Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2019, Blaðsíða 40

The Only Cod War
That Matters
Three downtown fish ‘n’ chips joints, rated
Words: John Rogers, Photo: Facebook
Ah, fish ‘n’ chips, the food of kings.
Greyjoy ones, anyway. They’re best
eaten piping hot in the open air,
doused in salt and vinegar, and
preferably within spitting distance
of the sea.
It seems like a dish that Reykja-
vík should excel in. Potatoes, fish
and sea? Triple check. Love of all
things deep fried? Check again, bold
and underlined.
But much like a perfect pizza
Margherita, spaghetti carbonara
or Hungarian goulash, Britain’s
famous gift to the culinary world
is simple to make, and difficult to
perfect. We went to a few Reykjavík
chippies to see how they fare in the
only cod war that matters.
Fear the walking
vinegar
Google’s top hit is Icelandic Fish
& Chips at Tryggvagata 11. It has a
rolling menu of different types of
fish—a promising start, suggesting
they have a connection to the Icelan-
dic supply chain. I opt for the tusk,
which—somewhat sacrilegious-
ly—comes with wedges instead of
chips. What the heck, Icelandic Fish
& Chips? “Chips” is in the name of
the restaurant! You had TWO JOBS.
A factor that partially rights this
affront is the sight of malt vinegar
on the tables. It comes in a small
glass bottle with a pipette, which
succinctly describes the Icelan-
dic attitude towards this much-
maligned condiment. It’s stored
like some kind of toxic, dangerous
chemical. All that’s missing is a bio-
hazard symbol.
The fish comes quickly, in a gen-
erous portion of four fillets about
the right size to be considered fin-
ger food. The batter is light, crisp
and slightly salted, like a tempura
hybrid. The tusk is flakey, juicy, and
very enjoyable. The wedges, how-
ever, are weird. Deep-fried at high
heat, they’re charred and oily. Our
tip is to skip the chips, and buy a
pint with the change. Icelandic Fish
& Beer—a concept we can get firmly
behind.
Weaponized condiment
Next up is Reykjavík Fish at Geirs-
gata 4a. Here, the vinegar-phobia
manifests in a spritzer with a tight
lid; kind of a mace-like weaponized
spray version. The only fish on offer,
outside of their wider non-fish-‘n’-
chips menu, is cod. Which is fine.
We can respect picking a lane.
It comes as two big chunks in a
thin batter, much like you’d find in
an everyday British chippy. It even
disintegrates in your hands in such
an authentic way that I’m tempo-
rarily transported to Portsmouth
harbour.
The chips? I’m shocked as they’re
revealed beneath the brown paper.
They’re not chips at all, but skinny,
crunchy, cardboard-y french fries.
Not cool at all, and a red card of-
fence.
Vinegar for days
The third and final stop of the day
is the red Fish And Chips Wagon,
located on the harbourside street
of Hlésgata. There’s a big queue and
plenty of people happily munching
down their dinner on some nearby
benches. It looks right and smells
right. The condiment shelf comes
with big, glorious vinegar bottles to
properly douse the meal.
This must be the one, I think,
opening the box to be serenaded by
the perfect fried fish aroma. The
chunky, fluffy chips are a sight for
sore eyes. I reach for the battered,
mouth-wateringly crispy fish... and
find that it’s a perfect miniaturised
portion, around half the size of the
other places.
So very close, and yet so far. If
they upped the size of their offering,
this would be the place. As it stands?
Either double-dinner or a pilgrim-
age to Portsmouth Harbour might
be in order.
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The blue one, the good one
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
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 9
ALSO BEST : 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018
BEST GOD DAMM RESTAURANT 2011 TOP TEN : BEST RESTAURANTS IN ICELAND
DV. 17.06.11
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R E S T A U R A N T
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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
many famous people are regulars here
tel : 5522-444, 692-0564 banthai@banthai.is
Ban Thai is not “fast food” restaurant
food made fresh from scratch, it‘s not pre-made, every meal take some time to cook
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