Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.02.2012, Síða 42

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For your mind, body and soul
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Fréttablaðið 10.11.05
Ekta tailensk upplifun
DV. 17 júni 11
www.banthai.name
tel : 55-22-444, 692-0564
year 2009, 2010 and 2011
the best thai food
the best goddamn restaurant 2011
1/10 The Best Restaurant in Iceland
Laugavegur 130 ofan við Hlemm
1 af 10 Bestu Veitingastöðum á Íslandi

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BanThai
BanThai
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A genuine Nordic 3 course feast
starting from 4.900,-
Pósthússtræti 11 101 Reykjavík Tel: 578 2008 www.silfur.is
Back in the Harpa Concert Hall and
Conference Centre. Back in The Borg
starship (see Kolabrautin review).
Except the place is shifting in my eyes
every time. One moment it is a lifeless,
futuristic cube and the next it is a lively
and entertaining (if somewhat gaudy)
airport terminal. That may not sound
like much of an improvement, but the
place is slowly growing on me.
Still, it provides a unique set of
problems to anyone trying to run a
restaurant in the building. There is a
great deal of empty space, which can be
taken as an opportunity to explore new
and interesting concepts, but the lack
of dividers can easily make the diner
feel exposed and uneasy. However, this
problem is really no different from that
which museum eateries must contend
with (the “how to not look like a food
court in a shopping mall” conundrum).
Munnharpan is owned by the same
people that run Jómfrúin, a long-
standing favourite in the local scene,
which focuses on Danish open faced
sandwiches. A particularly popular
place with groups of ladies, 30 years
and older, I thought it was fitting to
bring mom along (she still doesn’t look
a day over 40).
Arriving at 19:30 on Saturday night,
the place was empty. It wasn’t until 20
that people came flooding in, which
is not unusual as Munnharpan was
clearly built with the intention of at-
tracting concert guests for a light meal
before the show. So Harpa must re-
spond to these bursts of activity before
sinking back to idleness like Coleridge’s
“painted ship upon a painted ocean.”
But despite our off-peak arrival, I would
have expected the service to be a little
more attentive.
The meals are mostly suitable
with plenty of light courses. As with
Jómfrúin, they offer a selection of
smørrebrød (Danish open faced
sandwiches) mixed with classic French
courses. I must say that we were both
a little confused how to assemble a full
meal out of the selection. I felt like try-
ing the smørrebrød, but wasn’t sure if
that would substitute a starter or work
as a main course. I ended up treating
it like a main course and started with
the smoked lamb’s liver with apples
and almonds (1990 ISK). They called
it a “ballotine,” but it was basically
forcemeat on a bed of lettuce. Actually
I quite liked it mostly thanks to the
apples and lightly roasted almonds.
Mom had the smoked salmon on
potato galette with fried lobster and
basil cream (2750 ISK). Again I would
have to say that “galette” was stretching
the definition a little too far, as there
was nothing particularly cakey about it.
The salmon worked very well, lightly
smoked with nice colouring. The large
piece of lobster tasted delicious, but
it was surrounded by bits of lobster
that were bland, and left an unpleas-
ant aftertaste. The basil cream left no
impression either way.
For the main course I had the “beef
tartar, the classic way” (2750 ISK). The
addition of rye bread meant that this
could only be called “classic” in the
Danish tradition (called “tartarmad”).
Otherwise it was a good steak tartar
by the numbers: capers, raw onions,
raw egg yolk and a nice heap of freshly
minced beef. The meat was a little lack-
ing in flavour, which can be attributed
to what I see as a general lack of quality
beef in Iceland. The mincing should
also have been a little coarser.
The “woman who hath birthed me”
had the pork confit side with lemon,
thyme and Jerusalem artichoke (3590
ISK). When I hear “a side of pork
confit” I think of some kind of rogue
pancetta, but it turns out they were
playing fast and loose with the defini-
tions again. The Jerusalem artichokes
were a nice touch (you don’t see that
much–they must be using the same
supplier as Kolabrautin), but they can
be tricky to handle and those had lost
their delicate flavour. The pork was un-
derstandably very fatty, but the texture
didn’t work in its favour. Mom ended
up leaving half the plate uneaten. The
pork belly was a letdown.
For dessert I had a meh Irish coffee
and mom ordered the French apple tart
with cinnamon ice cream (1450). The
cinnamon ice cream was delicious, but
the tart was soggy and easily overpow-
ered by the butter. A crisper, lighter
tart would have resulted in an excellent
dish.
On the way out we ran into a certain
infamous, corpulent strip club owner
who was out on the town with his
harem of morose women trying their
hardest not to freeze to death while out-
side smoking in mini-skirts. So much
for keeping it classy, Harpa!
RAGNAR EGILSSON
ALÍSA KALYANOVA
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.
Painted Ship Upon A Painted Ocean
What We Think: They do the
smørrebrød well and I’d recom-
mend them. The rest is firmly
based in Danish cuisine but you
will be able to find better. Some
strange attempts at redefining
established culinary terms on the
menu.
Flavour: Danish cuisine with the
inherent French influence and a
little more French sprinkled on
top.
Ambiance: Too exposed for
lounging, but adequate for a quick
bite before a show.
Service: Well staffed, carry
themselves well but could have
been more responsive.
Price: (two people): 20–25,000
ISK for going all-out. 8–10,000 ISK
for grabbing a smørrebrød and a
drink.
Munnharpan
Harpa Concert Hall