Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.03.2012, Síða 42

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For your mind, body and soul
A genuine Nordic 3 course feast
starting from 4.900,-
Pósthússtræti 11 101 Reykjavík Tel: 578 2008 www.silfur.is
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1/10 The Best Restaurant in Iceland
the best goddamn restaurant 2011
the best thai food
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It’s worth mentioning that all reviews
are done in context. A place like Nam
will be measured against other ambi-
tious fast food places and a beautifully
designed hotel restaurant with a very
promising menu will be reviewed
against its peers. What the restaurant
aspires to be and how it presents itself
is always going to be key in how we
perceive it.
I usually avoid peak hours, unless
it’s the kind of place that presents
itself as a lounge or prides itself on a
lively atmosphere. I also don’t want to
be taking a table away from a paying
costumer or bothering the staff during
peak hours. So I visited Satt late on a
Wednesday evening. It probably wasn’t
a great idea that time around because
I could sense that the kitchen wasn’t
under the usual control and I felt that
Satt deserved a second chance.
When you walk in toward the main
dining area, you are greeted by large
panels with nature prints and some tidy
copywriting on a glass window (this
bit of text highlighting their local and
all-natural approach is repeated on the
napkins). Although I can go the rest of
my life before hearing food called “hon-
est” again.
The main dining area is modern,
but has a distinct ‘70s Scandinavian
vibe to it: a palette of orange and green
speckling pine pallet stacks, coarse
spotted fabric on the chairs. It is tidy
but with enough reminders of Amma’s
living room to keep it from being too
dry.
The name itself, “Satt” (neutral–
singular–nominative case), can mean
either “true” or “sated” in Icelandic
and it fits the place perfectly. It’s short
and direct, plain and local, but carefully
considered.
The Satt bar offers some inter-
esting choices of charcuterie and
assorted nibbles, such as Danish-style
pork rinds, orange Florentines and
seasonal veggies with horseradish dip
in a comfortable seating area by the gas
fireplace that divides the space from the
lobby. However, we didn’t get a chance
to sample those delights and instead
plunged straight into the dinner menu.
On our first outing to Satt I tried the
Angelica gravlax with smoked salmon
mousse and pickled onions (1.950 ISK).
The Icelandic gravlax really is some-
thing I can’t say enough good things
about it, and this was no exception, but
I prefer it cut in thin Carpaccio-slices
rather than the cubes I was presented
with. I can’t comment on the salmon
mousse as I have a great deal of per-
sonal prejudice against it after being
forced to go through buckets of it at
confirmation parties when I was young.
Satt offers its own version of the
classic Icelandic lamb soup (or “lamb
stew”…the jury is still out) on their
starter menu. They substitute the usual
oats or rice with barley, use fresher veg-
etables and a finer cut. And yet I found
myself missing the classic, denser lamb
stew. But the lightness was probably
done with the intention of keeping it in
with starters.
After seeing an image of their
burger on the website I felt I had to
try it. A 5.5 oz burger (150 grams) on a
brioche bun with caramelized onions
and at 1.850 ISK, it is pretty reasonable
all things considered. On my first visit
it was a let-down, but on the second,
weekend visit, it worked wonderfully: a
juicy burger, neither too densely packed
nor too finely minced. But the bread
is too dry and not really the kind of
brioche I’m used to.
The Arctic char with cucumbers
and roasted almonds (3.090 ISK) was
up next. I would definitely recommend
that all visitors try a well-cooked Arctic
char caught in Icelandic waters at
least once—and this one was worth it
(although I can’t say it blew me away
either).
To finish it off the wife picked the
fruit salad with hibiscus tea (1.280 ISK).
We were expecting a clever arrange-
ment around an eggcup with some
kind of clever Jamaican concoction, but
she was served a simple bowl of fruit
with some faintly hibiscus-flavoured
water splashed on top.
I had the selection of Icelandic
cheeses with a spiced apricot-carrot jam
(1.280 ISK). Although the Icelandic
cheese culture is improving rapidly,
I don’t think we’re quite at the point
where we can showcase it. Nice blue
cheese though and the jam was a great
side.
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.
Truly Sated
What We Think: With only one
other restaurant within easy walk-
ing distance, it’s fortunate for the
guests at Hotel Natura that Satt is
working out. A diverse selection
of dishes to suit most tastes. We
recommend their fish options or
lighter courses.
Flavour: Local ingredients,
French technique, cured, broiled,
earthy
Ambiance: Woodsy and cosy
in that but-let’s-not-go-nuts
Norwegian-style.
Service: Very Good
Price: (2 people): 14-16.000 ISK
(with wine)
Satt
Nauthólsvegur 52