Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.02.2018, Side 45

Eat It, Or Frame It?
The artful Slippurinn Eatery pops up at Apotek

Words: John Rogers Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
The family-run Slippurinn Eat-
ery in the Westman Islands is
one of Iceland’s beloved region-
al restaurants. Open only during
the summer, and with a focus
on slow cooking, wild herbs, and
top-quality local ingredients, the
150km journey doesn’t discourage
capital city foodies, who some-
times plan an island getaway
based around their booking.
In fact, getting some fresh
ocean air and sailing into the
mountainous, bright green har-
bour of Heimaey during the
summer months is all part of
the Slippurinn experience—and
something to dream of during the
winter season.
So it was a welcome announce-
ment that Slippurinn executive
chef Gísli Matthías Auðunsson
would take over the kitchen of
Reykjav ík restaurant Apotek
during the January off-season
for a four-day pop-up. The sev-
en-course tasting menu com-
prised classic dishes peppered
with fresh twists and new ideas,
whilst staying true to the slow-
cooked, locally-sourced philoso-
phy that has landed Slippurinn on
the culinary map.
Balancing act
The meal begins with two starters.
First comes a plate of crisp hard-
fiskur flakes and brittle shards
of dried kelp, served with a roe
dipping sauce, and paired with a
glass of dry Drappier champagne.
There’s a thought-out approach
to creating a balanced dish that’s
immediately noticeable; the rich
colours are carefully composed on
the muted earthenware, and the
mixture of crunchy, creamy, salty
and sweet shows a rare and wel-
come attention to detail.
This is followed by immacu-
lately plated, melt-in-the-mouth
foal carpaccio dressed with nut-
ty rapeseed oil, crumbs of goats
cheese, and bright green nastur-
tium leaves. Food doesn’t come
much more Instagrammable; it’s
a good moment for a game of “Eat
it, or frame it?”
Tail of two langoustine
Langoustine—often referred to
locally as lobster—is a staple in-
gredient in Icelandic restaurants.
Here, they come cooked to perfec-
tion, with a firm, slightly crisp
texture giving way to a buttery,
melting mouthful, set off by the
addition of salty, vividly black sea
truffles. The drinks pairing takes
an unexpected turn when we’re
served a fresh-tasting gin and dill
cocktail, poured from a teapot. It’s
a highlight in an evening of high-
lights.
The glazed cod collar, with a
sculpturally protruding fin, is
a meaty cut of fish served with
fermented lovage, chicken broth,
and potatoes. The fatty fish, carby
potato and rich sauce merge into
a comfort-food charm offensive
that’s mirrored in the next dish:
tender slices of medium-rare lamb
rump steak with thinly sliced and
grilled celeriac and pickled rhu-
barb. It’s a blissful combination:
winter blues, begone.
Dessert oasis
We finish with two sweet cours-
es: first, a creamy Skyr with blue-
berries, arctic thyme and crunchy
toasted oats, then a silken milk
chocolate ice cream with chervil
sorbet, foamed cream, and a bro-
ken wedge of liquorice-studded
meringue. Both are pleasingly
decadent, and far superior to the
usual afterthought dessert.
Fully sated, I relax into my
chair as it begins to snow outside.
It’s the tail end of January, and this
Icelandic feast will almost cer-
tainly rank amongst my favourite
meals of the year—or, at least, un-
til Slippurinn opens again come
summertime.
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45The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02 — 2018
Head chef Gísli Matthías Auðunsson