Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Blaðsíða 35

Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Blaðsíða 35
Quite Mexican Navi!atin! the wonder vessel that is the Icelandic taco with the boys at MB Taqueria Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photo: Art Bicnick Taco lovers of Iceland have been on a rollercoaster of emotions over the past 10 years as they’ve gone from having barely any tacos to being blessed with a spattering of devoted taco spots, albeit blipping in and out of existence. Annoying questions One such place is MAT BAR, the beloved neighbourhood bistro. In late 2019, after wowing us with some wonderful vegan tacos, two of the MAT BAR crew capered up the block to open up the offshoot MB Taquería. “We love tacos, so the taco thing happened pretty organically,” co- owner Egill Pietro Gíslason explains. “Based on the success of the tacos at MAT BAR we were looking to spread out and this place was small and per- fectly suited for tacos.” Tequila, tequila His partner, cocktail specialist Siggi Sigur!sson, comes straight out of the Danish high-end cocktail en- vironment. Despite the place not seating more than 25 people in a pinch, Siggi has committed to what is probably the most extensive fixed tequila cocktail menu in the coun- try and makes a vibrant tepache in-house. “I just think that if you want to do something, you should do it full-on,” Siggi says. “If you’re doing a Mexican restaurant you must have a decent selection of tequila. Most of our stuff is specially imported exclusively for us, but we are definitely hoping some of these brands take off.” The ‘pylsa’ approach The current menu consists of three types of tacos (fish, veggies, meat) and at the time of our visit, they featured Al pastor pork, ceviche- like prawns and sautéed zucchini. You get a short stack of tortillas, with each filling on a separate plate, along with a generous accent of seeds, nuts and herbs. This way, customers can assemble tacos to their liking and punch them up with a selection of hot sauces that range from reasonable to murderous. “We wanted different levels of spiciness for people, with at least one real scorcher,” says Egill. “Some people take the ‘pylsa’ approach and put a bit of each sauce but I wouldn’t recommend that for most people. But everyone loves The Hot Ones so it’s also good entertainment.” My dinner companion opted for the hottest sauce and the entertain- ment value was palpable as his face alternated between the reds and yel- lows of the murals behind us. Red & yellow The tacos themselves are all made on the spot, based on a special reci- pe that would seem to owe as much to Gothenburg flatbread as it does to Pueblan maize. “We experimented with a num- ber of recipes, using combinations of oats, barley masa, and polenta and we definitely try to use local ingredients whenever we can,” says Egill. Sourcing those ingredients is no small feat in a place with Ice- land’s geographic limitations. “What’s been nice to see is the influx of non-Icelandic farmers try- ing out new varieties,” adds Siggi. “There is a lot of energy available in Iceland and it’s great to see people build on that. We even have people growing good chillies but it’s still not at the scale where we can rely on it completely.” Glances at the tradition MB Taquería feels in step with the current gastronomic movements of acids, nutty flavours, vegetables and mindful engagement with the food of other cultures. They cast admir- ing glances at the tradition, and are grounded in research, rather than the exoticizing one sees too often. “We’re not trying to be fully Mex- ican, as we’ve never been to Mexico and aren’t making traditional Mexi- can food, says Egill. "Also, it’s nice to be able to give it a local twist and make something that’s quite Mexi- can but not quite Mexican.” 35The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 02— 2020 Taco style Food Ó!INSTORG | 101 | REYKJAVÍK | ÍSLAND SNAPSBISTRO.IS | +354 5116677 FRENCH ONION SOUP Icelandic Ísbúi cheese, croûtons 2.490 kr. MOULES MARINIÈRES steamed mussels from Brei"afjör"ur 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 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

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