Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2013, Qupperneq 25

25
sushisamba
Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel 568 6600 • sushisamba.is
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Our kitchen is open
17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.
17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.
Starts with a shot of icelandic
nacional spirit "Brennivin"
Place Ceviche
Dried maize, sweet potato, coriander, chili,
passion sauce
Minke whale tataki
Fig jam, wakame, mushrooms, soy glaze
Icelandic Salmon roll
Salmon, avocado, asparagus, jalapeno mayo
Spotted cat fish "mojito style"
Grilled spotted cat fish, pea purée, bacon,
mojito foam
Lamb ribs
Chili crumble, "Skyr" mint sauce, celeriac fries
Icelandic Skyr "Flan"
5.990 kr.
Amazing 6 course menu which combines
Icelands best produce withJapanese,
Peruvian and Brazilian cuisine.
Icelandic Feast
unique experience
One can’t be blamed for confusing the new bar on
Naustin with one of its former tenants. A stylishly
whimsical logo graces the front of the building, heavy
black curtains still line the inside of the glass-panelled
doors, and a similar sensory overload that blends ele-
ments of psychedelia, naiveté and irony await inside.
The dance floor is small but the music is fun and retro
in that classic John Hughes movie soundtrack kind of
way. Familiar faces of musicians, artists and bar-entre-
preneurs line the stools at the bar. The staff are a déja
vu. They may have different parents, but Harlem sure
looks like Bakkus’ younger sibling.
Make no mistake though; while they share the spit-
ting image of being born from the same local scene
that embraces musical inclusivity and an exuberant
DIY aesthetic, Harlem does not wear hand-me-downs
and, like a lot of younger siblings, it seems to have
learned from the failures of its elders.
FOURTH TIME’S A CHARM
“We wanted to open a place that was colourful and fun and
different from the other places in town,” says Kristjana Björg
Reynisdóttir, chief of staff and head of the bar at Harlem. “We
didn’t want to go with a theme because we’d like to have some
longevity.” This is an ambitious goal to have for a location that
has seen three different bars come and go in less than four
years—the last being Þýski barinn (“German bar”), which was
there for less than a year.
Kristjana co-runs the bar with Steindór Grétar Jónsson,
Villý Þór Ólafsson and Dagný Ósk Aradóttir Pind. She landed
on the bar’s name as the team were brainstorming through
cities and countries for inspiration. “It reminded us of some-
thing that was rough and also up-and-coming, so we went
with it,” she says. “You could say that I christened the bar.”
Even without a theme, Harlem does stand out as a liv-
ing work of art. Nearly every square inch of the place has
been emblazoned by the paintbrush, pen or print of a local
artist or designer. “There’s so much and it’s all so different,”
Kristjana says. “You could spend days in here just look-
ing at the walls!” This was orchestrated by artist Árni Már
Erlingsson, who was put in charge of the bar’s décor. He
gathered sixteen artists, a mix of up-and-coming and fairly
well recognised names who, along with carpenters Sigmar
Freyr Eggertsson and Örn Ingi Guðnason, built and painted
the place in three weeks.
PARTY ALL THE TIME
Their other claim to hopeful glory is their booking schedule.
“Our goal is to have events every night,” Kristjana says. “The
people that come here are really diverse, too—people of all
ages and all styles. It’s a really nice atmosphere.” For this rea-
son too, they try to keep their events as varied as possible with
DJs, small live concerts, cult television show pub quiz themes,
bad movie nights and weekly screenings of NBA games.
Additionally, they have rebuilt a wall that had been torn
down in 2010 to merge Bakkus with the short-lived show
room, Venue. (A new concert venue named Volta, owned and
managed by the same team, will open in the space next door
on February 8.) The goal of this was to keep Harlem small and
cosy unlike its sibling-like predecessor. “We will be running
both places, but we want to keep them completely separate,”
Kristjana says. “We want to keep Harlem the way it is.”
- REBECCA LOUDER
Greetings festivalgoer! Since this is the first ever edition of Sónar Reyk-
javík, we are all in a sense first timers, but some of you may be new
to Iceland and our nightlife. Perhaps you have heard of it (it’s quite
notorious). One shouldn’t believe everything one hears, but a lot of it
is true. With that in mind, here are a few practical suggestions to help
you through our lovely city over what’s sure to be a very wild weekend.
COFFEE, CAFÉ, KAFFI!
There is no shortage of marvellous places to get a good strong jolt of
caffeine here. The top dog is Kaffismiðjan (Kárastígur 1), which roasts
its own beans and keeps the service quick and cosy. A few blocks down
from there you’ll find Litli Bondabærinn (Laugavegur 41), which has
killer beverages, savoury pastries and organic sandwiches. For coffee
closer to Harpa, head to Café Haiti (Geirsgata 7c), which not only of-
fers some of the finest beans but is also a great spot to hang out.
GASTRONOMY TOWN
At a music festival, eating often comes down to terrible junk food or
overpriced fare. Luckily there are some pretty tasty quick eats here,
like the food at Prikið (Bankastræti 12), which offers a great selec-
tion of burgers, light lunch meals and all-day breakfast at nice prices.
For some casual-fancy and truly excellent dining, try the relatively new
Snaps Bistro (Þórsgata 1). If you want to stay close to the festival
base, you could do a lot worse than Munnharpan (Harpa) with its
extensive lunch and dinner menus, and a great view to boot.
COCKTAILS & HEADACHES
Whether you’re getting ready to go out or winding down your night,
nothing beats finding a nice bar to relax and sip some drinks. The off-
venues for Sónar are great spots–Harlem, Volta, Café Reykjavík and
Kaffibarinn – but if they prove too packed, check out Dolly (Hafnar-
stræti 4), Faktorý (Smiðjustígur 6) or Litla Gula Hænan (Laugavegur
22). If you wake up in pain the following day, chug down a couple of
litres of our clean cold tap water, grab a burger and hit the hot tubs at
Sundhöllin (Barónstígur). Most importantly, be cool and have a great
time! Happy Sónar!
- REBECCA LOUDER
Across 110th Street
Harlem is the new kid on the Naustin block
The bar’s interior was painted by Arna Óttarsdóttir, Árni Már Erlingsson, Björn Loki Björnsson, Bobby
Breiðholt, Davíð Örn Halldórsson, Guðmundur Ingi Úlfarsson, Guðmundur Thoroddsen, Guðrún Harðardót-
tir, Hrefna Hörn, Mundi Vondi, Ragnar Fjalar Lárusson, Sigurður Þórir Ámundrason, Sigurður Atli Sigurðs-
son, Sunna Ben, Þorvaldur Jónsson and Þórarinn Ingi Jónsson
The Grapevine’s
Sónar Survival Guide
Some quick tips and tricks for festival visitors
The Harlem gang, Árni Már Erlingsson, Kristjana Björg Reynisdóttir & Guðrún Harðardóttir
Harlem is located at Tryggvagata 22, 101 Reykjavík. Find more information and their complete event listings at
www.facebook.com/HarlemBar. Their happy hour is every day from 18:00 to 22:00 with beer for 550 ISK and wine for 700 ISK.