Reykjavík Grapevine - sep. 2019, Síða 44

Wild Monkey
Tapas
Makake injects some Japanese-Spanish
flavour into Grandi
Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photo: Art Bicnick
Makake
Visit Makake at Grandagarður 101,
101 Reykjavík
The Icelandic restaurant landscape
is always shifting. These days, Reyk-
javík seems to be experiencing an
injection of international cuisine.
The last couple of months have seen
the opening of Syrian café Aleppo,
the Moroccan restaurant Kasbah,
and the Afghan restaurant Afghan
Style, to name just a few. One of the
most exciting restaurants to form
out of this multicultural big bang
is the brand-new Japanese-Spanish
tapas house Makake.
Wild people
Helmed by Erna Pétursdóttir, who
is also one of the brains behind
the beloved Ramen Momo, the res-
taurant was joined by chef Mayela
Armas, who shares Erna’s Spanish
roots and her passion for Japanese
cuisine.
Erna dons a bright headband and
the playful grin of someone eager
to surprise the meat-and-potato-
loving Icelanders. “Makake [or
macaque, in English] is a Japanese
wild monkey that are also known
as snow monkeys,” she says. “They
live in matriarchal societies that are
all about sharing and caring. They
even love bathing in hot springs and
rolling snowballs like Icelanders.
We thought it was a great fit since
tapas are made for sharing and, at
Makake, we want people to share, be
playful and have fun.”
With Ramen Momo, Erna carved
out a niche, but Makake takes her
for a deeper plunge, infusing the
Barcelona vibes of Erna’s youth
with the herbal aromas of mochi
ice cream and the sweet smell of
grilled pork belly.
A special cultural blend
The walls of Makake are embla-
zoned with manga-like images of
macaques at play. Red paper lan-
terns frame a recreation of Japa-
nese street dining; tables are made
of beer crates and lights from old
Bundaberg ginger beer bottles.
The fusion between the culinary
traditions of Barcelona and Tokyo
is not as strange as it may seem at
first glance. The Japanese Izakaya
restaurants are bustling after-work
bistros with casual small plate din-
ing built around sharing much like
Spain’s tapas tradition. And those
shared Iberian roots run even deep-
er, as many Japanese dishes were
influenced by traditions brought
over by Portugese travellers in the
16th century. One of the best known
among those being the tempura.
“When I was a kid, I’d love to
visit the Chinese-Venezuelan so-
cial center to see their markets and
restaurants,” chef Mayela chimes in.
“I ended up in charge of Barcelona’s
only Asian cooking school and Erna
and I originally met there during
an intensive Ramen course. Shortly
after, she invited me over to help de-
velop the menu at Ramen Momo and
now Makake. It’s funny how these
things can happen.”
The ever evolving Grandi
“Makake is a dream we’ve had for
five years,” says Erna. “As much as
we love what we have created with
our tiny ramen lunch place. We’ve
been dreaming of opening up some-
thing bigger.”
Makake is located in the black,
white and blue building that used to
house the Kumiko café, over in the
Grandi area which has seen a mas-
sive explosion of new restaurants
and food businesses during the last
five years.
“The food scene in Grandi, has
changed a lot since the beautiful
people from Coocoo’s Nest started
to rework the energy of the area.
Now Grandi reminds me of an area
in Barcelona called Poblenou; both
are industrial areas that have been
reshaped with interesting projects
that would otherwise have a hard
time making rent in the current
rental market. The corner of Grandi
where Makake is based is still de-
veloping but the building is beauti-
ful and spacious and it allows us to
work freely and express our vision.”

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Don't worry, they don't serve monkey
FISH PANS
ICELANDIC "PLOKKFISKUR"
Onion, garlic, potatoes,
celery, lime, white wine,
cream and butter
, ISK

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Honey, almonds, cherry–
tomatoes, lemon and butter
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Chili, celery root, sour cream,
corn, lemon and cream
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PLAICE
Tomatoes, capers, parsley,
lemon and butter
, ISK
SALMON (LACTOSE–FREE)
Parsnip, broccoli, cashews,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
, ISK
OUR FISH PANS ARE ALWAYS SERVED
WITH BUTTER–FRIED ICELANDIC
POTATOES & FRESH SALAD
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What do you know about Ban Thai
Always been the best
in our local people
from the reviews
and local newspaper.
There's a reason why
we get an award
every once a year
r e s t a u r a n t
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
open : 18.00 - 22.00 every day, tel : 5522-444 / 692-0564 / banthai@banthai.is
Laugavegur 130, Reykjavík
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 9
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
BEST RESTAURANTS IN ICELAND
TOP TEN
DV. 17.06.11
Ban Thai is not “fast food”
food made fresh from scratch,
it‘s not pre-made,
every item in the menu
take some time to cook,
Please prepare your time
before you comeBest goddamn restaurant 2011
m a n y f a m o u s p e o p l e a r e r e g u l a r s h e r e
very reasonable prices