Reykjavík Grapevine - 31.07.2015, Blaðsíða 69

Sushi Samba
Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel 568 6600 • sushisamba.is
Our kitchen is open
17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.
17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.
Amazing
7 course menu
A unique Icelandic Feast
Starts with a shot of the Icelandic
national spirit “Brennivín“
Puffin
Smoked puffin with blueberries,
croutons, goat cheese, beetroot
Minke whale
Date purée, wakame and teriaky
Arctic charr
“Torched“ arctic charr with parsnip
purée, fennel, dill mayo
Lobster
Lobster cigar with chorizo, dates, chili jam
Reindeer
Reindeer slider with blue cheese, portobello,
steamed bun
Free range icelandic lamb
Lamb with coriander, pickled red cabbage,
fennel, butternut squash purée, chimichurri
And to end on a high note ...
Icelandic Skyr
Skyr panna cotta with raspberry sorbet, white
chocolate crumble, passion foam, dulche de leche
7.590 kr.

FOOD
FOR THE SOUL
Bjórgarðurinn (“The Beer Garden”),
Iceland’s first self-styled... beer garden,
opened for business in Borgartún, 105
Reykjavík, this June. The latest addition
to the beer connoisseur explosion that
has entrenched Reykjavík of late, Bjór-
garðurinn follows fast on the heels of plac-
es like Mikkeller & Friends, Skúli Craft
Bar, Microbar, Kex and Kaldi. As avid alco-
hol enthusiasts, we of course went there to
test the waters.
Situated by Iceland’s biggest hotel,
Fosshótel Reykjavík, Bjórgarðurinn is not
the de facto hotel restaurant, but rather
occupies a wedge of real estate on the gar-
gantuan hotel’s side. Upon entering the
establishment, it becomes clear that this
isn’t your granddad’s Biergarten. This one
doesn’t come with any long communal
tables, outdoor seating areas, or a particu-
lar emphasis on German beer or cuisine.
What you will find is an upscale gastropub
with impressive ceiling height, gargan-
tuan light fixtures, and huge copper beer
vats sliced lengthwise and fixed to the wall
for decorative purposes.
The proprietors refer to the place as a
“Manhattan beer garden”—a concept I‘m
not familiar with, but seems to translate
to “not-strictly-speaking-a-beer-garden.”
However, what it does have in common
with a beer garden is lots and lots of beer,
and that’s the most important thing. In
fact, Bjórgarðurinn features what must
be the largest selection of draft beers in
Iceland (22 and counting) as well as a
handsome selection of bottled pale ales,
porters, ciders, lagers, stouts, dunkels, wit-
bear, sours, and wild beers.
Bjórgarðurinn emphasises a hands-on
approach from the staff, with the idea be-
ing that you volunteer the types of beers
you like and they offer suggestions based
on your preference. This effort is most
noticeable with their food pairings, and
Bjórgarðurinn is definitely aiming to fur-
ther the continental approach of party-
ing, where “going out” also means eating,
rather than the classic nationwide beer
bong contest Icelanders like to refer to as
“Friday night.”
Be advised that you’re more likely to
get the full beer recommendation experi-
ence in off-peak hours.
The food menu favours the hearty and
comforting, offering fish ‘n’ chips, pick-
les, fries, butter-fried cheese sandwiches,
burgers, ribs, and, of course, the sausages.
For the time being, they are only running
one variety of sausage—however, the top-
pings vary considerably. You can have
your sausage emblazoned with everything
from port-stewed dates and shredded
duck to grilled peppers and lemongrass
mayo. Stand-outs during our visit were
the porter pecan pie and the butter-fried
cheese sandwich, which consisted of thick
slices of buttery sourdough bread filled
with smoked Gouda and mozzarella.
While imbibing at Bjórgarðurinn cer-
tainly isn’t free, their various deals and ro-
tating offers are worth noting. Also of in-
terest, while not advertised on the menu,
is a surprise prix fixe menu, complete with
pairings. Well worth inquiring about.
“Hoppy hour” is celebrated daily be-
tween 16:30-19:00, bringing a 500 ISK dis-
count on all large draft beers. Also, every
Tuesdays is “Trappist Tuesday,” where
Trappist beers are paired with a compli-
mentary cheese plate. The staff confirms
that there are plans afoot to add special
themes for other days of the week, too.
Finally, there’s the paired lunch offer
of sausage and beer (2,200 ISK) which in-
cludes a free refill of the beer to help you
shift the blame to the barman when you
accidentally crash the financial market af-
ter a wet lunch. The pairing rotates regu-
larly between their sausages and beers,
but you can follow updates on the pairing
of the week via the Bjórgarðurinn Face-
book page.
Oh, and on weekends they have live
music, with a focus on jazz and latin jazz.
So don’t forget your flat cap and bowtie.
Words Ragnar Egilsson
Bjórgarðurinn Is A
Fancy-Pants Beer Hub
For Serious Beer Pervs
Organic bistro
EST 2006
Tryggvagata 11,Volcano house
Tel:511-1118
Mon-Sun 12:00-21:00
www.fishandchips.is