Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2012, Page 66

Whales are being killed to feed tourists
Don’t let your visit leave a bad taste in your mouth
F D
For your mind, body and soul
R E V I E W
Located on the corner where
Skólavörðustígur merges with
Laugavegur, Sushibarinn is the ar-
chetypal hole-in-a-wall sushi place
with seven seats, three chefs and an
open kitchen.
I remember when Sushibarinn first
opened in 2007— although I don’t
think it was the first to serve sushi in
Reykjavík, it was around that time that
it dawned on me just how damn cosmo-
politan and charming my little fishing
village was becoming. These days there
are now at least ten places serving su-
shi in Reykjavík and an endless supply
of quirky design collectives and vintage
stores, but this is all very recent.
Sushibarinn’s standardness is by
no means a bad thing. Just don’t expect
them to veer too far off the beaten path
(although horse and whale meat would
probably only be considered a beaten
path in Iceland or Japan). The staff is
friendly and knows how to make you
feel right at home. It helped that this
was the day leading up to Culture Night
and people outside were spilling into the
sunshine from every direction. Three
sushi chefs were listening to an audio
tape of Stephen Fry reading ‘The Happy
Prince’—and if Stephen Fry can’t make
you calm and comfy then you’re either
deaf or used to work with him during his
coke binge years.
A quick primer on sushi in Iceland:
Salmon is generally a sure fire bet, but
tuna and tiger shrimp normally aren’t
as they have likely haven’t been caught
in Icelandic waters and usually arrive
frozen. Flounder, catfish, plaice, whale
and arctic char are all fantastic seafood
choices in Iceland, but they don’t lend
themselves well to sushi. Cod, pollock,
haddock and hake are also fresh and
abundant, but they are too dense and
prone to ringworms.
Aside from the salmon it is generally
smart to go with smoked eel, monkfish,
salmon roe, flying fish roe, scallop, red
fish or halibut. But I urge you to try the
horsemeat (usually foal). It’s fantastic
meat, lean, flavourful and no more sin-
ful than the rest of the beasts we lead to
slaughter every minute of every day. If
it was good enough for Genghis Khan
then it’s good enough for you.
The horse tataki (700 ISK, 5 pcs) at
Sushibarinn is the best use of the meat
although I could do with less of the over-
flavoured sauces. A sour ponzu sauce
would have been enough.
The tamago nigiri (500 ISK, 2 pcs) at
Sushibarinn is the most authentic I’ve
seen in Iceland.
In terms of specialty rolls I’d recom-
mend the devil roll (1,700 ISK) with two
types of chillis, the Spicy Scallop (1,350
ISK) with scallop and kimchi and the
salmon skin futomaki (900 ISK, 5 pcs).
They didn’t offer any deep-fried
maki and nothing is drenched in mayo
but about half the rolls are westernised.
There were dessert options, and thank
Shinto for that since Japanese desserts
are a stomach-turning blemish on an
otherwise remarkable food tradition.
Whoever thought of adding sugar to
beans should be folded into a beanbag
chair and delivered to the home of a par-
ticularly exhausted sumo wrestler.
Finally there are three types of omak-
ase choices, the third one being a thir-
teen piece platter called ‘Best if preg-
nant’ as it contains no raw fish. Typical
of them to buy into the Illuminati mer-
cury conspiracy, any sane person will
tell you that mercury is perfectly harm-
less and in fact will make you 73% more
likely to give birth to an awesome liquid
metal nanomorph with gills and crab
eyes*
The main downside to Sushibarinn
is the general un-remarkableness of
it all. It is all pretty basic and wouldn’t
hold up to any of those insanely specific
standards sushi nerds obsess over. The
rice is particularly uneven—too dense,
too cold and not quite vinegary for my
tastes.
On a final note: I wish more sushi
places would try their hand at mackerel
and herring. It’s tricky and a bit of an ac-
quired taste, but it can be made to work.
Also, sushi places need to get more
specific about where they source their
raw ingredients. At the moment I have
no idea whether the salmon I’m eating
is farmed, fresh water, Alaskan or just
some chicken with pink food dye.
*The Reykjavík Grapevine takes no responsibility for
the horde of bloodthirsty fish-machines that may re-
sult from sharing this information.
Ooooh Baby, I Like It Raw
RaGnaR EGILSSOn
aLÍSa KaLYanOVa
Sushibarinn
Laugavegur 2, 101 Reykjavík
What we think
Run of the mill sushi place. Good
salmon pieces. Charming.
Flavour:
Japanese/Sushi. Westernised,
but more traditional than many in
Iceland.
ambiance:
Great for a quiet moment of
pensive people watching.
Service:
Cool and intimate
Price for 2 (with drinks):
8-10,000 ISK