Atlantica - 01.10.2006, Blaðsíða 72

Eat, Meat & Fish
70 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 and beyond.
ICELANDa
SPECIAL PRN
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 Laekjargata 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. Laekjargata 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 in-
gredients, culminating in haute cuisine of the
most refined class. The meat, soft and tender
as chamois, is served with a signature mush-
room ragout and grilled fennel. Paired with a
vintage red wine, you will be wowed. Located
in the beautiful Hotel Centrum Reykjavík
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. 565-1213.
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. Start
with a bowl of the seafood soup, which the
chef will tell you is taken from “Aegir, the
god of the sea.” Be sure to ask about the fish
special, but the lobster, grilled to perfection
and served with rich garlic butter and a salad
made from the Iceland’s freshest summer
vegetables, is really what dreams are made
of. Aegir would agree.
In the town of Thorlákshöfn. 483-1000.
KEBAB HÚSID Kebab Húsid is Reykja-
víkians’ 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 affordable 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 down-
town. Laekjargata 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,
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
Snaefellsnes. 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
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