Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2019, Síða 46

The Ölfusá river gushes down through
southern Iceland, from the place where
the Hvítá and Sog rivers meet. The
rapidly flowing torrent is sped along
by springwater tributaries, creating a
roaring, tumultuous flow that winds
its way circuitously down to the cold
south coast, 25 kilometres away.
In days gone by, this wild river pre-
vented fording or crossing by horse-
back or on foot, and ferries would
transport people across to the eastern
shore. The first bridge, built in 1891,
was ultimately no match for the force
of the river, and collapsed in 1944—the
struts still protrude from the choppy
water. The second was finished two
years later, and has fared better.
An interruption
It’s across this sturdy suspension
bridge that we coast into Selfoss on
a wintry December day. The town sits
halfway down the Ölfusá, cleaved in
two by the busy southbound Ring Road
that passes through on its way to the
black coastline. Seen from the car, Self-
oss seems to consist mostly of this sin-
gle main strip lined with chain stores,
banks, a mini mall, some municipal
buildings and a KFC. On a road trip to
Skógafoss, Dyrhólaey, Jökulsárlón and
beyond, Selfoss would flash by without
note—a brief interruption in the vast
swathes of the southern landscape.
Of course, wherever there are peo-
ple to be found, there are stories, too.
The settlement of Selfoss dates back
to the year 1000, when it was founded
by Þórir Ásason. By 1900, one hun-
dred people lived there, growing dra-
matically—by Icelandic standards—
to 6,500 by 2011, making it the largest
town in rural Southern Iceland by a
considerable margin. Amongst other
curiosities, there’s a museum dedi-
cated to Bobby Fischer, whose im-
probable life path brought him here
as his final destination.
Frosted landscape
Today, it’s hard to imagine the rural
town of 1900. We cruise around the
empty residential streets, eyeing the
nondescript houses, then circle back
to the large roundabout that seems to
be the somewhat unsettled heart of
this oddly transient place. The church
was built in 1950, with a proudly mod-
ern design. Not much about Selfoss
suggests its long history.
Hotel Selfoss is a monolithic 139-
room block that looks back towards
the river the we crossed so easily mo-
ments ago. From our bedrooms, we
get a pleasantly unencumbered view
to the Ölfusá. Large shards of ice float
on its surface, coasting along and
getting caught in swirling eddies at
the crook of a bend in the river. In the
background, the mountains are dust-
ed with snow, giving the landscape a
frosted, wintry feel. It’s a taste, per-
haps, of Selfoss before the bridge.
Room at the inn
The main reason for our trip, how-
ever, is to taste something else. Tryg-
gvaskáli is a lauded restaurant locat-
ed in an 1890 house that was the first
hotel in Selfoss. Now a listed build-
ing, the interior layout has stayed
the same throughout the decades
and various uses. It sits just over the
roundabout from the hotel on the
banks of the river, and something
about its placement feels perfect for
an inn.
The interior has a convivial at-
mosphere, with eggshell blue walls,
pleasingly creaky floorboards, and
lots of little touches that speak to the
building’s history. The menu, how-
ever, is thoroughly modern. Chef and
co-owner Fannar Geir Ólafsson’s
style is playfully maximalist, in stark
contrast to the predictably tradition-
al dishes served at most rural Icelan-
dic restaurants.
Up to eleven
Many of the dishes on the game menu
come with unexpected flourishes and
multiple garnishes—the tender slow
cooked pork loin embellished with
chilli crumble and serrano ham, or
the tuna with leek and shallot, but also
pear and a cured egg yolk. The beef
Travel
Distance from
Reykjavík:
57km

Car provided by:
gocarrental.is
Accommodation
provided by:
hotelselfoss.is
Meal provided by:
tryggvaskali.is
How to get there:
Route One South
46The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2019
Over The River
Wintry landscapes and experimental cuisine in Selfoss
Words: John Rogers
Photos : Timothée Lambrecq
A room with a viewLots of ingredients packed into each dish Selfoss church has a modern 1950s design