Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2020, Page 18

Hey Tourist, This Is How
You Support Iceland
Souvenirs that will get you laid
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen & Valur Grettisson Photo: Art Bicnick
Everyone and their mother leaves
Iceland with some Brennivín, lak-
krís, a stuffed puffin, lopapeysa and
a 66°NORTH hat. And don’t get us
wrong, those are great, but for those
looking for some deep cuts on the sou-
venir/gift scale, here are the Grape-
vine’s picks.

RAX‘s ‘JÖKULL’
Bookstores in Reykjavík & Geysir
Yeah, trekking onto Sólheimajökull
is great and all, but that memory
will only last until your dementia
kicks in. To get a true glacial expe-
rience that’ll last a lifetime, pick up
Ragnar Axelsson’s stunning photo
book ‘JÖKULL’ (‘Glacier’). The 200-
page book features ethereal, eerie,
and intimate portraits of the gla-
cial landscape taken over a 5-year
timespan. Some are aerial views,
others textural close-ups, all pro-
viding a timeless look at the struc-
tures which, to be blunt, will be
gone within the next two centuries.
Thanks, conservatives.

Hildur Yeoman Dress
Yeoman, Skólavör!ustígur 22
If you genuinely want to fit in with
stylish Icelandic women, start
donning Hildur Yeoman. Yes, her
works are a bit pricey—expect
to pay something in the 40,000-
60,000 ISK range for a dress—but
they’re timeless works of art that’ll
fit any occasion. Yeoman is known
for mixing loud, elaborate prints
with classic, elegant cuts, so you’re
guaranteed to find a fit that’s com-
fortable for you.

Lady Brewery,
First Lady IPA
Vínbú!in (and on tap at many bars
around Reykjavík)
Icelanders love to drink—it’s the
#1 way they reproduce—so it’s no
wonder a host of lovely microbrew-
eries have sprung up in the city over
the last few years. Our favourite is
Lady Brewery, created and run by
designer !órey Björk Hall dórs dótt-
ir. Their signature IPA is a delicious
blend of fresh citrus and mellow
floral notes, all in a heady, hoppy
brew. Inspired by “beer witches”—
medieval female brewers who
eventually became the archetypal
witches (a very interesting thing
to research on a rainy day)—it’s the
perfect thing to binge drink as you
sit in your house alone crying over a
Netflix Christmas movie.

Yrsa Sigur!ardóttir’s
‘Someone To Watch Over
Me’
Bookstores in Reykjavík
The best way to enjoy the Icelan-
dic psyche is to slip into the mind
of the country’s crime queen. Yrsa
Sigur"ardóttir is one of the most
successful crime writers in Iceland
and has sold over five million copies
of her books around the world. But
here is a little pro-tip when it comes
to Yrsa: She’s most in her element
when she combines ghost horror
with crime, so if you need some-
thing to read in the dark, ‘Someone
To Watch Over Me’ is both horrify-
ing as well as a slick mystery. The
first pages of the book will freak
you out, but, trust me, keep read-
ing. You won’t regret it.

Literally Any Not-
Internationally-Famous
Icelandic Record
Ask any snob at local record stores
So you’ve got every Björk b-side, a
ton of illegal Sigur Rós merch, and
three Klemens from Hatari fan Ins-
tagram accounts. We get it, you love
Icelandic music. Deepen your clout
with the best souvenir—a record
you can show off to your annoying
I’m-indie-but-really-only-listen-
to-múm friends. If you like classi-
cal, Gabríel Ólafs’ calming piano
works come highly recommended.
The wistful, yacht-rocky stylings of
Bagdad Brothers are great for indie
folk, as is literally everything pro-
duced by the Post-dreifing collec-
tive. For metal, Andavald’s recent
‘Undir skygg"arhaldi’ is a quick
[kvlt] classic. And of course, you
can never go wrong with any of our
Grapevine 2020 Music Award Win-
ners... you know, the feature story
of this very magazine? Yeah, give
them money.
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Fancy
Meal
Óx
Laugavegur 28
Forget dropping in at Óx, for this
place only takes eleven guests
from Wednesdays to Saturdays.
Visitors are instructed to arrive
at 19:00 sharp for a two and a
half hour food journey, which
combines Icelandic traditional
cuisine with a European flair.
You pay upfront and everything
is included—even wine pairings.
It’s truly an intimate experience
unlike anything else you’ll find
in the city. Foodies, don’t miss it.
Grilli!
Hótel Saga, Hagatorg
Grilli!’s service and level of craft
is the best in town. Think caviar
served on a film of seabuckthorn,
or a salt-baked, glazed beetroot
with the consistency of Turkish
delight. Not content with sweet
and unctuous desserts, they
layer in salt and bitterness with
effortless staging; the meringue
with Sichuan pepper is bruléed at
the table, sending mauve streaks
of bilberry running through the
ice cream. This is what raising
the bar looks like.
Grillmarket
Lækjargata 2a
The locally-sourced menu of
Grillmarket has been a hit with
diners since the place opened its
doors. A favourite ‘fancy place’
for locals, the restaurant also
upped its game by offering fresh,
locally grown Icelandic wasabi.
Our panel suggested pairing the
wasabi with a steak, and some-
thing decadent from the exhaus-
tive wine list.
18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2020Best of Reykjavík
Haven't you always wanted to be a Golden Girl?
Joy, Sustainability
& Honesty
Kaupvangur 17 - Egilsstadir
tel: +354-471-2450
Happy Hour
all days 15 - 19
Best selection of Icelandic
Beers in the East
Private rooms & dorms
Homemade cakes & soups,
vegan & friendly food
PRESSURE
Alexander Jean de Fontenay
Anna Róshildur B Böving
Arnar Hjartarson
Aron Freyr Kristjánsson
Elza Sarlote Matvaja
Joe Keys
Lúkas Björn Bogason
Maxime Smári Olson
Móna Lea Óttarsdóttir
Paula Zvane
Ragnhei!ur Stefánsdóttir
Saga Gu!nadóttir
Tryggvi "ór Pétursson
Unnur Birna Jónsdóttir
Victoria Verseau
"órunn Dís Halldórsdóttir
Opening 17.01. – 01.03.2020
Skaftfell - Center for Visual Art
Austurvegur 42, 710 Sey!isfjör!ur
www.skaftfell.is - mail@skaftfell.is