Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.12.2019, Page 34

Fine Christmas
Dinin#... And IKEA
As in other corners of the world,
Christmas in Reykjavík is synonymous
with food (and often lots of it).
Words: Ragnar Egilsson/Shruthi Basappa Photos: Art Bicnick
T h e t r a d i t i o n a l C h r i s t m a s
“hla!bor!” (buffet) has been on
its way out in recent years and in
its place we see restaurants of-
fering curated menus of four to
seven courses, bedazzled with wild
game, smoked lamb, turkey, apples,
creams, pickled cabbage and spiced
beers. The Grapevine’s resident
foodies picked four places they felt
are representative of different takes
on the classic holiday menu: The
bargain one, the classic one, the fan-
cy one, and a non-traditional one.
I Need My
Children to Stop
Screaming and
this Turkey Leg
Should do the
Trick
The IKEA Food Court
Packed with punters any day of the
week and never short on screeching
toddlers, IKEA is not everyone’s idea
of cozy meal. However, if you find
yourself there shopping for lamps,
you might as well take advantage of
their ultra-competitive canteen. Be-
cause, for a discount retail chain, it’s
kind of crazy how decent the food is
at IKEA’s food court.
In stead of the tradit iona l
hangikjöt (smoked, deboned leg of
lamb) they opt for a shank on the
bone, bright-red with gnarly ni-
trates and full-flavoured. It is ac-
companied by mashed potatoes and
bechamel but don’t forget a side of
pickled red cabbage or you’ll make
Baby Jesus cry.
If mutton isn’t your game, there’s
a deboned turkey leg with bacon-
heavy stuffing and gravy. It’s not the
most nuanced dish but it more than
gets the job done.
For the vegans you have a vegan
wellington which is a step beyond
the glorified sides vegans are usu-
ally forced to settle for . Baby-food-
green mystery sauce is a lot better
than it looks but the puff pastry is
not the crispiest thing out there.
For a traditional beverage, grab
a can of “hátí!arblanda” (mix of or-
ange soda and a carbonated malt
beverage) or you can take advantage
of IKEA being the second-least-
expensive place to buy alcohol in
Iceland and stock up on a beer and
wine (IKEA is even open on Sun-
days, *hint hint*). Or do like me
and let the sweet phosphoric acid
of Coca-Cola gnaw through the lamb
shank in your belly like Cola Santa
intended. RE
The Grande
Dame
Jómfrúin
Christmas is that time of year when
Icelanders embrace Danish tradi-
tions like they’re their own. And the
fervour reaches festive heights at
Find the best
food in Iceland!
Download our
free events app,
APPENING, on
the Apple and
Android stores
Jómfrúin delivers the scandi-xmas bangers... for your mouth!
Food
At Himalayan Spice, we believe in cooking and serving food
that starts the journey from your eyes and ends in your stomach
giving the feeling of satisfaction and happiness. We bring you
the taste of Himalaya by fusing spices,
love and fresh ingredients.
Laugavegur 60A, 101 Reykjavík
Open: Mon-Fri 12:00-22:00, Sat 13:00-23:00, Sun 13:00-22:00
himalayanspiceiceland.com
ban thai
There's a reason why we get an award every once a year
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 9
Always been the best from the reviews
in our local people and local newspaper.
Best goddamn restaurant 2011
Top Ten of Best restaurants in Iceland ( DV. 17.06.11 )
www.banthai.is tel : 55 -22-444, 692-0564 banthai@banthai.is
very reasonable prices
R E S T A U R A N T
recommend : two very good thai restaurants
MIXED thai restaurant, hverfisgata 125, tel : 588 -1818
YummiYummi thai restaurant, hverfisgata 123, tel : 588 -2121
Laugavegi 28
537 99 00
sumac@sumac. is
sumac. is