Reykjavík Grapevine - ágú. 2022, Blaðsíða 29

cooling in their ice-baths and sauces
and other potions bubble away on
the tiny hotplate behind. Just how
an indulgent tasting menu comes
together in this summer-cabin like
space, might be the greatest magic
of all.
Dinner begins promptly at 6.30
pm, and the conversations begin to
flow just as freely as the bubbles in
our Jean Laurent Blanc de Blancs
champagne. On this occasion, my
dining companions are travel-
lers from across the world and
a few locals; we swap travel tips
over whipped butter with a thin
lavash-like cracker. Smoked lamb
tartlets, a fun play on the “amma
made hangikjöt tartalettur”, arrive
as dainty hors d’oeuvre of nickel-
sized discs of intensely smoked
lamb. They pair wonderfully with
the champagne, and also set the tone
for the evening—updated Icelandic
culinary traditions, without being
too New Nordic-y.
Hits and highlights
Unlike a traditional restaurant
setting, the omakase style theatre
allows the chefs to truly engage with
the room, as if we are in their home,
and dinner progresses as it might in
our own kitchens. Head chef Rúnar
Pierre Herivaux and sous chef Agne
Petkeviciute are particularly adept
at introducing dishes interspersed
with fun behind-the-scenes nuggets
and easy to understand technical
know-how.
Over 16 courses, and with drinks
to match several dishes, the progres-
sion at Óx is expertly tempered.
Small, flavour-packed dishes lead to
generous bites that allow for breath-
ing room to take in the expanse of
culinary alchemy in front of you.
One particular favourite on this
occasion is a fennel pollen speckled
fabric of beet, draped over cubes of
grown-up gummy-bear-like rehy-
drated chewy beets, beet paté and
house-smoked Tindur cheese with
crowberry. The veritable explosion
of texture in every bite has the whole
room sighing with pleasure.
Dishes that don’t quite hit the
high notes are the ones where the
kitchen reaches beyond Iceland
for inspiration and then bafflingly
abandons the original spirit in
favour of dainty plating. Like the
chawanmushi topped with caviar:
what could’ve been a decadent act
of plunging into wobbly, barely-set,
warm savoury egg custard is some-
what lost due to the thin serving,
with even the caviar a poor cover-up.
Where Óx triumphs are its ode
to the island dishes, like the hand
harvested princess scallops from
the Westfjords, served simply sliced
with a wasabi cream and dotted
with freshly grated locally grown
wasabi. Rarely seen local shrimp
with a beautifully clarified tomato
consomme could be their staple star.
Cod makes an appearance one way
or another, and this current itera-
tion with cod collars, cabbage both
sweet and fermented over a wasabi-
lemon custard and warm shrimp
bisque was made more memorable
by the Mystery de Rose Beaujolais
that’d convert even the most non-
gamay lover.
Two dishes have remained stead-
fast on the menu since Óx opened.
The rutabaga gnocchi—buttery
pillows of gobsmacking richness
and lightness, paired with green
apple kombucha—feel like the kind
of warm embrace that only comfort
food can provide. The other is the
steamed rye bread that is delivered
from Laugarvatn everyday. Chef
Þráinn introduces it much like
Simba, the brick of cake-like bread
held aloft, the room ooh-ing and
aah-ing as the malty rugbrauð scent
wafts across the room. Served with
salty butter and dung-smoked trout
floss, it is truly a simple yet satisfy-
ing bite.
Old spirit, new location
Honest theatre of this kind is a
recurring theme at Óx. The wine
flows freely, the conversation ebbs
and flows course after course, and
the chefs prepping and plating the
dishes adds another layer of action.
Getting a table at Óx has always
been tricky, given their 11-seat
constraint. Chef Þráinn reveals his
plans for a new location, a stone’s
throw away from Sumac, for an Óx
2.0 that will seat 18. In the spirit of
keeping things personal yet exclu-
sive, the new Óx will be fronted by
a bar—Ammadon, named after the
chef’s grandmother, that will serve
both classic and experimental cock-
tails. I was lucky enough to be shown
around the new property, and I’m
happy to share that the new loca-
tion will echo that walk-and-find Óx
experience.
More than a chef’s table
The chef ’s table definition is
nowhere near an honest descrip-
tion of the rambunctious dining
experience one finds at Óx. You
walk in expecting it to be a staid,
fine-dining affair, but you walk out
exhilarated by the conversations and
the cross-section of people you just
met, with everything held together
by the dishes that span the lands
and waters of Iceland. Óx manages
to walk that fine line of daring with
its who’s-coming-to-dinner mystery
vibe, mixed with the easy convivial-
ity of an intimate dinner party at
home. It is worth dining here for
that alone, Michelin star notwith-
standing.
Food 29The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08— 2022
H
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rfisgata 12
Happy hour / 4–7pm
Beer / Wine / Cocktails
RÖNTGEN
BEST OF REYKJ AVÍK
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"The fish was how big?"
Not sure what this is, but it's probably delicious