Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.06.2013, Side 59

Ó Ð I N S T O R G 1 0 1 R E Y K J A V Í K Í S L A N D S N A P S B I S T R O . I S
S n a p s b i s t r o @ s n a p s b i s t r o . i s + 3 5 4 5 1 1 6 6 7 7
If there were something Reyk-
javík could use more of in the
gastronomic sphere, it would be
ethnic restaurants. Specifically,
I’m hoping somebody will open an
amazing Moroccan or Vietnamese
place here someday (any takers?),
but a great way to kill several birds
with one stone is by means of the
pan-Asian restaurant. Serving a
carefully constructed selection of
classic Chinese, Japanese, Indian
and South-East Asian dishes, these
places are sure to have something
that hits the spot when you’re crav-
ing something farther from home.
Bambus, I thought, might be just
that kind of place.
A friend and I arranged to go
last Thursday, and apart from one
or two other parties we had the
place to ourselves. The place was
brightly lit, almost like a diner, and
quite roomy—a plus for groups or
families, but lacking in intimacy.
Our waitress brought us water
and menus, and although we took
our time, she was unremittingly
prompt throughout the entire
evening, always smiling and very
polite. So far, points for good ser-
vice.
The composition of the menu
took a little while to grasp, with en-
trées divided into four categories:
curries, stir fries, noodles, and just
plain “main courses.” There were
also soups, which were cheaper
than the appetizers, but apart from
the price there was nothing to in-
dicate whether they were meant as
starters or mains. Eventually, and
with some help from our waitress,
we settled on the shrimp tempura
and grilled beef skewers for our
starters. For our main courses,
we chose the lemongrass chicken
skewers as well as their most popu-
lar dish, the “Roaring Tiger”: beef
steak with fried potato cake.
The shrimps were satisfyingly
crisp and came with a tasty Szech-
uan dipping sauce, although I
would have preferred fatter, firmer
specimens. The beef skewers were
pretty disappointing as they were
too tough and greasy to actually en-
joy. My lemongrass chicken came
with brown rice, pan-fried veg-
etables and a very minimal mango
salad: a healthy choice, if not much
else. It certainly could have had
more kick to it as it really wasn’t
very lemongrass-y at all. The serv-
ing was perfectly portioned for
someone watching their weight,
but not so much for a full grown
person with a healthy appetite.
The “Roaring Tiger,” was prob-
ably the most satisfying dish of the
lot but that’s not saying much. The
meat was tender and soaked in a
nameless sauce, which was quite
savoury, although it left absolutely
no aftertaste whatsoever. In fact,
it would have been a perfectly
adequate dish had we been sitting
in a diner or a bistro, but neither
of us could fathom what made this
dish a tiger and not simply a Euro-
pean wildcat, or why it claimed to
be roaring – I can safely attest that
the flavour was hardly louder than
a cat’s meow.
Finally, for dessert, we tried the
mango kulfi, which was said to be
“a real delicacy, a kind of both ice
cream and sorbet,” but what we got
was a drippy vanilla ice cream with
what seemed to be applesauce top-
ping. At least the strawberries were
fresh, though.
This restaurant is a great idea
but the execution leaves a lot to be
desired. There’s certainly some-
thing for everyone on the menu,
but perhaps they should stick to
a handful of defining dishes that
focus on intense flavours. If you’re
going to serve pan-Asian, at least
start with something Asian, and
not merely pan.
Pan-ambus
Bambus
Borgatún 6, 105 Reykjavík
Mon-Thurs 11–21, Fri 11–22,
Sat-Sun 17–22
What we think
A potentially great idea, with room
for improvement
Flavour:
Fairly bland Asian cuisine
Ambiance:
Bright and spacious - but a tad too
much
Service:
Thoroughly prompt if a little shy
Price for 2 (no drinks):
6,000–9,000 ISK
Sturlugata 5 · 101 Reykjavík
Tel. +354 552 15 22 · www.dillrestaurant.is
Lífið er saltfiskur
#109 Dill is a Nordic restaurant with its
focus on Iceland, the pure nature and
all the good things coming from it.

It does not matter if it’s the
ingredients or the old traditions, we
try to hold firmly on to both.
There are not many things that make
us happier than giving life to old
traditions and forgotten ingredients
with modern technique and our creative
mind as a weapon.
PATRICIA ÞORMAR
NANNA DÍS