Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.12.2017, Page 46

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'Tis The Season
Ten Christmas menus worth writing home about

Words: Shruthi Basappa, John Rogers & Björn Teitsson
Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
As Christmas approaches, it
seems like every restaurant in
Reykjavík is posting appetising
Instagram pictures of their spe-
cial seasonal menus. The most
common approach is to compile
updated versions of reassuring
Icelandic Christmas food sta-
ples like smoked lamb, pick-
led herring, cabbage, rye bread
and oranges. With so many
menus on offer, we went to try
some of the most promising op-
tions. Several belt-notches wid-
er, and ready for an armchair
snooze, here’s what we discov-
ered. (Prices are per person.)
Ut Í Bláinn
Perlan (Lunch: 4,500-4,900 ISK,
Dinner: 7,900-8,500 ISK)
Út í bláinn offers both the best
view in Reykjavík and an upscale
culinary adventure for vegans,
pescatarians and carnivores
alike. Starters include salmon,
beetroot with “popped” barley,
pickled herring and—the star of
the show—a goose liver torchon
with redcurrants and butter-fried
brioche. The potato terrine with
stout-pickled onions is sublime.
The mains include poached cod
and a spectacular beurre blanc,
slow cooked celeriac with lemon
cream, kale and peas. And pork
shoulder with crackling, cab-
bage and wild mushroom sauce.
Sherry and coffee-tinged desserts
were also a hit. Presentation,
service, view and festive atmos-
phere… this is a grand-slam
Jomfruin
Lækjargata 4 (3,690-6,990 ISK)
Trust Jomfruin to pull out all
stops to fully capture that “hyg-
ge” feeling. One can choose from
the Christmas herring platter or
the Christmas platter. After the
fifth variant of pickled herring,
we stopped counting, and con-
tinued to devour chunks of fish
in sharp mustard, classic curry,
and—a pleasant surprise—to-
mato a la Bloody Mary. The gin
and juniper marinated graflax
was inspired, but the star of the
show was the slow-cooked roast
pork; the “oh-my-God-this-is-
so-good” crackling comes with
a classic dark sauce that doesn’t
lean on sweetening for f la-
vour. Simple, but memorable.
Skál!
Hlemmur Mathöll
(1,000-2,500 ISK per course)
Located in Hlemmur Mathöll,
Skál! offers gourmet tapas-style
tasting courses. Modelled af-
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
----------------------------
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
M A N Y A W A R D
Always been the best from the reviews
in our local people and local newspaper.
There's a reason why we get an award
every once a year
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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
Mat Bar's decadent eleven course christmas feast
Food