Atlantica - 01.12.2006, Side 73

Eat, Meat & Fish
AT L A N T I CA 71
SPECIAL PROMOTION
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON
Reykjavík’s chefs know how to feed their people. Here is a guide to the vie gourmande in the capital and beyond.
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 as the Italian restaurant’s menu evolves,
this old stand-by will remain. When you dine at
La Primavera, located on Austurstraeti, 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. lapri-
mavera.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.
voxrestaurant.com
SALT LOUNGE BAR AND RESTAURANT
After spending a day trawling around downtown,
scoot over to the casual and sophisticated Salt
Lounge Bar and Restaurant. Right downtown in
the former headquarters of shipping icon Eim-
skip, Salt has turned a corner of Icelandic history
into a chic lounge bar, with 20th century design
and global electronica soundtrack that make it
the perfect place for a cup of coffee or a glass of
wine. The restaurant has a kitchen where you
can see the chefs preparing dinners of free-range
lamb, fresh seafood, and creative dishes with a
Latin American accent. In the lobby of the
Radisson SAS 1919 Hotel. 599-1020.
VID TJÖRNINA Why not go to dinner by the
lake, which is the English translation of Vid
Tjörnina, the restaurant that specializes in Ice-
landic seafood, located next to the Tjörnin lake
in downtown Reykjavík. Okay, so it’s a pond,
not a lake. Regardless, after enjoying a meal of
the freshest salted cod you’ve ever tasted in the
cozy restaurant that feels like your living room,
grab some bread, step down to the pond, and
feed the waterfowl. 551-8666. vidtjornina.is
LAEKJARBREKKA Romantic and elegant,
Laekjarbrekka feels like a European inn.
Housed in one of Reykjavík’s oldest buildings,
Laekjarbrekka is a classic restaurant serving a
diverse menu, from café-styled, light lunches
to main courses such as Baccalao in a crust of
Manchego, or Icelandic lobster tails. After din-
ner, retire to the bar and cognac room to finish
off the night in style. 551-4430. laekjarbrekka.is
SJÁVARKJALLARINN Not easy to find, but
always a winner. Try Sjávarkjallarinn’s exotic
meat and seafood sampler and you will not
be disappointed. Perhaps you’ll have candied
roasted quail followed by delicate sushi, monk-
fish and gorgeous reindeer. Or you might get
to sample some tender kangaroo. The waitstaff
is friendly and helpful as they guide you
through the languid meal that might be – no
matter how well heeled you are on the food
circuit – among the best you’ve had. Almost ev-
erything, from the anise-infused bread topping
to the mocha and orange crème brulée with
candy that pops in your mouth, is out of this
world. 511-1212. sjavarkjallarinn.is
HUMARHÚSID The “Lobster House”
opened up downtown 11 years ago, special-
izing in lobster, seafood and meat dishes.
Try the lobster bisque, prepared with cream,
brandy, and lobster, or the whale sashimi
served with licorice-soy sauce. For your main
course, try the popular “five times” lobster
– lobster cooked five different ways – or
another special of the house, the popular
tenderloin of horse. And for dessert, the
white chocolate crème brulée will treat you
right. 561-3303. humarhusid.is
TVEIR FISKAR At Tveir fiskar the menu
changes regularly, according to Gissur
Gudmundsson, the restaurant’s owner. But
this change makes perfect sense, because an
adherence to freshness is Gissur’s motto: “If
it’s not fresh today, you won’t see it on the
menu.” One constant at Tveir fiskar is the
quality dishes served, regardless of what the
fish of the day happens to be. And the dining
experience is enhanced by the elegant at-
mosphere of this restaurant, perched on the
edge of Reykjavík’s historic harbor. 511-3474.
restaurant.is
THRÍR FRAKKAR. Come on. Try it. Aren’t
you curious as to what whale actually tastes
like? At the homey restaurant Thrír frak-
kar, whale is for sale, served as a Sahsimi
appetizer or a whale pepper steak. If the
fishy meat doesn’t appeal, there are numer-
ous Greenpeace-approved meals at what is
perhaps Reykjavík’s top seafood restaurant,
including smoked puffin. Try the specialty,
plokkfiskur, a seafood mash with potatoes,
au gratin. 552-3939. 3frakkar.com

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