Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.05.2019, Síða 41

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Spring has arrived at La Primavera
Words: Shruthi Basappa Photo: Art Bicnick
La Primavera
Visit the restaurant at The Marshall
House, Grandagarður 20, and online
at laprimavera.is
La Primavera is a welcome respite
from tasting menus and small
plates. The concise menu seems like
Chef Leifur Kolbeinsson has cast
aside the present-day trend of mak-
ing cuisines less intimidating to
diners—and I, for one, am happy to
see chefs having faith in their cook-
ing, and in the expanding palates of
diners, allowing them to embrace
food for what it is, without the mol-
lycoddling of familiar flourishes or
‘local interpretations.’
It ’s an assured way for this
much-admired institution to make
a comeback—on its 25th anniver-
sary, no less.
Fare una pizza
The starkly Italian menu shines a
spotlight on lesser known (outside
of Italy, anyway) regional dishes
like Pasta di Girini (1,100 ISK),
a Friulian dish from Northeast
Italy, often described as “tadpole
pasta” thanks to its shape. Fresh
cod roe makes an appearance, at
the height of its freshness, as but-
tery, pan-fried roundels, slapped
to attention with a puttanesca-ish
sauce, the hard fried slivers of garlic
a lovely contrast to the creamy roe.
Fickle spring
Deliciousness notwithstanding, La
Primavera can be inconsistent—
much like the Icelandic spring. At
a recent dinner, the primi courses
were 3/4 seafood dishes, and most
fell short of brilliant.
The Ravioli with Baccala (3,980
ISK) had silky pasta, but was an as-
sembly of too-soft filling, soft to-
matoes and soft capers. The Veneri
Seafood Risotto (3,980 ISK) arrived
looking like it is ‘all’onda.’ Risotto
should flow across the plate, cre-
ating waves as it
were. But on closer
i n s p e c t ion, ou r
dish has split—
the rice and the
starch haven’t been
cooked enough to
amalgamate into
creamy perfection,
and the last flour-
ish of heavy handed
‘mantecatura’ cre-
ated pudd les of
melted fat amidst
the rice. When SOE
Kitchen first de-
buted this dish, it
hit all the right notes; perhaps a
revisit is necessary for the kitchen.
Assured confidence
Regardless, I will go back. For when
they get it right, La Primavera truly
gets it right. The full lunch services
are proof. The Veal Milanese (4,990
ISK) is tender, with text-book ex-
ecution. For diners with Instagram
devotion to tweezer-precise plating,
or ‘of the moment’ modernity, the
presentation might seem anti-cli-
mactic. It might (wrongly) also keep
them away from La Primavera. But
one bite of the crunchy cutlet, and
we were reminded why pared-down
simplicity is often best.
The wine menu is contemporary,
with regional selections drawn
from across Italy, from full-bod-
ied Tuscans to sunny Romagnian
whites. Their by-the-glass pours are
pleasingly generous, and I’ve often
discovered a wine I didn’t know of
before. The bottles, however, are
pricey—Suavia Monte Carbonare
for 9,300 ISK really bleeds your wal-
let dry.
Biscuits and wine
The endings at La Primavera should
be as sweet as the Cheesecake La
Vina (1,600 ISK). The slice has got-
ten smaller since the
restaurant’s renam-
ing, but it still tastes
excellent. They also
ma ke good Ita l ian
coffee, served with
housemade cookies
like pistachio amaretti
or hazelnut brutti ma
buoni.
La P r i m avera
doesn’t trade on fer-
mented vegetables,
foraged f lowers or
reimagined cuisine,
which comes as a relief
in a time when many
restaurants seem like clones of each
other. If they could iron out a few
inconsistencies and rethink some
menu choices, they might just ride
out the rough Icelandic tides that
Reykjavík restaurants have been
facing lately.
41The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08— 2019
Chef Leifur Kolbeinsson at work
“The starkly
Italian menu
shines a spot-
light on lesser
known, out-
side of Italy,
anyway,
regional
dishes.”
ÓÐINSTORG | 101 | REYKJAVÍK | ÍSLAND
SNAPSBISTRO.IS | +354 5116677
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Icelandic Ísbúi cheese, croûtons
2.390 kr.
MOULES MARINIÈRES
steamed mussels from Breiðafjörður
2.600 kr.
FISH OF THE DAY
chef´s special
3.890 kr.
Lunch offer from 11:30 - 14:00 1.990 kr.
EST. 2012REYKJAVIK