Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.12.2016, Síða 52

Set back from the harbour road
in Hafnarfjörður—the first sub-
urb that people pass through on
the way into Reykjavík—is an
unassuming café called Pallett.
Its single large, airy room has a
calm, domestic feel, lined by avo-
cado, coffee and olive plants, and
furnished with worn sofas and
armchairs, mismatched tables
and chairs, shelves containing a
wide range of fascinating books,
and the kind of vintage knick-
knacks you might expect to find
in a traditional Icelandic living
room. The space is subtly divided
into several areas, set up to be
somewhere you can relax into a
sofa with friends, get some work
done, or just watch the world go by
through the large front windows.
Double origin
It’s a “family business,” says Da-
vid, the talkative and jovial Eng-
lish cook who owns and runs the
place alongside his boyfriend Pál-
mar, a twice-crowned Icelandic
barista champion.
“I opened my first coffee
house—Litli Bóndabærinn—in
Reykjavík in 2009,” says David.
“Pálmar opened Pallett in 2012.
We co-owned them. One was
my baby, and one was his. But
Laugavegur was getting so cra-
zy, with all the tourism and the
building work. Litli Bóndabærinn
got given notice—the building
was going to be turned into a ho-
tel. So we decided to put both of
them together.”
Taste the Kenya
The resulting combination is
greater than the sum of its parts.
Pálmar is barista-in-chief: he’s
an expert in speciality coffee, and
talks widely about the qualities of
different blend combinations and
single origin roasts, and how best
to prepare them. In Pallett, ev-
ery latté is double-shot, the filter
coffee is lovingly brewed, and an
Americano comes with the water
on the side, so people can dilute
the espresso to taste.
“It’s fun for people to know
where the beans came from,” says
Pálmar. “African coffees tend
to have bright, fruity, berry fla-
vours, compared to the nutty and
chocolatey South American cof-
fees, with more body. But blends
are coming back. It’s fun to mix
things. The customers say things
like: ‘I can taste the Kenya in
there.’”
Taste the Kent
The food is every bit as special.
Pallett’s menu evolves from day to
day, always around the theme of
rustic, traditional cooking—the
“school of grandma and mum,” as
David says.
“I do a lot Eastern European
food, Deep South food, British
food—just home food,” he ex-
plains. “The pasties have flaky
pastry rather than puff pastry. It’s
just flour and butter, but it’s the
rolling and folding that does it.
Inside, I’m using sweet potato—
it’s nice with the beef. Then it has
mint, salt and pepper, and red on-
ion for the savoury sweetness.”
Each of David’s takes on clas-
sic recipes somehow manages to
feel like an upgrade. There are
mouth-watering, flaky vegetar-
ian sausage rolls, and a hearty all-
you-can-eat stew that’s cooked
overnight and served with freshly
baked white bread. Pallett’s light
and fluffy kleinur come hot out of
the oven twice a day, with experi-
mental touches like rose glaze,
orange blossom glaze, or dark
chocolate and hazelnut topping.
“I’m not interested in making
croissants, though,” says David.
“I’m much more about the Eng-
lish, Celtic, Scandinavian kind
of cooking than the French and
Italian cooking. People appreciate
the things they can’t get around
here—the sausage rolls, pasties
and pies.”
Thanks to David and Pálmar’s
expertise, passion, and attention
to detail, Pallett is a dream café,
and well worth driving out of 101
to visit. “When we had two places,
we’d be going home with double
the stress, in a way,” finishes Da-
vid. “Having the place together
has been a real blessing. You can
just share the load. We’re good
partners. It just works.”
Find Pallett on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram at @pallettkaffi.
SHARE: gpv.is/pl18
New Taste
52The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 18 — 2016
Made With Love
Words JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK
Pallett in Hafnarfjörður might
just be Iceland’s best café
Food
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 6
also : 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
BanThai
R E S T A U R A N T
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
T O P T E N
BEST RESTAURANTS IN ICELAND
DV. 17.07.11
L a u g a v e g u r 1 3 0, v i ð H l e m m Tel : + 354 - 55-22-444, +354 - 692 - 0564
FOOD IS MADE FRESH FROM SCRATCH,
PAN–FRIED FISH
FISH STEW
Onion, garlic, potatoes, celery, lime,
white wine, cream and butter
1.850 isk
PLAICE
Tomatoes, capers, parsley,
lemon and butter
2.100 isk
ARCTIC CHAR
Honey, almonds, cherry tomatoes,
lemon and butter
2.100 isk
salmon (lactose–free)
Parsley root, broccoli, cashew nuts,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
2.100 isk
Our pan–fried fish is always
served with butter–fried
Icelandic potatoes & fresh salad
desserts
DATE CAKE
Walnuts, coconut,
cream cheese coffee cream,
blueberries and whipped cream
1.400 isk
any
pans
for
lunch?
lækjargata 6b, 101 rvk · 546 0095 · messinn@messinn.com