Atlantica - 01.04.2006, Qupperneq 88

Eat, Meat & Fish
JÓMFRÚIN. If Gallup was to poll Reykja-
víkians about their favorite Danish open-face
sandwich restaurant, Jómfrúin would win
hands down. Okay, so there’s really only
one Danish open-face sandwich restaurant
in town, but walk down Lækjargata street
at lunch, peek into Jómfrúin’s windows and
see for yourself: the restaurant that is a little
touch of Denmark is packed. “It’s popular be-
cause of Iceland’s relationship to Denmark,”
says Kristján Sigurdsson, the restaurant’s
financial manager, referring to Iceland’s for-
mer status as a Danish colony. “We have quick
service. Great food. And the location is good.”
But don’t take Sigurdsson’s word for it. Try
it yourself, but make sure to order the “H.C.
Andersen”: rye bread with crisp bacon, liver
paté, port aspic, horseradish and the ubiqui-
tous butter spread across most of Jómfrúin’s
open-face sandwiches. Lækjargata 4. 551-0100.
FJALAKÖTTURINN. Fjalakötturinn’s chef,
Thórhildur María Jónsdóttir, truly defies the
odds: she delicately blends cooking tech-
niques from Spain, France, and elsewhere
around the world with the purest Icelandic
ingredients, culminating in haute cuisine
of the most refined class. “Lamb, without a
doubt the lamb,” she says. The meat, soft and
tender as chamois, is served with a signature
mushroom ragout and grilled fennel. Paired
with a vintage red wine, you will be wowed.
Located in the beautiful Hotel Reykjavík
Centrum on one of the city’s oldest streets,
the décor is minimal but unpretentious,
elegant but warm. Don’t leave without
indulging in the chocolate mousse with fresh
berries. To taste is to believe. 514-6060.
HAFID BLÁA. Located on a peninsula
between Thorlákshöfn and Eyrarbakki, on
the southern coast, only the spectacular view
from your table beats Hafid Bláa’s exquisite
cuisine. Watch the North Atlantic’s white-
capped waves crash ashore as you dine on
some of the world’s freshest seafood and fish.
Start with a bowl of the seafood soup, which
the chef will tell you is taken from “Ægir,
the god of the sea.” Be sure to ask about the
fish special, but the lobster, grilled to perfec-
tion and served with rich garlic butter and a
salad made from Iceland’s freshest summer
vegetables, is really what dreams are made
of. Ægir would agree.
In the town of Thorlákshöfn, 483-1000.
KEBAB HÚSID. Kebab Húsid is Reykjavíki-
ans’ favorite spot for a kebab or pizza at 5am
on weekends. The pita breads, chili sauce
and tzatziki are homemade, and the fries are
always piping hot. But you can find an afford-
able meal at Kebab Húsid anytime of day and
in addition to their kebabs, they serve some
of the city’s best fish and chips (a perfect
chance to try fresh Icelandic seafood without
a hefty price tag). Their downtown location
is hard to miss, but if you want more seating
and even a television, head to their branch on
Grensásvegur outside downtown.
Lækjargata 2, 101 Reykjavík. 561-3070.
GRILLID. Discover delights like turbot with
citrus-passion fruit cream, langoustine me-
dallions with nut foam, and a decadent rou-
lade of reindeer carpaccio and chocolate foie
gras at Grillid, the restaurant atop Hotel Saga
in Reykjavík. Grillid’s flagship four-course
“Discovery” menu is a surprise journey of
the chef ’s culinary whimsy. Everything on
the menu is matched with a handpicked
glass of wine, selected by the restaurant’s
award-winning sommelier to complement
the flavors of the dish. The staff explains the
finer points of each item on the menu, down
to the detail of the ingredients in the won-
derful Moroccan dukka spice mixture for the
bread. There is even a special coffee menu,
86 AT L A N T I CA
Reykjavík’s chefs know how to feed their people. Here is a guide to the vie gourmande in the capital.
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