Reykjavík Grapevine - jul. 2021, Side 28

Food
Hé!inn And The
Li"htness Of That Tomato
Reykjavík's latest food tech incubator is build around community
Words: Shruthi Basappa Photos: Hallur Karlsson
One might be forgiven for not hav-
ing expectations beyond the or-
dinary when passing the non-de-
script spine connecting downtown
Reykjavik and Grandi. But walking
into Hé!inn Kitchen & Bar, Reykja-
vík’s newest—and likely largest—
restaurant instantly transports
you to a montage of big city life
echoing the industrial past of Lon-
don or New York
The vestibule allows the right
amount of repose to take in the
dramatic high ceilings, and chain
mesh islands of swank and gloss.
Take a moment and scan the land-
scape for that ideal dining spot—
the factory windows spanning
three floors, the dusky teal and
blue-grey mural or the slinky bar
perhaps? There is plenty to choose
from, 140 seats to be precise.
Design, meet history
It turns out Hé!inn recalls Vé-
lsmi!jan Hé!inn, a homegrown
icon among industrial compa-
nies that accelerated its fishing
fortunes by investing in its ship
building and steel machinery
works. This used to be their flag-
ship production facility designed
by Ar. Sigur!ur Pjetursson in 1941.
Few structures in Reykjavik re-
main that preserve memories of its
industrial past, let alone embrace
and celebrate it. Hé!insreitur has
served as everything from office
spaces to a gym to being the Loft-
kastalinn theatre and the final
resting place of Páll Óskar’s spar-
kly unicorn float.
Planning efforts in recent times
have made room for mixed use de-
velopment that I expect will serve
the restaurant well. Hotel guests
are expected to enjoy full breakfast
services while local residents (300
apartments are underway in and
around the area) can enjoy a lunch
menu distinct from its dinner of-
ferings (they’re a proofread away
from being guest-ready, however).
Architects Gláma Kím and interi-
ors by I am Studio, London, have
brought factory-cool forward with
the chain mesh curtains floating
above the kitchen and bar creating
islands of focus.
Kitchen & Bar
The menu steers away from the set
menu format, a welcome respite
in a city saturated with the con-
cept. The highlight of the meal is
a tomato number (2290 ISK) with
tomatoes semi dried and fresh,
presented as a wreath and dotted
with carefully placed croutons and
splotches of stracciatella, all local,
finally crowned by a good glug of
spicy, cold tomato broth. I thor-
oughly enjoyed this dish and it cer-
tainly captures the spirit of head
chef Sigurjón Braga Geirsson’s
hope for the seasonal and local.
Seafood is likely what the kitch-
en wants to showcase best as we
were treated to a beautifully pre-
sented platter of smoked haddock
(2990 ISK) with green apples and
pickled onions in a moat of white
wine velouté. A textbook halibut
(4990 ISK) with a last minute finish
on the grill was only overshadowed
NATIONAL MUSEUM
OF ICELAND
Opening Hours
Daily 10–17
Closed on
Mondays 16/9–30/4
The National Museum of Iceland
Su!urgata 41, 101 Reykjavík
www.nationalmuseum.is
+354 530 2200
@icelandnationalmuseum
@thjodminjasafn
WELCOME
TO THE
NATIONAL
MUSEUM
OF ICELAND
Laugavegi 28
537 99 00
sumac@sumac. is
sumac. is