Atlantica - 01.11.2000, Page 60

58 A T L A N T I C A
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Tokyo Dining
At last, a Japanese restaurant hits the Reykjavík restaurant
scene. Strictly speaking, it’s not so Japanese, for this
particular restaurant is actually part of a successful
Copenhagen sushi chain. Whatever its nationality,
Sticks’n’Sushi has come up with a winning combination of
spot on food, low prices and upbeat service.
Situated in a beautiful, prize-winningly-restored timber
house in Reykjavík’s oldest street, the venue is set to charm.
The premises are on two floors, the ground floor for the
takeaway service, and the upper floor a light and expansive
dining area. Decoration is strictly minimal, lacquered tables
and sober chairs let the original features of the building
shine through.
Sticks’n’Sushi offers an excellent variety of sushi and sashi-
mi, either to be ordered individually or as different set
menus. The “sticks” are otherwise known as Yakitori, skew-
ers of tender meat or vegetables, marinated and barbecued
over an oak fire.
Starters include the ubiquitous Miso soup, a healthy soya bean brew known for its anti-cancerous properties. Drinks
include Japanese beers Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, or Sake, perfect for washing down an overdose of wasabi. AMB
Sticks’n’Sushi, Adalstræti 12, 101 Reykjavík, open daily 12 noon–2 p.m. and 6 p.m.–midnight,
weekends 6 p.m.–midnight, tel. (+354) 511 4400.
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For the fussy tippler like me who doesn’t drink vodka or beer
and insists that white wine is not synonymous with Chardonnay,
the Reykjavík bar scene has long been something of a desert.
But in recent years the odd oasis has sprung up, the latest and
most welcome of these being a little place called Vínbarinn.
“As the name implies, we focus mainly on wine,” says
Sumarlidi Rúnarsson, co-owner of Vínbarinn, literally “the Wine
Bar”, in central Reykjavík. With around 70 varieties available by
the bottle and 15 by the glass, Vínbarinn can confidently claim
to offer one of the broadest selections of wine in the country.
“We felt there was a need for a place which catered for wine
enthusiasts, somewhere comfortable and specialised, not like
your average packed and smoky pub,” says Sumarlidi of the
bar’s origins.
Sumarlidi runs Vínbarinn with his brother Gunnar Páll and
together they are responsible for stocking the cellar. The
brothers are well qualified to know their plonk from their
premier cru, having fine-tuned their palettes on wine-tasting
courses in London. And their efforts have obviously paid off, as
the bar has been growing in popularity ever since it opened. So
what kind of people are these budding connoisseurs who come
to be initiated into the arcane world of wine at Vínbarinn? “All
kinds. From college kids to old-age pensioners.” VC
Vínbarinn, Kirkjutorg 4, 101 Reykjavík, tel. (+354) 5524120.
The Grapes of Mirth
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