Reykjavík Grapevine - Feb 2020, Page 18

Become A Keto
Kardashian
We would never eat bread, are you serious?
Words: The Grapevine’s Carb-Hating Department Photo: Art Bicnick, Skjaldbakan
Over the past year, Keto has be-
come a full-blown fad in Iceland.
Well over 3% of the population has
joined the Keto Iceland group on
Facebook, and restaurants and
grocery stores are jumping on the
bandwagon.
The diet is quite complicated, as
it revolves around eating less than
20 grams of net carbohydrates per
day, which is supposed to bump the
body into a state of ketosis, causing
it to start burning fat for energy in-
stead of carbs and protein. Google
it before you go nuts. Please.
Pizza pizzazz (hold the
crust)
The Grandi Mathöll pizza joint
Skjaldbakan offered the first keto
pizza in Iceland and it is still con-
sidered by many to be the best. They
offer quite a few toppings combi-
nations, so you’re not likely to get
bored anytime soon. Pizzan also
changed the game last year when
they started offering keto pies, in
two versions, and keto breadsticks,
which is a real lifesaver for those
that are starting out and haven’t
quite figured out the grocery shop-
ping. Not to mention, they deliver.
Pizzan also offers a keto ice cream,
although we’re not sure if eating
the whole tub by yourself will ben-
efit your health. You decide.
Café life (pastries
forbidden)
The keto chicken salad at Kaffi
Laugalækur is kind of perfect, in
a keto way. It’s a green salad con-
coction with chicken, eggs, and
bacon shreds, topped with garlic
sauce. Simple, but the raw materi-
als are top-notch. The place is great
too. They serve great coffee from a
small roaster (if you don’t like black
coffee or espresso go for the cortado
with coconut milk), and they have a
lovely kids corner. An all-rounder.
For a downtown newly reopened
classic, there’s also the Laundro-
mat Café. They offer keto versions
of all the burgers, their baked salm-
on and their bearnaise steak.
A fancy night (no bread,
only butter)
A pioneer, Kröst were among the
first to offer a keto burger, which
still holds its own, and most of
their menu has keto options, al-
though you do have to ask the staff.
Other than that, the simplest op-
tions for keto fine dining are the
steakhouses such as MEAT and
Hereford. Matarkjallarinn and
Sjávargrilli! also offer keto modi-
fications to their menu.
Fast fast fast food
Culiacan, the tex-mex fast food
joint, offers three keto-friendly op-
tions, and noodle joint Wok On of-
fers a zucchini noodle base to keep
your carbs in check. Salad spot Lo-
cal offers three ready keto bowls,
and Black Box Pizza does a couple
of pizza options and a keto bowl,
which we quite liked. Bike Cave’s
keto burger gets a mention too. If
you venture far out in the suburbs,
Gullnesti in Grafarvogur offers a
keto burger. Hyper-cheerful fami-
ly-oriented burger joint Fabrikkan
(think TGI Fridays but a bit better
and the burgers are square) offer a
keto bowl, no word on the burgers
though. Subway offers some salad
options that are keto, ask the staff.
Health food joint Saffran’s keto
chicken also deserves a mention.
For the vegetarians
This category is unfortunately very
slim, especially since the carbon
footprint on mostly meat-based
dishes is not great. Gló has the
only veg/keto option we know of,
although their veggie keto bowl is
more low-carb than keto, clocking
in at around 25 g. of carbs. They
also offer a keto chicken salad and a
keto burger, which is quite popular.
Kröst can custom-make a vegetar-
ian keto burger, with their Beyond
Meat patty. It works without bacon,
but if you skip the egg, it’s quite
sparse. Here’s hoping that in the
future more of the vegan restau-
rant biz will try to get the low-carb
crowd in. One can only dream.
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Sushi
Fish Market
A!alstræti 12
One of a handful of places serv-
ing fresh Icelandic wasabi—the
others being ÓX and Grillmar-
ket—Fish Market was also one of
the first Icelandic restaurants to
serve sushi. While the maki rolls
are popular, we recommend the
roe gunkan rolls—seaweed col-
lared beauties generously topped
with lightly cured fish eggs. The
sashimi platter is an assortment
of fresh seafood with a mound
of crunchy wakame. Get a seat at
the sushi bar, pair your food with
the wasabi cocktail, and let Keto
be damned.
Runners Up:
Fiskfélagi!
Vesturgata 2a
Fish Company’s lunchtime-only
sushi is perfect for crummy days
when only an elegant meal will
cure workday blues. FC cleverly
packages our pet peeve—pylsu
sushi (read below)—as a Lobster
Maki Roll, with deep-fried lan-
goustine insides, cuddling dates
and peppers for a true Icelandic
style sushi.
Sushi Social
"ingholtsstræti 5
Sushi Social is a no-holds barred
ode to the evolution of sushi on
this island—aka ‘pylsu sushi.’
Embrace the joys of island su-
shi, and assuage any guilt via
the cocktail menu. Check out the
surf and turf rolls, and keep an
eye out for their Tuna festival.
18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02— 2020Best of Reykjavík
Keto makes Hlemmur look all summery. This photo was shot yesterday.
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