Reykjavík Grapevine - sep. 2019, Síða 45

Adjusted
Expectations
Hits and misses at Kröst
Words: Shruthi Basappa Photos: Art Bicnick
Kröst
Visit the restaurant at the Hlemmur
Mathöll, Laugavegur 107, and online
at krost.is
Small in size, but delivering on
content, there’s plenty to choose
from at the Hlemmur Mathöll—
Neapolitan pizzas, Mexican tacos
and even a Michelin Bib gastropub.
Kröst, a grill and wine bar, stands
in good company.
Bustling and jovial, the atmo-
sphere at the food hall is usually
festive. But sometimes, one might
seek their own little island amidst
the conviviality. It is a thought-
ful detail then, that the seating at
Kröst is designed for an intimate
bar-side experience; the seating
is both ergonomic and comfort-
able. You’ll appreciate this detail
once you’ve struggled to get out
of the benches flanking the tables
throughout the rest of the food
hall.
Bubbly bubbles
Kröst ’s popular bubbly happy
hour might be reason enough to
quit work early for a daily aperitif.
A glass or small bottle of main-
stream Drappier and Bollinger,
to non-vintage houses like Louis
Roederer along-
side Proseccos
and Rosés are
a t t r a c t i v e l y
priced between
1,200 ISK and
3,000 ISK.
I particular-
ly like their se-
lection of reds, often bordering on
full bodied mature wines. If ‘light-
er’ is how you roll, then the garnet
hued, berry rich 2015 Château Bois
Pertuis Bordeaux punches above
its bracket at just 1790 ISK.
At dinner recently, I discovered
a long finished summer white
from Chavy-Chouet (2,190 ISK), a
2017 Bourgogne Les Femelottes—
the 100% Chardonnay’s buttery
smoothness pairs pleasantly with
the simply grilled salmon (3,480
ISK). The rich, crisp acidity of the
wine plays nicely with the fresh
cucumber salsa and together they
make for a winning summer dish.
Spare the burger
Kröst has long advertised its pen-
chant for burgers and bubbly. Allit-
eration and bubbly they nail, burg-
ers, not so much.
Po p u l a r i s e d a s
the Krösti (2,490
ISK, add-ons ad-
ditional), and now
offered in three
variants—vegan,
meat and Keto—
they are uniformly
off the mark with alarming con-
sistency.
The meat burger is uninspir-
ing, even if the patty was cooked
to a nice medium rare. The house
ketchup is savoury and has a kick.
The potatoes are an ever-changing
formula; it could be fry short ends,
or whole baby potatoes or even
crisps. Pickles are, sadly, amiss.
The worst offender, though, is
the Vegan Krösti, advertised as
a patty with caramelised onions
and apple salad, both curiously
absent from the served dish. The
patty itself is lacklustre—cracked,
dry lake bed like surface, with the
same desolate dusty air about it.
Where their patty once held a little
grain for bite and black bean for
heft, it is now one-note, and tex-
tured for a toothless babe.
I’d either revisit the old recipe
or take a leaf out of KFC’s veggie
patty offered overseas—chock full
of assorted veggies held togeth-
er with potatoes and cooked to a
shattering crunch.
Adjusted expectations
Kröst’s menu is designed for opti-
mum wine quaffing satisfaction.
It’s been my experience that the
suggested pairings on the menu
are sound but the staff recommen-
dations may be a hit or miss de-
pending on the server. The clearly
spelled suggestions also take out
the guesswork, making an out-
ing at Kröst enjoyable for both the
show-off wine aficionado and the
greenhorn.
Keep in mind that Kröst will
knock your socks off only oc-
casionally. It clearly holds itself
to higher standards, evidenced
by their full fledged wine selec-
tion. And in the present Reykjavík
restaurant climate, to quote Jay
Rayner, it’s more of a recommen-
dation than it may seem.
45The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14— 2019
Kröst, complete with flags
Kröst delivers...sometimes
“Alliteration and
bubbly they nail,
burgers, not so
much.”
ÓÐINSTORG | 101 | REYKJAVÍK | ÍSLAND
SNAPSBISTRO.IS | +354 5116677
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Icelandic Ísbúi cheese, croûtons
2.490 kr.
MOULES MARINIÈRES
steamed mussels from Breiðafjörður
2.600 kr.
FISH OF THE DAY
chef´s special
3.990 kr.
Lunch offer from 11:30 - 14:00 1.990 kr.
EST. 2012REYKJAVIK