Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2016, Qupperneq 31

30The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2016
Open 11:30-22:00
saegreif inn. is
Geirsgata 8 • 101 Reykjavík • Tel. 553 1500 • seabaron8@gmail.com
An absolute
must-try!
Saegreifinn restaurant (Sea Baron) is like none other
in Iceland; a world famous lobster soup and a diverse
fish selection.
Guides & Pepper
In case you’ve missed it, Iceland is now
firmly on the Turkish Pepper bandwag-
on. Take a quick scan of the shelves at
your local Bónus or bakery, and you’ll
find the stuff in chocolate, liquorice,
cupcakes, you name it.
Before arriving in Reykjavík a few
weeks ago, I had never heard of this
“Turkish Pepper,” and I have to admit
it wasn’t until recently that I realized it
actually has nothing to do with Turkey
(and little to do with pepper, for that
matter). Instead, the flavour is a deli-
cate balance of ammonium chloride
(infamously found in salted liquorice)
and black pepper, which gives Turkish
Pepper that tang that makes you puck-
er your lips and leaves a lasting taste on
your tongue.
That brings us to the most recent
sensation to hit the Turkish Pepper
scene: Turkish Pepper Nóa Kropp.
(Look for it on the shelves with the la-
bel “piparhúðað,” meaning “pepper-
coated.”) It’s your familiar, tried-and-
tested chocolate-covered cereal puffs,
but with an extra dusting of Turkish
Pepper that leaves a faint but lingering
zing in the back of your mouth.
From what I can tell, people either
can’t get enough of this flavour or they
can’t stay far enough away from it. Me,
I’ve been eating it by the handful, leav-
ing a trail of the (slightly repulsive)
greyish-brown coloured dust wherever
I go.
And that’s the one downside to this
candy that otherwise has it all—a little
bit of crunch, a little bit of chocolate,
and a little bit of whimsy. Even more so
than your regular Nóa Kropp, this stuff
is messy. Despite my best efforts to
keep my hands clean, I inevitably keep
finding smears of Turkish Pepper dust
down my pant legs.
A wise person once said that if you
can get to know a nation’s candy you
can get to know a nation’s heart. (Full
disclosure: that wise person was me.)
In the case of Iceland, the “piparhúðað”
Nóa Kropp points to a country that is
polarizing, messy, and a little bit weird.
But in the end, I can’t get enough of it.
CANDY OF THE ISSUE
Pepper, Pepper
Everything
Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo NÓI SIRIUS MARKETING DEPT.
The
Reykjavík
Veggie
Burger
Wars
Words JOHN ROGERS, photo ART BICNICK
One of the most regular food-related conversations we
have in the office is: “Where is Reykjavík’s best veggie
burger?” For some reason, these little sandwiches of
soy product or mashed-up vegetables inflame people’s
opinions immensely. Is there enough salad to make
the burger moist, or too much, making it sloppy? Is
the patty a convincing meat imitation—and, should
it be? Are those mushed-up vegetable ones ambrosia
from heaven, or are they more like eating a baby food
sarnie? Can you eat it with your hands? And does it
matter?
Do you agree? Or did we miss your favourite place out?
Let us know via letters@grapevine.is
Prikið,
Bankastræti 12
This downtown staple recently
stepped up their game by offering all
of their vast combination of burger
toppings as a veggie option. The pat-
ty itself seems to vary according to
which chef is on duty—if you’re lucky,
it’ll be of the crispy-round-the-edg-
es variety. We recommend the blue
cheese option.
Block Burger,
Skólavörðustígur 8
As far as soy-based veggie burgers go,
Block Burger has it nailed. It’s a small,
tasty, simple meat imitation modelled
heavily on Shake Shack, and served
with goopy orange cheese and super-
crispy fries. They have sour cranberry
Fizzy Lizzy to drink. We like.
Hamborgarabúllan,
Geirsgata/Bankastræti
Búllan has downtown locations, oc-
cupying a special place in Icelanders’
hearts for offering the most solid, ba-
sic, does-what-it-says-on-tin veggie
burger in town. Hangover gold.
Laundromat,
Austurstræti 9
Reliable and filling, the Laundromat
version (pictured) is a savoury, bread-
ed vegetable patty served with tasty
red onion and lots of cheese. The fries
are more like British chips, and you
get plenty of them.
Roadhouse,
Snorrabraut 56
This burger palace has an unusual
veggie offering—a juicy, tasty slice of
smoked celeriac. Possibly the most
underrated burger on the list.
Kaffihús Vesturbæjar,
Melhagi 20-22
Extra points for being vegan, but this
one is made from shredded beet that
looks disconcertingly like rare steak. It’s
divisive—some love it, some less so.