Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.06.2013, Side 63

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
As far as fast food in Iceland goes,
there are few establishments that
have a more attractive name than
“Red Chili.” The family-style res-
taurant serves burgers and sand-
wiches while—according to their
website—specialising in Mexican
cuisine. Keep in mind that my
companion and I had basically
chosen our dishes before we went:
we wanted to give the kitchen the
minimum challenge of simply
serving us their specialities. A safe
bet. Or so we thought.
We came in just after lunch, as
we imagined things would be slow
enough for us to have a quiet talk
while enjoying our meal. Indeed it
was slow—we were the only guests
in the restaurant. Our waiter ap-
peared after we had lingered for
about three minutes in the lobby
and proceeded to show us to seats
next to a window overlooking the
traffic of upper Laugavegur. The
service was just what one might
expect from a fast-food establish-
ment, and our expectations for
the waiter to explain the menu in
detail were not high.
To start with, we had something
very “fast-foody,” though not at all
Mexican in any way. I went with
the Buffalo wings with blue cheese
dressing (1,090 ISK for 8 pieces)
while my companion chose deep
fried shrimp with sweet chilli
sauce and, the very out of place,
garlic-pepper dressing (1,390 ISK).
The Buffalo wings were obvi-
ously prepared some days before
they appeared on my plate, not to
mention that I actually got BBQ-
wings, something very different
from the otherwise hot-sauce-based
Buffalo wings. The deep-fried
shrimp were warm through, which
is as much of a compliment as they
are going get. They looked like they
had been bought frozen, and were
chewy and displeasing to taste. The
garlic-pepper dressing made no
sense whatsoever.
For our main course we chose
the Fajitas Combo (4,990 ISK
for two) made from fillet of beef,
chicken breast, bell peppers and
onions. The course was a self-serve
kind of deal, as we were presented
with some flour tortillas and basic
condiments such as rice, grated
cheese, sour cream, salsa and gua-
camole.
To put it mildly, this course
was as far from Mexico as, well,
Iceland. The chicken and beef were
served on a skillet, and had been
soaked in sweet chilli sauce. Why
this was is beyond my compre-
hension. The tortillas, salsa and
guacamole—all very easy to make
from scratch—were obviously the
same stuff that you buy in the su-
permarket. This is appalling given
that the establishment prides itself
on Mexican cuisine. To make fresh
guacamole is not time consuming
either, and not even expensive in
comparison to something bought
from Casa Fiesta, which I am
about 90% sure that the stuff on
my plate was. The seasoning was
off as well and, considering the
name of the place—named after
one of nature’s greatest won-
ders—there was not at any point,
during the whole meal, any hint of
fresh chilli (or flakes, or powder)
present. Never. How is that even
possible?
Needless to say, we weren’t
really in the mood for dessert
after this experience, even though
we left most of our main courses
untouched. A feeling of guilt soon
followed, as I am a part-time meat-
eater that from time to time relies
on the excuse, “but it’s just so
damn good!” That was not the case
this time around. I feel bad that an
animal, no, animals, had to give
their life for a meal like this. It was
disrespectful at best.
As Far From
Mexico As Iceland
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
ALISA KALYANOVA
Red Chili
Laugavegur 176, 105 Reykjavík
Sun–Thu: 11:00–22:00, Fri-Sat:
11:00–23:00
What we think
Nothing Mexican about this alleged
Mexican place. No chilli either.
Flavour:
Sweet chilli sauce
Ambiance:
Family style, silly stuff upon the
walls
Service:
Adequate
Price for 2 (no drinks):
8,000 ISK