Atlantica - 01.04.2006, Page 89

Eat, Meat & Fish
with beans from various countries. Grillid’s
view rivals the food for highlight of the
evening. Three sides of this square restau-
rant are virtually floor-to-ceiling windows,
affording sights across the sea to Keflavík and
Snæfellsnes. Plush maroon chairs match the
carpets and provide comfortable seating in
the upscale environment, which seems suit-
able to both business meetings and romantic
rendezvous. In Hotel Saga, 107 Reykjavík.
525-9960. www.grillid.is
AUSTUR INDÍA FJELAGID. With the cur-
rent minimalist aesthetic in vogue in Reykja-
vík, Austur Indía fjelagid offers a rich sensory
experience in both its food and its environ-
ment. Everything about the place is stylish
– their logo, their menu, the carefully chosen
antiques and art on display from around
India. Try the Kashmiri naan, topped with
sweet dried fruit. Order the tamarind and
coconut basmati, typical in southern India.
And it would be a terrible, terrible shame not
to order one of Austur Indía’s tandoori meat
dishes. The marinated lamb and chicken,
cooked in the kitchen’s traditional clay
tandoori ovens imported from London, are
genious. The meat is so tender and flavorful
it makes you wonder how you’ve been eating
meat any other way all your life. 552-1630.
www.austurindia.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 a two-course meal for only ISK 2,300.
Add a delicious, mouthwatering dessert for
only ISK 600. The menu contains a selec-
tion 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
carpaccio,” 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 as the Italian
restaurant’s menu evolves, this old stand-by
will remain. When you dine at La Prima-
vera, 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 on a long
summer night 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
AT L A N T I CA 87
SPECIAL PROMOTION
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON
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