Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2020, Side 34

Six Unmissable RVK Bites
The places our food reviewer dreams about...
Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photos: Art Bicnick
We’ve told you where to eat, now
we’ll tell you what to eat. And don’t
worry—we’ve forgone the usual
sheep heads and twisted donuts
and are instead serving up six Reyk-
javík bites we keep coming back to.
The Pretzel Croissant at
Brau" og Co.
You don’t need to be in love with
pretzels or croissants to love this
hybrid, found at one of Reykjavík’s
stand-out bakeries. Here, elements
of Germany’s shiny, knotted inven-
tion have been merged w ith
France’s national pastry to produce
something wholly different. First,
you get hit with the almost-bitter
malt flavour of the pretzel before
being embraced by the buttery
goodness of the croissant. You’ll
thank us later.
An Ice Cream Sandwich
at Skúbb
The Grapevine’s love for Skúbb is no
secret and it’s no big conspiracy;
they simply make the best ice cream
in the country. Vibrant flavours,
natural colours, creamy texture—
they are consistently wonderful.
The parlour rotates their flavours
quickly so it’s difficult to guarantee
the availability of a specific flavour
(also: don’t make me Sophie’s
Choice this thing). All we ask is you
slap your flavour of choice between
two of their rich, freshly-baked
chocolate chip cookies.
The Lemon Poppy Seed
Doughnut at Deig
Like at Skúbb, it’s hard to make any
promises about availability due to
Deig’s love of innovation and sur-
prising flavours. The good news is
that you’ll rarely see a misstep there
as all of their stuff is amazing. Stop
by, and Deig’ll fix you up with a
chocolate cake cruller, crème brûlée
doughnut or some other fried de-
light. But if you get a chance to taste
their glazed, almost cakey, lemon
poppy seed doughnut—leap on it
like a werewolf.
Beetroot and Feta at
Fjallkonan
It’s worth mentioning again that, at
the time of writing, Fjallkonan is
serving up one of Reykjavík’s most
pleasant wholesomely, vegetarian,
Ottolenghi-fied dishes in town.
Roasted beets are decked with
whipped feta and a sprinkling of
pomegranates, chunks of crispy
Parmigiano and toasted pistachios
before getting a drizzle of elder-
flower vinaigrette. Earthy, nutty,
creamy, tart, salty, umami—this
one has it all.
The Slow-cooked Cod at
Matarkjallarinn
Matarkjallarinn has a range of
more inventive dishes and on the
face of it, the slow-cooked cod may
not seem that exciting. But al-
though it may not be shattering cu-
linary conventions, it’s the mouth-
watering execution that keeps us
coming back. The cod is given a
short cure before being cooked
painstakingly slow until the texture
becomes lobsterlike. This is then
bathed in a langoustine hollandaise
and shipped with crispy green as-
paragus and near-transparent slic-
es of smoked-lamb “parm.”
Aunt Rosie Cocktail at
Luna Flórens
Luna Flórens is where Stevie Nicks
would go for a dignified cocktail be-
fore slamming down a shipping
container’s worth of disco powder.
It’s got that cool aunty vibe com-
plete with magic crystals and
“healthy” cocktails—and as an add-
ed bonus, said cocktails are among
the best in town. Go with your gut
on this one but we have a real soft
spot for the Aunt Rosie: a pink basil
and citrus-infused gin boosted
with pomegranate and topped with
prosecco. It doesn’t hurt that none
of their cocktails break the 2,000
ISK mark (which in Iceland counts
as very affordable).
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Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
Food
FISH & MORE
SkólavörDustígur 23 • 101 reykjavík
Steamed Fresh Fish, Traditional Icelandic Fish ‘Stew’, Fish & Vegan Soups,
Smoked Salmon & Vegan Toppings on Sourdough Bread, Beer, Wine, Coffee & more
15% DISCOUNT
SALKA VALKA
15% discount of total bill, every day
IF you bring this ticket
Laugavegi 28
537 99 00
sumac@sumac. is
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