Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2021, Side 28

Falafel For
The Soul
Chickpea brin!s a homey touch to the
downtown dinin! scene
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photos: Art Bicnick
Tucked in next to downtown’s Kro-
nan supermarket lies Chickpea, a
new bijoux vegetarian eatery. Walk
by too fast and you might miss it,
but step inside and you’ll be treat-
ed to a warm, inviting restaurant
whose heart lies in freshly made
falafel.
The birth of Chickpea
Maria Maximciuc started Chick-
pea along with her husband Ar-
tiom Drusca and their best friend
Veaceslav Sirghii. The couple moved
here unexpectedly from Moldova
nine years ago after falling in love
with the country on what was sup-
posed to be a short trip here.
Since coming to Iceland, Maria
has had a few different jobs, but in
the back of her mind, she always
wanted to start a restaurant. And
so, when she found herself without
a job at the beginning of the pan-
demic, she took it as a sign to finally
make her dreams come true. “I re-
member my husband said, ‘So isn’t
it the best time to finally do what
we want to do?’” she says, laugh-
ing. “And so we started looking for
a location.”
The restaurant was always going
to be based around falafel, Maria
explains. “My husband loves falafel.
He was always making it for friends
from scratch and they’d say, ‘Oh my
god, it’s so good! You should open
a restaurant!’” she says. Heed-
ing their friends’ advice wasn’t a
stretch — Artiom is a professional
chef, and he and Veaceslav have
worked in the industry for many
years pre-Chickpea at restaurants
such as Coocoo’s Nest. “And here in
Reykjavík,” Maria continues. ”You
really couldn’t get that good falafel
made from scratch anywhere.”
And so Chickpea was born. “I
knew that the food was going to be
great, but it was just as important to
find a good location. We didn’t want
it to be on the main street. No, we
wanted to do this for the locals and
not focus on the tourists,” she says
lightly.
The soul of Chickpea
And no doubt, the eatery has
achieved its goal. When I arrive, it’s
in the midst of the bustling lunch
rush. And though there are few
seats—even fewer right now due to
the gathering restrictions—all are
taken up by those happily munch-
ing on pitas or salads.
The portions are generous, I
note, the moment my falafel and
salad land in front of me. I’ve opted
not for the classic falafel, but rath-
er their spicy version with kimchi
along with their crispy chickpea
salad. Upon first bite, I know im-
mediately that absolutely every-
thing—from the aforementioned
falafel to the delicate pita to the
tangy kimchi—is freshly made,
and I can’t help but take a moment
to savour it. Hey, it’s not every day
you’re treated to such a prized trio.
“Every morning, the boys come
here to start making the dough and
baking the bread, and then we make
the falafel base,” Maria says, smil-
ing. And many of the ingredients,
she emphasises, are locally sourced.
She then explains where the kimchi
recipe comes from—it’s a family
secret, given to Maria and Artiom
by their beautiful friend Renee from
Taiwan.
Those fresh bites!
The falafel very much brings to
mind the fresh bites you’d find on
the carts of the Middle East—and
the salad is equally as visceral.
While large, neither are particu-
larly heavy and though I’m unde-
niably full after my meal, I’m still
energetic. I’m particularly excited
to try more of their salads in the
coming weeks. The downtown area
currently doesn’t have a dedicated
salad place—but Chickpea could
easily fill that niche.
“We love the zero waste ideology
and have a mindful kitchen,” Maria
says. “We’re offering biodegradable
packaging with all the food taken
away and are using environmen-
tally friendly soaps and cleaning
products inside.”
As I leave, I note they also have
homemade kombucha on offer. And
while I kick myself a bit that I didn’t
grab a glass to pair with my meal,
I’m pretty confident I’ll be back
soon, so it seems Maria was right
when she said they made this place
for the locals.
“This is our soul. All of our
hearts are here,” Maria concludes.
“Chickpea is made for us and the
customers to enjoy.”
Direct from Artiom's kitchen to your tummy
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
The Chickpea crew
Laugavegi 28
537 99 00
sumac@sumac. is
sumac. is