Reykjavík Grapevine - 28.08.2015, Qupperneq 62

R E S T A U R A N T
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
L
a
u
g
a
v
e
g
u
r
1
3
0
T
E
L
:
6
9
2
-
0
5
6
4
Do not miss !
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
BanThai
N E W A W A R D
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 5
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
-
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
-
A L S O B E S T 2 0 0 9, 2 0 1 0, 2 0 1 1, 2 0 1 2, 2 0 1 3 a n d 2 0 1 4
m a n y f a m o u s p e o p l e a r e r e g u l a r s h e r e“ “
FOOD
FOR YOUR MIND BODY AND SOUL
Primo is a relatively recent addition
to the Reykjavík downtown restaurant
scene, although it used to operate as
somewhat of an Italian fast food take-
away restaurant (pizza being its forte)
in the suburbs not too long ago. Having
acquired one of the best locations in the
city, on the corner of Bankastræti and
Þingholtssræti, Primo reopened last
spring to pretty much—as of yet—no
acclaim.
The reason for this is rather simple.
That exact location used to house a
well-liked mainstay of the downtown
restaurant scene, Caruso, up until last
fall. The landlords gave the owners of
Caruso the boot following a publicly
fought petite bourgeoisie real estate
dispute as the very curious, very petite
bourgeoisie nation of Iceland watched
from the sidelines. It would seem Caru-
so wasn’t showing due deference to the
Laminated Menus, Hits And Misses
BJÖRN TEITSSON
ANNA DOMNICK
What We Think:
Family style Italian.
Flavour:
Italian flag, needs a bit of
seasoning.
Ambiance:
Actually, quite warm. Only
tourists, though.
Service:
Very personal, endearing,
but a bit flaky.
Price for 2 (no drinks):
9-10.000 ISK
Primo
Þingholtsstræti 1, 101 Reykjavík
overbearing landlords, so they sought
to establish their own restaurant on the
premises (and now have). This is not
the best way to publicize a new busi-
ness and has not helped Primo locally.
Therefore, Primo has had to en-
dure a lot of prejudice during its first
months in downtown Reykjavík. How-
ever, as my companion and I took our
seats at Primo on a Wednesday night,
we decided to leave aside the question
of whether the negative reception was
justified or not. We were about to enjoy
dinner at a cherished location, with a
lovely street view, on a beautiful night—
our meal would be judged by its own
merits. Surely, a restaurant’s kitchen
and service staff are not to blame for
the history of their employers.
The place itself is decorated in a
very similar vein to its predecessor,
with dark wood interiors, rustic fur-
niture, dim lighting and a roaring fire
from the wood burning stove Caruso
had to leave behind. All in all, a fitting
setting for a candlelit dinner. Primo is
an Italian restaurant of the American-
ized “family style” type. The menu it-
self is even laminated, already sporting
white stickers over items that were no
longer on offer. Not the best sign, for
sure.
From the laminated menu, my com-
panion chose a “platter” (1,990 ISK) of
Parma ham, sausages, olives and grilled
vegetables for his antipasti, while I de-
cided upon the lobster soup (2,390 ISK)
with cognac flambéed lobster tails. My
companion was pleased with the plat-
ter to some extent: the pork products
were flavourful and the olives delicious
and plentiful—we actually nibbled on
those throughout the evening. The
grilled vegetables were, surprisingly,
heaped with ground Parmesan, and
failed to add much. Luckily, the lobster
soup far exceeded my expectations. It
was served in a gravy boat and poured
into a bowl containing thinly sliced lob-
ster tails, thereby cooking them in the
steamy, deeply flavourful broth. Per-
fect!
For our mains, my companion chose
the lasagne (2,790 ISK) and I decided,
when in Rome, to go the wheat-egg
route to pasta land, with a hearty frutti
di mare (3,290 ISK) laganelle with lob-
ster, scallops, mussels, chilli, lemon,
garlic and white wine. The lasagne was
very generic, lacking any “oomph” fac-
tor—it was in sore need of some season-
ing, and the beef ragu could have done
with more flavour, too. Adding ground
Parmesan did improve the experience
slightly, but it was still the height of
mediocrity. The laganelle, however,
was very nice, I must admit. Perfectly al
dente, full of flavour, with a bounty of
seafood. The chilli brought a heat and
sharpness in contrast to the sweetness
of the seafood, while the lemon gave
the dish a fresh top note.
All in all, Primo is nothing more
than what it presents itself to be. There
are faults here and there: the bread did
not arrive on time; one drink order was
served, the other forgotten; and there’s
that embarrassing moment when you
need to ask for cutlery. The food, how-
ever, is not bad at all. The lobster soup
comes recommended in any case, al-
though, for generic Italian (not a bad
thing in itself ), there is room for im-
provement. Starting with new, up-to-
date, sticker-free menus.
22
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 13 — 2015