthússtræti 11 | E4
Sjávarkjallarinn
Aðalstræti 2 | D3
Sólon
Bankastræti 7a | E5

Sushibarinn
Laugavegur 2 | E5
Sushismiðjan
Geirsgötu 3 | C3
Svarta Kaffi
Laugavegur 54 | F7
Sægreifinn
Verbúð 8, Geirsgata
| C3
Tapas
Vesturgata 3B | D3
Thorvaldsen
Austurstræti 8 | E4
Tíu Dropar
Laugavegur 27 | F5
UNO
Hafnarstræti 1-3 | D3
Vegamót
Vegamótastígur 4 | F5
Við Tjörnina
Templarasund 3 | E4
Vitabar
Bergþórugata 21 | G7
Food & Drink | Venue finder
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sushismiðjan
Veislubakkar
pantanir í síma
517 3366
www.sushismidjan.is
A genuine Nordic 3 course feast
starting from 4.900,-
Pósthússtræti 11 101 Reykjavík Tel: 578 2008 www.silfur.is
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gata
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reykjavík´s best kept secret
kitchen hours
sun-thu: 11:00-23:30
fri-sat: 10:00-00:00
laugavegur 3
www.gata.is
tel: +354 5270077