Iceland review - 2006, Blaðsíða 79

Bad news if your trip to Iceland is scheduled between July 10 and August 10
– you’ll miss one of Reykjavík’s best dining experiences. Grillid restaurant,
located atop Hotel Saga in the residential Vesturbaer neighborhood, closes
every summer for its staff summer holidays. Grillid is proud of this fact,
since it prevents them from hiring less well-qualified summer staff whose
inexperience may diminish the sterling reputation of the establishment.
For anyone in town the remaining 11 months of the year, a visit to Grillid,
one of the city’s oldest restaurants, will inevitably be a memorable dining
experience.
The menu, created by national team chef Bjarni Gunnar Kristinsson,
features fresh Icelandic ingredients, like arctic char and reindeer, prepared
in contemporary style. “I try to make the dishes light enough that you
can enjoy the meal and still go dancing downtown afterwards,” explained
Bjarni.
Vegetarians will find Grillid a welcome surprise; there is a special three-
course “Grill Nature” menu available. Those willing to try anything will want
to order the restaurant’s flagship option, the four-course “Discovery” menu,
a surprise journey of the chef’s culinary whimsy.
On my visit, I discovered delights like turbot with citrus-passion fruit
cream, langoustine medallions with nut foam, and a decadent roulade of
reindeer carpaccio and chocolate foie gras. Everything was matched with
a handpicked glass of wine, selected by the restaurant’s award-winning
sommelier to complement the flavors of the dish.
The staff explained 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.
The 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. The remaining wall is also
well decorated; it has a beautiful landscape by renowned Icelandic artist
Jóhannes Kjarval. Plush maroon chairs match the carpets and provide
comfortable seating in the upscale environment, which seems suitable to
both business meetings and romantic rendezvous.
The soundtrack to my evening was old jazz tunes and Norwegian
businessmen debating the finer points of a deal. Perhaps they were going
dancing afterwards. I just sipped a Sumatran coffee and enjoyed the view.
in hotel Saga, 107 reykjavík. +354 525 9960. www.grillid.is
dining AT ThE Top of ToWn
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