Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.08.2011, Blaðsíða 54

F D
For your mind, body and soul
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
The owners of Kex would have me know
that they consider it a tavern, not a
gastro-pub. I would have you know that
Kex most definitely is a London gastro-
pub by way of Brooklyn (with a hostel
slapped on top for good measure). I
would also have you know that it has
become one of my favourite places in
Reykjavík.
Not that I set out with the best inten-
tions. On my first visit I was so full of
preconceived notions that I barely found
room for the meal. But what would you
think? A place partially owned by former
premier leaguers and stories floating
around about the hundreds of millions
of krónur that have been sunk into re-
modelling this disused cracker factory.
It sounded like another surgical nou-
veau-riche catastrophe in the making,
and I said as much to a friend who was
physically dragging me up Hverfisgata
to their frankly ludicrously out-of-the
way location (how dare they make me
walk!). Which is why it was a pleasure
to find that they had three quality local
microbrews on tap, coming in handy as
they did when five minutes in I had to
eat my words.
The aforementioned combination of
a casually meticulously chic gastro-pub
and a backpacker’s hostel is either mad
genius or simply mad come the torpid
winter tourist season. Supposedly the
designers toured the mid-west of the US
with a U-Haul stacking up on sundries
from the prohibition era, resulting in a
blend of traditional Icelandic antiques
and hip Americana, with ludicrous de-
tails such as working vintage speakers
in the men’s bathroom playing what
sounded like books on tape played
from a phonograph. I didn’t get much
of a chance to look at the hostel part of
the building, but from what little I saw
it looked miles better than any hostel I
remember from my Interrail days, and
the young couple I spoke with seemed
to like it.
So a large part of what I like about
the place is the design and general am-
biance. The design focus might bring to
mind a room filled with the young and
terminally hip but no place this size
can survive on that clientele alone in a
place as small as Iceland, so what you
end up with is a comfortably mixed bag
of people. And everything works: the
chairs are comfortable and the beer isn’t
served in teacups (an example of taking
the speakeasy recreation too far).
Friðrik Valur Karlsson, of Friðrik V
fame, helms the menu at Kex and main-
tains a monthly rotation of ambitious
bar food to full meals. The Brooklyn
gastro-pub atmosphere carries through
in things like biergarten sausages and
artisan sliders, but local fish also fea-
tures prominently. The selection of
drafts was better than the usual miser-
able state of affairs in Icelandic bar cul-
ture, three microbrews on tap may not
seem like much to a seasoned beer geek,
but for an Icelander that’s worth a small
prayer. We ordered the fruity wheat beer
Kex Special, and aside from a misjudged
foray into Organic Pils (which tasted like
a barn), we stuck with it for the rest of
the night.
We ordered the Kex platter, which
consisted of deep-fried potato skins and
sour cream, olives in a lemon brine, sa-
lami and prosciutto. A very decent an-
tipasto, although the deep-fried potato
skins was a little greasy for a starter.
We followed this with monkfish
special and a steak. Both came stripped
down to the essentials. A rare steak
served on a bed of roasted carrots, on-
ions and red bell peppers, medium qual-
ity beef but perfectly cooked with some
kind of beurre blanc glaze that didn’t get
in the way. The monkfish was similarly
Spartan, but suffered slightly from too
much butter sauce. Monkfish can get up
the stairs on its own.
Clinched it with a Jack Daniels
chocolate mousse, served with a dol-
lop of blueberry jam and, interestingly
enough, a couple of slivers of bell pep-
pers (no doubt left over from the steak).
The texture of the mousse was good, but
could have used darker chocolate and
I’m surprised to say that the peppers
worked.
I have also heard good things about
the breakfast buffet and the lunch lamb
stew, but people seem a little undecided
about Kex’s merits as a weekend bar.
The food is good, if not breath-taking,
some hit and miss between months,
but anyway it’s the atmosphere that will
keep me coming back.
THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED CRACKERS
there are a lot of positive
reviews about..
also....
the best thai food
year 2009, 2010 and 2011
authentic thai crusine
served in elegant surroundings
with spicy, very delicious and
reasonable prices.

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tel : 55-22-444, 692-0564
www.banthai.name
TOP TEN for....
The Best Restaurant in Iceland
D V. 17.06.11
A genuine Nordic 3 course feast
starting from 4.900,-
Pósthússtræti 11 101 Reykjavík Tel: 578 2008 www.silfur.is
RAGNAR EGILSSON
JULIA STAPLES
Gamla góða
What We Think: Score!
Flavour: A meaty, mouth-filling
flavour free of culinary melisma
Ambiance: Young and hang-
around-y
Service: Effervescent and other
big words
Kex
Skúlagata 28, 101 Reykjavík