Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.12.2011, Blaðsíða 46

F D
For your mind, body and soul
Rudolph the Medium Rare Reindeer
the best thai food
year 2009, 2010 and 2011

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tel : 55-22-444, 692-0564
www.banthai.name
      
 
Laugavegur 130 ofan við Hlemm
1af10 Bestu veitingastöðum á Íslandi
DV. 17 júni 11
Ekta tailensk upplifun
Fréttablaðið 10.11.05
Best goddamn restaurant 2011
A genuine Nordic 3 course feast
starting from 4.900,-
Pósthússtræti 11 101 Reykjavík Tel: 578 2008 www.silfur.is
RAGNAR EGILSSON
HVALREKI
Fjalakötturinn is Hotel Centrum’s
corrugated conjoined twin. Despite the
faux-antique exterior, the buildings are
riddled with cultural heritage within
and without. The hotel and restaurant
at Aðalstræti 16 stand by the oldest
street in Reykjavík, Aðalstræti literally
translates to “Main Street.” One house
over is the oldest house in downtown
Reykjavík, which has served as a seat
of private enterprise since the 18th
century and once housed a pulsating
gay club named after our “founding
father” Jón Sigurðsson who supposedly
stayed there during a period (imag-
ine a gay club in Abraham Lincoln’s
cabin named “Abe’s Sweatlodge”). But
those days are gone; it now belongs
to Kraum, a well-considered Icelandic
design hub catering to a blossoming
tourist industry.
Fjalakötturinn offers another
example of how Icelanders are trying to
leave behind their haphazard handling
of historical heritage, the restaurant
taking its name from what had been
the oldest known cinema in the world
when it was demolished in 1985 during
the reign of Mayor Davíð Oddsson.
Beneath the floorboards of Fjalaköt-
turinn are, what may be, the ruins of
the first settlement in Iceland, where
Ingólfur Arnarson landed 1130 years
ago after wandering up north to escape
Norwegian taxation.
Fjalakötturinn is us trying to do it
right this time, brush over the recent
past and make a direct connection
with the romantic past. And there’s an
interesting mojo to that corner of Reyk-
javík, a place where the needs of private
enterprise and our shared cultural
heritage are interwoven—where we are
learning how to broadcast our history to
the outside world and ourselves.
With all that in mind, we started
with a Xanté Crush from the bar—pear
liquor with large wedges of pears.
Refreshing and still seasonal enough.
I chose the Advent menu (10.900
ISK w/wine) and wifey couldn’t decide
between the langoustine (6.290 ISK)
and the lobster soup (1.990 ISK) so she
had both.
A pre-menu taster from the kitchen:
morsels of smoked salmon, beef
tongue, pickled herring and pâté—not
often enough you get to see beef tongue
in Icelandic restaurants.
The Advent menu started with sea-
buckthorn (really?) and yellow beets, a
nice combination but the langoustine
had quite a strong fish sauce smell to it,
which wasn’t entirely unpleasant but a
little unsettling.
Next was a dense, lightly smoked
eel with cauliflower that had been
crumbled into couscous, surprisingly
tasty, especially since I’m no fan of the
cauliflower.
Wifey had her lobster soup, very
decent although a little heavy on the
saffron. The waiter who had been pro-
viding a great service was temporarily
replaced by a waitress that poured a red
wine into our white wine glasses and
managed to make the simplest things
sound vaguely threatening.
For the main course, wifey’s lobster
was excellent, a large portion, simply
but perfectly cooked and not a ladle of
garlic butter in sight.
On the Advent menu, I had the
choice between the reindeer or the duck
breast, and I knew I made the right
choice when I saw red beetroot, pinkish
red onions, lightly pickled red cabbage
and small, dark purple potatoes with
reindeer draped over them, red and
maroon like waste-rich blood and with
the same metallic aftertaste. List that
under “Things I’m always happy to see
on my plate”.
The dessert is called “Chocolate six
ways.” And as the name (sort of) im-
plies, it is white, milk and dark choco-
late presented in three different ways.
A truffle, a mousse and a sauce. Too
heavy for a last course and didn’t really
leave much of an impression aside
from an extra hole in my belt. But I also
noticed a celery granite on the menu,
which sounded a lot more interesting
and I will have to try that next time.

A nOTe On OuR RATinGS SYSTeM:
Ratings run from zero to five Gs and reflect the
overall experience of the reviewer. A fast food place
will be compared to other fast food places and rated
accordingly. Note that 2.5 Gs is not a failing grade—it
means 'average'. A solid 5 Gs means 'as good as it
gets'. Zero means food poisoning. You get the idea.
WHeRe'S THe BeeF?
Hi. I want to try something new here in the Grapevine
food segment. It occurred to me that some of you
might have some questions about food in Iceland. So
if there's anything you're curious about, how to find
specific ingredients, restaurant information, history of
local traditions, recipes for Icelandic dishes, vegetar-
ian or free-range tips or whatever else, I will pick one
and try to answer it or ask someone who can."
What We Think: A well put-
together Christmas menu. Well
balanced, knows when to keep it
simple, professional, tight. Could
be more innovative
Flavour: Yuletide flavours this
time around but generally quite
partial to new Nordic. Locally
sourced. Tubers, lamb, ling, lan-
goustine…you know the dill (pun
intended)
Ambiance: Calm and classy.
Could have been a little more
lively on a Friday night
Service: Waiter was top notch.
Phone service too
Fjalakötturinn
Aðalstræti 16