Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.06.2014, Qupperneq 62

Hverfisgata 12 · 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.
F D
For your mind, body and soul
www.fabrikkan.is reservations: +354 575 7575
BE SQUARE AND BE THERE
PLEASED TO
MEAT YOU!
The Hamburger Factory is Iceland's
most beloved gourmet burger chain!
Our 15 square and creative burgers are made from
top-quality Icelandic beef and would love to "meat" you.
Reykjavík
The groundfloor of
Höfðatorg, the tallest
tower in Reykjavík, right
opposite Höfði
Akureyri
The groundfloor of
the historic Hotel Kea,
in the heart of the
city center
Our burgers are square - beef and bun!
Does it taste better? You tell us!
HERE WE ARE
ATTENTION
HAMB
URGER
FACT
ORY
TH E ICE"N DIC
Street food, as you might expect, has not
traditionally been a big thing in Iceland. In
a country without an abundant amount
of foot traffic (at least among locals) and
in which 10° C constitutes a warm day, the
idea of sidling up to a truck and order-
ing something to eat al fresco doesn’t
immediately appeal. Weekend evenings
(and very early mornings) do typically see a
circle of wagons serving up hot waffles and
burgers to the soon-to-be-hungover, and
Prikið’s diner-on-wheels has made popular,
though unpredictable, circuits downtown.
And, it goes without saying that no matter
the time of day or the weather, there's
generally a queue in front of the Bæjarins
Beztu hot dog stand (if it's raining, people
take their pylsur back to their cars to eat).
But it’s only within the last year or so that
street food has really taken root in Reyk-
javík, and daytime food trucks with more
diverse menus have started establishing
themselves around town.
Roughly two weeks ago—just days
before The Soup Wagon opened just
down the street—The Lobster Hut took
up residence on the corner of Hverfisgata
and Lækjargata, serving up lobster soup
and sandwiches to passers-by eager for
the opportunity to sample inexpensive
local seafood. The truck is owned, man-
aged, and staffed by Fjóla Sigurðardóttir,
who was inspired by the cocktail vans and
beverage carts she enjoyed in Thailand
in 2010. A drink cart wouldn’t be legal
here, so she decided to take a different ap-
proach. “I wanted to do something really
Icelandic,” she told local paper DV.
And so she has. For although kjötsúpa,
or “meat soup,” is thought of as the
quintessential Icelandic soup, humarsúpa
(“lobster soup”) also makes frequent
menu appearances around the country.
But before we go any further, please note:
Icelandic ‘lobster’ is actually langous-
tine—the thinner, smaller, orangey-pink
cousin of the lobster. The flavour of
langoustine meat is pretty darn close
to lobster, with a texture that is a touch
firmer, like shrimp. But these aren’t your
dog-size Maine or rock lobsters, so adjust
your expectations accordingly.
My companion and I arrived on a
late weekday afternoon when the sun
was shining and a light, salty breeze was
blowing over from the harbour—a perfect
day for lobster. Fjóla greeted us cheerfully
and suggested we each try a bowl of soup
(1,200 ISK) and half a lobster sandwich
(1,000 ISK), which suited us both fine. We
chatted while she grilled up the langous-
tine for our sandwiches on the griddle,
and dished up our Styrofoam bowls of
soup, noting that she settled on her recipe
pretty quickly: “It’s best to serve food that
you like to eat yourself.”
Recipes for humarsúpa vary, but
it’s usually a thinner sort of bisque, an
often sweetish seafood broth to which a
little cream (or coconut milk) has been
added. At Christmastime, I’m told, most
chefs will add a celebratory tot of cognac
as well. A good version of the dish will
include several nice-size chunks of
langoustine—sometimes accompanied
by small pieces of celery or maybe a little
bell pepper or carrot—although it’s not
typically a very hearty soup.
While fitting this basic pattern, The
Lobster Hut’s broth is actually more
savoury than many local lobster soups,
making for an appreciated change. Utilis-
ing both curry and chilli pepper, it also
has a subtle kick to it. “You can feel it in
your throat,” Fjóla says. There’s not a lot
of additional filler—just a healthy dose of
langoustine that has that nice freshly-
grilled crispiness on the outside.
By itself, the soup would be suitable
for a light meal, but if you’re reasonably
hungry, opting for the added half lobster
sandwich is a good choice. Again: please
don’t think of this as your classic, East
Coast lobster roll. It’s just not and you will
be unreasonably disappointed. Rather,
like the soup, The Lobster Hut’s sandwich
also shows shades of its creator’s culinary
leanings—that’s to say, a bit of a kick (or a
crunch) for the finish.
Fjóla’s lobster sandwich consists of a
toasted roll, a lightly-dressed (mayo’ed)
salad of lettuce and red pepper, and a top-
ping of crushed tortilla chips (universally
referred to by Icelanders as “nachos”). She
admits that the nachos catch a lot of
people off guard, but she likes the texture
that they add. I was a bit sceptical myself,
as Icelandic dishes seem to incorporate
chips a bit overzealously—I once took a
bite of a lovely dinner salad at an upscale
restaurant only to find that Doritos had
been crumbled into the fresh greens (not
good). But the chips really do work here.
Where your traditional lobster roll can get
a big soggy and bogged down in mayo,
this sandwich is rather light by comparison.
You can really taste the langoustine, since
it hasn’t been drowned in sauce, and its
savouriness plays nicely off the sweetness
of the red pepper. The chips just add a little
playful crunch at the end.
Though it’s still early to say, Fjóla has
plans to continue serve over the fall and
winter and is particularly looking forward
to the Iceland Airwaves crowd. With all
these new food trucks about, they’re sure
to be well fed.
A Taste Of The Ocean, Streetside
LARISSA KYZER
MAGNÚS ELVAR JÓNSSON
What We Think:
Harbour-fresh with a kick.
Flavour:
Icelandic Beach Picnic.
Ambiance:
At nature’s discretion.
Service:
Quick, but sociable.
Price for 2 (no drinks):
2,200–3,100 ISK
Lobster Hut
The Lobster Hut doesn’t have a
set schedule, but is located on
the corner of Hverfisgata and
Lækjargata most afternoons into
the early evening.