Atlantica - 01.01.2006, Qupperneq 62

Eat Decadent and Be Happy
Reykjavík’s chefs know how
to feed their people. Here is a
guide to the vie gourmande
in the capital.
Fjörukráin. Icelanders celebrate the mid-
point of winter with Thorrablót. This cel-
ebratory feast dates back to the Viking times
when farmers desperate to stay alive through
the seemingly endless winter ate every part
of the sheep, including the head, slátur (blood
sausage) and “all that stuff,” says Jón Thór
Eythórsson, finance manager at Fjörukráin,
the Viking restaurant located in Hafnarfjörd-
ur. If you’ve had enough of ram’s testicles
(can one ever get enough?), sit down to the
popular Viking dinner special that starts
ravenous tourists off with shark and dried
haddock, served with chilled Brennivín
schnapps, followed by a main course of
braised lamb shank with potato purée and
glazed vegetables. 565-1213. www.fjorukrain.is
Hótel Holt. For an aristocratic dining
experience that won’t leave you sore in the
wallet, lunch at the elegant Hótel Holt where
sommelier Ómar Nilsen will serve you either
a two-course meal for only ISK 2300 or add
a delicious, mouthwatering dessert for only
ISK 600. The menu contains a selection of
four Hors d’Oeuvres and four main courses,
three of which are “fish related,” says Nilsen.
The lunch experience at Hótel Holt runs
seven days a week from 12:00 to 2:30.
Reservations are preferred. 552-5700.
www.hotelholt.is
La Primavera. “Start with the beef carpac-
cio,” says Leifur Kolbeinsson, owner and
chef of La Primavera. “It’s been on the menu
since we started.” An excellent choice, and
good to know that when the Italian restau-
rant’s menu changes with the ringing in of
the New Year, this old stand-by will remain.
When you dine at La Primavera, located
on Austurstræti, try the fillet of reindeer
with gorgonzola-filled fig and chanterelle in
marsala. If the dish is not on the menu, don’t
fret, because La Primavera’s choices of fresh
fish are mouthwatering.
561-8555. www.laprimavera.is
Vox. This recently revamped restaurant in
Hotel Nordica has turned buffet and bistro
food into an art form. Their new light
brunch buffets please both the foodie and
dieter in you, and their Sunday brunch is a
showstopper, stacked with eggs, bacon, fresh
juices and loads of desserts. Any given night
you can sit down to an elegantly casual meal.
You will walk out wowed by the food and
spoiled from the service.
444-5050. www.voxrestaurant.com
Perlan. It’s hard to think of a better place to
treat yourself to a good dinner in the heart
of winter than Perlan. “The Pearl,” one of
Reykjavík’s most noticeable architectural
landmarks on its perch at the top of town,
is even more striking to eat in than to look
at. The inside of its glass dome is lined
with little white lights, and the dining room
rotates while you eat. Appetizers like wild
mushroom carpaccio and artichoke flan, and
entrées like Gressingham duck breast and
reindeer, make this modern spin on Icelandic
cooking an indulgence worth your while.
562-0200. www.perlan.is
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