Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.02.2012, Síða 43

R E V I E W S
Eyrarbraut 3, 825 Stokkseyri, Iceland · Tel. +354 483 1550
Fax. +354 483 1545 · info@fjorubordid.is · www.fjorubordid.is
At the Restaurant Fjöruborðið in Stokkseyri
> Only 45 minutes drive from Reykjavík
By the
sea and
lobster
a delicios
So we’ve covered a bistro and a brasse-
rie in the same issue. Look at us getting
all French!
Geysir proudly displays their Tri-
pAdvisor review on their website and
they have little tabs with messages such
as “wine and real coffee” and “don’t for-
get the desert” (sic), which give me the
impression that it was a laid-back place
and a labour of love. Nobody needs to
put on a suit to impress me. Besides,
the fact that it claims to be a bistro
should tell you that right away (bistros
with dress codes bother me to no end).
A bistro should be a friendly café/
bar with simple, crowd-pleasing food
and a decent selection of wine and beer.
It should be a place to hang out and
have a chat without having to vacuum
the wallet. Bonus points for serving
local or French cuisine and for being
family-owned. It’s only fair to hold
Geysir bistro to that standard.
Geysir has a lot of stuff geared
towards groups and private parties and
I could see the place working for that,
suitably located in Geysishúsið, a glass
building built around the remnants of
what used to be the oldest commercial
building in Reykjavík. In 1992, the
building was taken over by the city and
turned into a city information & visitor
centre. Ever since it has housed some
kind of tourist-friendly operation. One
being Geysir, which is located above the
Seafood Cellar—an unenviable posi-
tion as the Seafood Cellar is generally
considered one of the best restaurants
in Iceland.
The main room at Geysir is heavy
on wood and quite open. I could
definitely see the appeal of renting the
space out for a small group. The prices
aren’t too bad either considering this
is Iceland we’re talking about, but for
those kinds of prices I would expect a
pretty solid bistro menu. That’s why
I’m sorry to say I was let down by my
expectations.
It’s a scattershot menu, offering
crêpes, chicken pasta, gravlax, cheese-
burgers, seafood specials and wiener-
schnitzel. The idea probably being
that everyone in the family would find
something to their liking, like a TGI
Friday’s.
I should mention that I really liked
our server—one waitress, the owner
herself, serving the entire room, yet
maintaining a fast, professional and
light-hearted service—full marks there.
I chose the seafood and snails
in white wine sauce starter (2355
ISK). And a friend had the deep-fried
Camembert with redcurrant jelly (1755
ISK). Anything as rich as a deep-fried
Camembert is unlikely to fail and it’s
safe to recommend. The portion size
for the seafood and snails was good and
the seafood worked but the snails had a
terrible texture.
For main course I had the Arctic
trout with braised fennel, oyster mush-
rooms, lobster and hollandaise (3355
ISK). Four lonely scrapings of lobster
proved pointless, but the fennel and
mushrooms worked wonders and the
trout was cooked right. The hollandaise
did not taste fresh. My friend had the
beef entrecôte steak with mushrooms,
potatoes, pearl onions and bacon (3955
ISK). Again the sides worked fine, but
the steak had no claim to the name
“entrecôte.” A true entrecôte is a beef-
steak cut from between the ninth and
eleventh rib, or at least a very tender
premium cut rib eye. This steak was
flattened, bloodless, flavourless and
gloomy. And the bacon was pointless.
We finished with a Jack Daniel’s
chocolate cake with deep-fried ice
cream (1495 ISK). The ice cream was
all right, but the cake had a texture of
a grainy baked cheesecake and tasted
of nothing—definitely neither whiskey
nor chocolate.
We came in a good mood, hungry,
ready for a couple of drinks and a basic
meal, we weren’t expecting much and
were feeling very forgiving. Somehow
we ended up talking about nothing but
the food for all the wrong reasons. I
guess it was wrong of me to compare
Geysir to Friday’s—at least their Jack
Daniel’s dishes taste of whiskey.
Now, it is possible that we chose
the wrong things on the menu. I had
heard good things about the mussels,
but neither of us was in the mood. The
service was also excellent and the ambi-
ence could be great with a few minor
changes. But I want to know what kind
of food-loving person would put out
these dishes without realising how
much better they should be.
A dependable stream of tourists is
no excuse for getting this sloppy.
That Place Above The Seafood Cellar
What We Think: Not a disaster,
but the kitchen lacks enthusiasm.
A smaller and more focused menu
might be a good idea. The trout,
the Camembert and the service
were good. The steak and dessert
weren’t at all.
Flavour: Some French influences,
but hardly orthodox. Diner food
meets dispirited bistro.
Ambiance: Perfect location but
would benefit from softer lights,
louder music and a livelier dining
experience.
Service: Charming and friendly
Price: 15–20,000 ISK for three
courses and drinks
Geysir Bistro & Bar
Geysishúsið, Aðalstræti 2