Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.05.2014, Blaðsíða 55

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BanThai
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
TopTen The Best Restaurant in Iceland
the best thai food
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013
Ban Thai is the finest Thai restaurant in Iceland
The Icelandic Bar is not a new estab-
lishment. It came about as part of a
trend, around five years ago, when a
several new joints seemed to be pop-
ping up around the city with the same
brilliant idea of naming themselves
after a certain nation. That’s when we
got the English Pub, Den Danske Kro,
and even a German Bar for a while—
which, if memory serves me correctly,
only served Danish lager.
The Icelandic Bar, however, is the
only nation-themed establishment
in Reykjavík that is also a restaurant.
Recently reopened at a delightful
new space at Ingólfsstræti 1a (where
Næsti Bar once was), they also have a
slightly reconstructed menu from their
predecessor of the same name. But
before we delve into the menu, please
note: Icelandic Bar serves whale meat.
And shark. If this is offensive to you,
then this will not be your kind of place.
In fact, this part of the menu is a bit
disappointing. The goal is obviously
to show off some Icelandic cuisine—
the stuff that locals eat—but are they
actually showing off what locals eat, or
simply what tourists would stereotypi-
cally expect Icelanders to eat? Person-
ally, I don’t know anyone who eats
shark. Regularly or otherwise. And in
Iceland whale is eaten very, very rarely.
Like maybe if you’re camping. And
even then, only because it's insanely
cheap. Why is it so cheap? Because
there is no demand. No one eats it!
That being said, the menu at Ice-
landic Bar is divided to six categories.
We have “Starters,” “Jars,” “Burgers,”
“Missing Dogs,” “Main Courses,” and
“Small and Sweet.” These categories
actually offer something of a fresh ap-
proach. The Icelandic Bar is, after all,
a bar, and most of these dishes fit the
occasion quite well—they can easily
be paired with some of the craft beers
that are served on tap as well as by the
bottle.
From the starters, I chose a “Scon-
epizza” with gravlax, mustard, walnuts
and dill (1,540 ISK). From the “Jars” selec-
tion, my companion chose the smoked
lamb tartar with beetroot, pickled red
onion and horseradish (1,390 ISK).
The Sconepizza was lovely. The scone
itself was fluffy and sweet, and paired
nicely with the gravlax, which was full of
flavour, yet not too sharp. The walnuts
added a delightful crunch and texture.
My companion’s smoked lamb tartar,
a delightful spin on the “national dish,”
was also very nice. Its smokiness was
quite apparent, but not too overwhelm-
ing, with the pickled onions adding a
sweet and acidic element that balanced
the dish well.
Now, for our mains. I must admit
that the small dishes that excited me
initially were the “Missing Dogs”—
basically hot dog buns filled with
something other than a hot dog. I
ordered two of them and counted that
as my main course. My companion,
meanwhile, went “all in” on the burger
menu, ordering a “Surf & Turf” burger
comprised of a beef patty and deep
fried langoustine.
My Missing Dogs were delightful,
and are recommended as a bar snack
at any hour. One version had deep fried
shrimp and spicy mayo (1,390 ISK), with
some lettuce on the bottom. The mayo
was actually quite spicy, which is a feat
in this nation of ours. The lettuce felt
a bit off; I imagine some pickled slaw
would have been a better choice. The
shrimp, however, was fine—deep fried
shrimp usually is. The other version
was a typical local favourite: shredded
roast beef drenched in béarnaise (1,520
ISK) with some fried onion on top. This
was quite nice. Tasty béarnaise made
from scratch, and a nice touch with the
onions, which had obviously been deep-
fried moments before being served. My
companion’s “Surf & Turf” burger (2950
ISK) was excellent. The beef was perfect-
ly cooked, showing red on the inside—
very tender and tasty. The langoustine
was also quite nice, although if I were to
go again I would consider a beef burger
sufficient. It is a hefty portion of meat
(around 150 grams) and really deserves
to be its own master. The burger was
served with fries that were actually
above average. I highly recommend the
spicy mayo as an accompaniment.
Neither of us had any appetite for
dessert. Full of all kinds of cholesterol,
enriched sauces and beer, we decided
to call it a day. The whole experience
was a surprise, I must say. In my mind,
Icelandic Bar does not need the whale
and shark element, especially if trying
to show foreigners what locals actually
eat. It's not honest and does nothing
but maintain a myth that has long been
outdated. Apart from that, Icelandic
Bar comes recommended. It's very
good for its price range and they serve
very good beer. When paying a visit to
a bar, what more can you ask for than
good comfort food and good beer?
To be, Or Not To Be...Icelandic
BJÖRN TEITSSON
NANNA DÍS
What We Think:
Cosy, but oriented around a
dubious theme.
Flavour:
Americanized Icelandic (mayo),
pickled, sweet.
Ambiance:
Modest, relaxing.
Service:
Very professional, dishes
explained, attentive. A pleasant
surprise.
Price for 2 (with drinks):
8–10,000 ISK
Icelandic Bar
Ingólfsstræti 1a, 101 Reykjavík