Atlantica - 01.12.2006, Side 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.
SILFUR Take an unbeatable location, an
award-winning chef who isn’t afraid to go out
on a limb, and some mighty fine cocktails,
and you’ve got yourself Silfur, the shiny new
addition to Reykjavík’s fine dining set. Get to
Silfur early to choose from one of the city’s best
drink menus, offering everything from Veuve
Clicquot by the glass to an amazing blueberry
mojito and a passion fruit caipiroska. Silfur
(which means “silver” in Icelandic) offers New
French cuisine on a menu that encourages
patrons to order several small dishes and tour a
variety of fresh local and international ingredi-
ents on offer. Whether you are a party of two
or ten, the best way to go is to order the Silfur’s
Flavours menu, a five-course set menu chosen
by chef Thórarinn Eggertsson, Iceland’s 2005
chef of the year and a silver medallist in the
2006 Scandinavian chef of the year. Designed
to encourage customers to try things they
might not normally order, the Flavours menu
delivers creative combinations like langoustine
and avocado, foie gras and tuna sashimi, pigeon
and apple buerre. The menu comes with highly
recommended wine pairings, and is, from
beginning to delicious end, a foodie’s dream.
Open weekdays for lunch, dinners every night
of the week. On Fridays and Saturdays, Silfur
seats for dinner until 11:30 pm, which makes
this not only one of the best tables in town, but
also one of the latest. 578-2008. silfur.is
GRILLID Discover delights like turbot with
citrus-passion fruit cream, langoustine medal-
lions with nut foam, and a decadent roulade
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-win-
ning 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 wonderful 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 restaurant 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 suitable to both business meetings and
romantic rendezvous.
In Hotel Saga, 107 Reykjavík. 525-9960. grillid.is
AUSTUR INDÍA FJELAGID With the
current minimalist aesthetic in vogue in
Reykjavík, Austur Indía fjelagid offers a rich
sensory experience in both its food and its
environment. Everything about the place is
stylish – their logo, their menu, the carefully
chosen antiques and art on display from
around India. The restaurant has a new menu
this fall. Start with the panfried Thilwali
lobster or Jeera Gosht Tikka, a grilled lamb.
For your main course, choose between pan-
fried dishes like the Lobster Masala or Tiger
Prawn Varuval, or order one of Austur Indía’s
famous tandoori dishes. The marinated lamb,
chicken and halibut, cooked in the kitchen’s
traditional clay tandoori ovens imported
from London, are all genius. The meat is so
tender and flavorful it makes you wonder
how you’ve been eating meat any other way
all your life. Try an order of lacha paratha,
layered bread baked in the tandoori oven, and
tomato rice, typical in southern India, on the
side. 552-1630. austurindia.is
Hótel Holt For an aristocratic dining experi-
ence 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 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. hotelholt.is
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