Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2018, Qupperneq 48

A Marshful of
Seafood
Wholesome Nordic wholesomeness in the
accordion house
Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photo: Art Bicnick
I am standing outside the accor-
dion-shaped house tucked in the
southern corner of Reykjavík and
wondering how a building can be
this easy to notice and yet so easy
to overlook when you are thinking
of a place to eat.
I know Aalto Bistro is there. It’s
a lovely building. I just never go
there for some reason.
The Nordic House—designed
by famed Finnish architect Al-
var Aalto—serves as a centre for
Nordic culture, now in the midst
of the ever-expanding univer-
sity grounds,. Tucked away in a
corner, with a view over the re-
claimed marshes and grazing
geese, just before the pan-Nordic
library, you’ll stumble on a bistro
bearing the architect’s name.
Before Aalto Bistro, the spot
was occupied by the trailblazing
gastronaut Dill—this was be-
fore Dill moved to the corner of
Hverfisgata and Ingólfsstræti and
pried
Iceland’s first Michelin star
from the claws of the bulbous tire
behemoth.
Aalto Bistro has continued
Dill’s approach, highlighting lo-
cal ingredients and growing herbs
and vegetables on the Nordic
House grounds. The restaurant
is helmed by the well-loved chef,
cod-botherer, and cookbook writ-
er Sveinn Kjartansson (we espe-
cially recommend his Gourmand-
winning book ‘Fagur Fiskur’).
Let’s talk money. Aalto Bistro
isn’t free, but the prices are about
what you’d expect from a sit-down
restaurant in 2018 Iceland. Eating
out ain’t cheap in Reykjavík. Pric-
es start at about 4 EUR a pop for
a hot dog at Bæjarins Bestu. Then
there’s a steep hike to approx. 25
EUR for other fast food catego-
ries. Finally, a sharp spike to 80
EUR per person for a three course
meal at pretty much any sit-down
restaurant. This standard is, of
course, obscene and is due to a
combination of exorbitant rental
prices, record salaries, strong lo-
cal currency, and good old fashion
greed.
The good news is that the pric-
es don’t rise significantly beyond
that point—even if you’re munch-
ing at the top tier of the Reykjavík
food scene. Aalto may be shy of
the tippity-top, but it’s ambitious
nonetheless, with an eye for ex-
emplary seafood.
The first starter to arrive at the
table was a crab cake with a couple
of tweezers worth of fresh rock
crab in the mix. A wonderfully
sweet crab but a notorious pain in
the ass to process. The crab cakes
were light, low on flour and grease
and just barely holding together.
All was right with the universe.
Next was a delicate, cured
goose breast with red bramble
berry sauce and pickled kohlrabi
(I would love to see more pickled
kohlrabi on Icelandic menus see-
ing as everyone is all about keep-
ing it local and seeing as kohlrabi
is all about being delicious). A
nice holiday vibe, which was only
upset by the view of a gaggle of
goslings outside the window (not
the “hey girl” kind).
The first main course was a
salad with ashy goat cheese, thin
slices of duck, almond slivers and
a delicious vinaigrette. The duck
was expertly cooked and I’ve nev-
er gone wrong with goat cheese.
I could have done without the
pomegranates as they were well
out of season and rather pallid
and musty.
Second main course was the
Aalto fish plate. Large mussels,
trout, cod and scallops heaped on
a plate. The stand-outs were the
ridiculously fresh mussels and
scallops. I’ve said it before and
I’ll say it again: go to Iceland for
shellfish. There’s better lamb and
butter elsewhere, but Iceland has
the best mussels bar none.
If you are craving that quiet,
Lutheran serenity of Scandina-
vian seafood eaten in a marsh
with a semi-elevated view of
downtown - then Aalto Bistro is
your best bet.
Find the best
food in Iceland!
Download our
free dining
app, CRAVING on
the Apple and
Android stores
Laugavegur 130, Hlemmur, 105 Reykjavík Tel : 6 9 2 - 0 5 6 4, 55 - 22 - 444
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
BanThai
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
R E S T A U R A N T
a l s o : 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, 2 0 1 6 a n d 2 0 1 7
BEST THAI FOOD 2018
food is made fresh from scratch, it’s not pre-made
TOP TEN : BEST RESTAURANTS IN ICELAND
DV. 17.06.11
FISH panS
icelandic "plokkfiskur"
Onion, garlic, potatoes,
celery, lime, white wine,
cream and butter
1,950 isk
arcTic cHar
Honey, almonds, cherry–
tomatoes, lemon and butter
2,200 isk
redfisH
Chili, celery root, sour cream,
corn, lemon and cream
2,200 isk
plaice
Tomatoes, capers, parsley,
lemon and butter
2,200 isk
salmon (lacTose–free)
Parsnip, broccoli, cashews,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
2,200 isk
our fisH pans are always served
wiTH buTTer–fried icelandic
poTaToes & fresH salad
any pans
for
luncH?
lækjargaTa 6b, 101 rvk · 546 0095 · messinn@messinn.com
Check out that presentation
Food