Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.09.2014, Page 54

FOOD
FOR YOUR MIND BODY AND SOUL
‘Kryddlegin hjörtu’ is the Icelandic
translation of the title of Laura Esquiv-
el’s novel ‘Como agua para chocolate’
or, as it is known in English-speaking
countries, ‘Like Water for Chocolate.’
The story was made into a feature film,
which proved a massive hit in the early
'90s, even reaching the far northern
shores of Iceland. The story’s protago-
nist is a young woman who can only
express herself through her cooking,
as her mother forbids her to pursue
her love interest, Pedro. Needless to
say, the restaurant has a lot to live up
to with a name like that.
Kryddlegin hjörtu’s menu is short
and concise, which is not a bad thing,
as it is clearly aimed at the lunch
crowd. In fact, when asking around be-
fore our visit, everyone who had gone
to Kryddlegin hjörtu agreed that their
forte was the lunchtime soup and salad
bar. However, we went there for din-
ner on a Saturday evening.
Given the Mexican origins of the
name of the place, my companion and
I were expecting something more in
the sombrero-wearing department.
The menu has a couple of fish courses,
a lasagne, and variations on tacos, fa-
jitas and quesadillas, along with some
dessert options. Oh, yes, and grilled
chicken. My companion chose a com-
bination of tacos and fajitas with spicy
ground beef (3,290 ISK) and I chose
the aforementioned chicken (2,390
ISK).
Included with every course is a free
trip to the soup and salad bar, which
we immediately paid a visit. I had the
Indian chicken soup, and my compan-
ion had the Indian vegan soup, both of
which were very flavourful and nicely
seasoned. My partner also tried the
Mexican soup, which was a bit “sub-
urban.” The salad bar had good freshly
baked bread, and wonderful hummus,
but was otherwise par for the course.
The main course fajita and taco
combo was something of a letdown.
The ground beef, grated cheese, sour
cream, salsa and guacamole came in
various bowls. The vegetable portion
was rather small, but this wasn’t such a
big deal with the salad bar there. There
also wasn’t enough ground beef for the
two taco shells and huge fajitas, but in
hindsight, this was maybe not so bad as
we more or less had to be rolled out of
the place.
The grilled chicken, on the other
hand, was spot on. This is a dish that
you can mess up quite easily, but the
folks at Kryddlegin hjörtu got it right.
It looked a bit lonely on the plate,
served with little more than a slice of
lemon on the side, but this was made
up for by the salad bar.
All in all Kryddlegin hjörtu provid-
ed us with ample nourishment for the
whole weekend. The food was simple,
honest and not too expensive and we
had a good time listening to salsa ar-
rangements of Beatles songs—but
maybe next time we’ll come for lunch,
instead.
Soup And Salad,
Lunch Not Dinner
BJÖRN TEITSSON
ALISA KALYANOVA
WE DON’T SELL
WHALE MEAT
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
Restaurants that have this logo promise not to sell
whale meat. We kindly ask you to choose
a whale friendly restaurant and to recommend
others to do the same.
Whaling is cruel and unnecessary
Don’t let your visit to ICELAND
leave a bad taste in your mouth
Choose a whale friendly restaurant
Information about whale friendly restaurants
can be found at www.icewhale.is
2014–2015
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR
ANIMAL WELFARE
i c ewha l e . i s
What We Think:
Soup and salad, classic lunch
dishes
Flavour:
Westernized harmless Mexican.
Mediterranean.
Ambiance:
Strange Indian/Far East decor.
Laid-back atmosphere.
Service:
Mostly self-service, but the
service we got was fine.
Price for 2 (no drinks):
5-6.000 ISK (very fair).
Kryddlegin Hjörtu
Hverfisgata 22, 101 Reykjavík
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.