Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2011, Qupperneq 60

Iceland’s
Restaurant of the year
2009 & 2010
by the Nordic Prize
Nordic House Sturlugata 5 101 Reykjavik tel. +354 552 1522 www.dillrestaurant.is Open for lunch every day from 11.30 and for dinner wednesday to sunday from 19.00.
MADELEINE T
MADELEINE T
fresh Icelandic water, and leaving
almost zero carbon footprint from field
to fork, we have the ability to produce
the cleanest and tastiest fruits and
vegetables while eliminating costly,
tasteless imports. Do you champion
this idea? I think obviously you do.
GG: Definitely.
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
MT: I think it a great idea to subsidise
our Icelandic farmers and encourage
local greenhouses rather than
import everything from Holland or
America. Perhaps if we offered cheap
energy deals like we do with heavy
industry, and subsidised greenhouse
construction we could stimulate local
economy while enjoying the benefits
of fresh produce for a change. What
can be the first steps we can take to
facilitate this?
GG: One farmer could arrange a deal
with four restaurants and produce a lot
of things for them, he could even sell
the rest at Bónus. It shouldn’t be a big
risk for him if the restaurant pays the
bill. It is the same thing with mostly
everything in Iceland. If one person
starts making something, and it goes
very well for him, everybody has to
do the same, instead of thinking that
ok, this is really nice then I should
do something else, but do it with the
same passion, love and respect for the
ingredients, and then I will sell the
same amount as him.
MT: So this sheep mentality has
probably been the pitfall of something
like this. We now have greenhouses
filled with a surplus of cucumbers and
tomatoes instead of one person focused
on producing seven varieties of basil or
heirloom tomatoes.
GG: You could have so many varieties.
It is really boring. I don’t understand it.
HOMEGROWN DELICIOUSNESS
MT: I see you have a garden out back,
can you speak a bit about your garden
and what you are growing.
GG: We have six different types of dill.
Then we have a good variety of herbs. I
think dill is the only herb that we put
down at the beginning of summer. The
rest of them just come again, like the
arctic thyme, chervil, angelica, etc...
What do you call those herbs that come
up again and again?
MT: Perennial. I see you have a small
greenhouse as well, do you grow
vegetables in there?
GG: We are starting to, along with
apples as well. We produced three
apples last year.
MT: Congratulations. That is already
an achievement, as it isn’t easy finding
a breed that withstands our harsh
climate and short growing season. Do
you want to expand your gardening
efforts here?
GG: Not here. It would be fun to
have more vegetables and larger herb
garden. We don’t have the space, and
it already almost takes a gardener to
take care of it. If we would expand it,
and hire a gardener, we could do it
somewhere outside of Reykjavík. But
not this summer at least.
MT: That is a great long-term plan.
There are a few restaurants that come
to mind, some of my favourites that
actually have a garden on location.
You pass by the seasonal vegetables on
approach to the entrance, and have an
idea of what to expect inside.
GG: That is nice.
THE ARTISTIC PROCESS
MT: Can you tell us about your creative
process?
GG: When I do the menus, I like to be
alone with a blank piece of paper in the
library here. Then it is just write and
write and write.
MT: The menu is seasonal.
GG: Definitely, that is why we change
so often. There are always new things
coming in the garden, or a friend with a
goose he caught. That is the good thing
with a small menu. We just change the
menu and print in-house.
MT: If you consider cooking an art, is
there a particular movement or artist
that you can identify with?
GG: I have thought a lot about this,
cooking and art. I think cooking is art.
It is quite hard to compare it to painting.
I can understand this comparison to
cooking and jazz and painting as well,
when you begin with a base and build
on top of that. Eggert Pétursson makes
very beautiful paintings, and I can very
much relate to them.
MT: His paintings are quite organic.
My experience with the cuisine at Dill
has been a bit along the lines of post
modernism, deconstructionist really,
in the way that you interpret Nordic
cuisine. Is this your intention?
When I say deconstructionist, I am
thinking of Dill taking Icelandic cuisine
back to the basic raw ingredients, and
reworking them individually in new
ways.
GG: Do you mean instead of blending
celery, carrots and parsnip?
MT: Exactly. Instead of blending the
usual suspects with a kitchen wand,
you tend to explore each ingredient
individually.
GG: Yes, definitely.
MT: Some may cite Ferran Adria of
El Bulli or Noma of Copenhagen as
inf luences. Do they inspire you?
GG: Noma definitely. René is a good
friend. But, I have never been to El
Bulli. I have one of his books. I really
like to listen to him talk about food.
He once ended an interview by saying:
“At the end of the day, we are doing
the food I love.” I think that is what we
are doing here. Some years ago, I just
stopped cooking for others, and started
making the things I really like.
MT: That is why his menu changes
daily. He has contributed a lot to
modern cooking, but that is a great
thing to walk away with. Cook what you
enjoy cooking. Many have borrowed
other elements from Ferran, as he
is responsible for developing this
progressive cuisine that challenges
the meaning of food and dining
with molecular gastronomy and the
kitchen as laboratory. This style has
rapidly become a ubiquitous part of
modern cooking. Foams are turning
up everywhere, like the balsamic glaze
of the nineties drizzled all over a dish.
This abuse risks the style becoming
little more than whimsical. When you
are creating a new dish, does f lavour
and texture precede presentation?
GG: Definitely. That is really important.
We are only two in the kitchen at Dill.
I start with the basics. I never make
things on the plate where the taste
and texture is second. There are a lot
of restaurants that misunderstood the
whole thing with foams. They taste like
nothing. If you are going to do it, make
sure it tastes like something, or just
don’t put it on the plate.
ACT LOCAL
MT: In your opinion, what is the most
exciting or innovative thing happening
in kitchens across the world?
GG: Slow food, slash Nordic manifesto.
The whole thing is about using the
things that you have around you,
instead of importing what is far away.
A lot of the restaurants have their own
gardens. This is something I feel very
strong about. People are really waking
up and starting to think locally.
MT: This leads right back to what we
spoke about earlier about growing
locally and not relying on Europe or
America to feed us.
GG: It is unbelievable. We have
Icelandic customers that come and eat
seven courses. Everything that they get
on the plate is Icelandic more or less,
yet they talk about how new and exotic
everything was.
MT: And they do not realise that this is
in their back yard. We have a chance to
have one of the cleanest and healthiest
cuisines on earth. What advice do you
have for the home cook or the inspired
young chef?
GG: Go out in your back yard, see what
you have, and just use it.
MT: When I go on a hike, I am
constantly grazing like a sheep and
wondering how this tastes, and would
it make a nice tea.
GG: We are actually starting to make
our own tea.
MT: What else can we expect from Dill
in the coming year? You mentioned a
larger garden.
GG: Yes a larger garden with vegetables
and a lot of varieties. We just want to
continue doing what we are doing and
avoid all big changes.
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