Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.10.2017, Side 44

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Gourmet Fast Food:
It's A Thing
Guts and gumption at the newest bad child
restaurant

Words: Shruthi Basappa Photo: Varvara Lozenko
At the risk of generalisation, I’ll
just say it: criticism is general-
ly frowned upon in Iceland, and
avoiding confrontation is quite
commonplace. But a trio of bad boy
chefs, Karl Óskar Smárason, Knú-
tur Hreiðarsson and Markús Ingi
Guðnason are stirring up trouble
at Le Kock by shaking up the old or-
der. Their “burger and fries offer of
the last century” is a not-so-subtle
dig at Hamborgarabúllan’s offer
of the century, and social media
confessions of being football hat-
ers came on the heels of Iceland’s
recent sporting victory.
Alma maters of Matur og Dryk-
kur, under the tutelage of Gísli
Matthías Auðunsson, the sea-
soned chefs hung up their white
coats to open the cheekily named
Le Kock earlier this year. The name
alone has caught the public’s fan-
cy—although their much-talked
about burgers and doughnuts have
as well.
Kock what?
The menu at Le Kock is an homage
to Icelandic childhood nostalgia
combined with an American vibe.
Cheeseburgers jostle for space
with whoopie pies and Surmjölk
and Cheerio doughnuts. Mark-
us grew up in the United States,
which explains the American in-
fluence.
But why Le Kock? “The story be-
hind the name?’” laughs Markús.
“That was all Knútur. He came up
with the name. There were a lot
of different reasons. It represents
us as chefs. We are ruthless. We
are giving the middle finger to the
restaurant industry.”
That brazen attitude isn’t just
all talk however. Le Kock takes
pride in its gourmet approach to
fast food. The condiments, burger
fixin's and even the ketchup are
all made in-house, from scratch.
The bread is baked every day and
the doughnuts are made of deep
fried yeasted dough. “Everyone’s
scared to do it here,” says Markús.
“Everyone’s too formal and trying
to please everyone. And no one is
stepping out of the box.’’
Gourmet fast food
But isn’t gourmet fast food an ox-
ymoron? “We all come from fine
dining experience,” says Markus.
“The thing about fine dining chefs
is I don’t think they actually like
doing it. We actually like to cook
and eat this food. No one is doing
gourmet fast food in Iceland. We
saw it as an opportunity to do it.
To just go for it.”
What about the too many cooks
adage—could the kitchen han-
dle all of them together? Mark-
us shakes his head. “Being three
chefs we are able to do it ourselves,
or teach people how to do it. We
just don’t want to buy anything.
We are chefs and we want to do it
ourselves. Knútur is the creative
one, Kalli is the workhorse with
the organizational skills, and I’m
the baker. I take Knútur’s ideas and
work them out.”
Spud buns
Popular in the USA, and inspired
by Martin’s rolls, potato bread
rolls at Le Kock are a departure
from the more typical brioche
buns. The addition of potatoes
makes for a lighter, springier
crumb that doesn’t disintegrate
in the juice from the burger pat-
ty, and holds its own right down
to the last bite. So if you’ve been
wondering why their burgers taste
so good, it starts with the buns.
In a short time, Le Kock has
managed to whip up a deserved
frenzy for their fare. Lunch lines
are common, and their dough-
nuts sell out out before the end of
the day. The cheeseburgers are a
classic riff, and we recommend
pairing it with the Greek fries.
And don’t forget to grab a box of
assorted doughnuts on your way
out.
R E S T A U R A N T
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
Laugavegur 130, Hlemmur, 105 Reykjavík Tel : 6 9 2 - 0 5 6 4, 55 - 22 - 444
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BanThai
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 7
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, 2 0 1 4, 2 0 1 5 A N D 2 0 1 6
N E W A W A R D
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Always been the best from the reviews
in our local newspaper.
There's a reason why we get an award
every once a year
FISH panS
icelandic "plokkfiskur"
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)
Parsnip, broccoli, cashews,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
2,100 isk
our fisH pans are always
served wiTH buTTer–fried
icelandic poTaToes & fresH salad
deSSertS
carroT cake
Cognac cream cheese frosting
and roasted coconut flakes
1,550 isk
créme caramel
Classic egg custard with baked
white chocolate and strawberries
1,550 isk
any pans
for
luncH?
lækjargaTa 6b, 101 rvk · 546 0095 · messinn@messinn.com
Respect Le Kock
Food