Reykjavík Grapevine - 31.07.2015, Side 71

FOOD
FOR YOUR MIND BODY AND SOUL
Torfan (“The Turf”) is the restaurant for-
merly known as Humarhúsið (“The Lob-
ster House”). When you’re starting the
walk up Laugavegur you will see a row of
early stately houses from the early 1800s
to your right. The black house closest to
you is restaurant Lækjarbrekka and the
one furthest to the right houses the restau-
rant now known as Torfan.
These houses are colloquially known
as “Bernhöftstorfan,” named after a bak-
ery that used to operate in the area (the
original Bernhöft Bakery has since moved
a couple of blocks up to Bergstaðarstræti,
and is still going strong). Bernhöftstorfan
also gave its name to Torfusamtökin, a his-
toric preservation organization founded
by a group of idealistic hippies trying to
save the row of houses around where
Torfan sits from demolition. Before then,
the consensus in Reykjavík had been that
these houses were a sad remnant of Ice-
land’s colonial past, a symbol of weak-
ness that should make way for a brighter
tomorrow. The 1970s and early 80s sub-
sequently burdened Reykjavík with some
of its ugliest buildings, which just goes
to show that you should never pay heed
to common consensus. You don’t always
need to tear down the past to make way
for the future.
Although Humarhúsið’s interior has
been given a makeover and a new menu,
the restaurant’s ownership and ap-
proach has not changed drastically since
it morphed into Torfan. Torfan retains its
predecessor’s atmosphere, which is hom-
ey and familiar, without dipping into rus-
tic or casual. It is still decked with gilded
frames and white tablecloth, but no one
will be kicked out the door for turning up
in a North Face jacket. The cuisine could
be called French-Icelandic, in that the
dishes consist of predominantly local in-
gredients that have been subject to French
culinary techniques—a bit like drawing a
curly moustache on a cod. And, of course,
the langoustine still features prominently
on the menu.
The more successful of the two first
courses was the rectangular sheet of co-
gnac-cured beef carpaccio with smoked
feta, tomato chutney and a morsel of lan-
goustine in butter pastry (2,790 ISK). The
langoustine was on the salty side, but the
carpaccio was pulled off with gusto and a
nice brandy finish.
However, the langoustine and escargot
ragú (2,490 ISK) works better on paper
than in execution. It was accompanied by
shellfish cream, pickled fennel, pillows of
crispy butter pastry, and the omnipresent
dill oil. Although it’s a nice spin on the
combination of earthy and oceany flavours
that has given us classics like the unbeat-
able comfort food combo of briny Belgian
mussels and earthy fries, the addition of
mushrooms was an overkill, and the sauce
drowned out the fennel’s anise notes. A
serviceable dish, sure, but I had hoped for
something more delicate.
Our main course consisted of a beef
rib-eye with red wine reduction, potato
and Jerusalem artichoke pavé (an achingly
rich cube of layered thin tuber slices, likely
inspired by Thomas Keller), a mushroom
duxelle, and black salsify (5,900 ISK).
Thankfully, the rich and salty sauce was
served separately, as the dish was already
powerfully bordering on instant-gout ter-
ritory. All the same, it was a completely
satisfying and savoury old-school plate
with a moderately modern flourish.
The other main course was langous-
tine, butterflied and resting on the shell
(5,590 ISK). The langoustine had a deli-
cious spiced crisp and buttery softness,
with the richness of flavour that makes
me favour langoustine over lobster. It was
served with deep-fried bread thins (like
fatty unbroken croutons), which I could
have done without.
For a savoury finish, we went with
the cheese plate, which consisted of date
bread, date jam, mould cheese, parmesan,
and brie. A heavy finish to the gastronomic
onslaught, and the predominance of date
and blue cheese might have found a better
home at an older palate (2,150 ISK).
The crowd was reasonably diverse, but
in the upper age range. This might just be
due to the formality and price range, but
I suspect this place would appeal more
to that demographic, with its sauce and
protein focus and the classic French ap-
proach.
Our server was a friendly older gent,
who took great care of us two tipsy no-
goodniks.
Dining at Torfan wasn’t always to my
tastes but I can’t fault a place for appeal-
ing outside of my age range. Torfan sends
a comfortably unambiguous message and
delivers on all fronts. The history of the
place, the décor, the menu, the website—
you know exactly what you’re in for, and
what kind of customer it might attract. I
would take my parents there in a heartbeat
(and that’s a good thing).
Surfing At The Turf
RAGNAR EGILSSON
NANNA DÍS
What We Think:
A solid old-school place in a
stately house.
Flavour:
A French take on Icelandic
ingredients.
Ambiance:
Relaxed and comfortable.
Service:
Excellent.
Price for 2 (with drinks):
20,000 - 25,000
Torfan
Amtmannsstígur 1, 101 Reykjavik
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.
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F R E N C H O N I O N S O U P
I c e l a n d i c Í s b ú i c h e e s e , c r o û t o n s
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F I S H O F T H E D A Y
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27
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 11 — 2015