AstoldtoJessicaRiggfor
TheLocalTongue. Formore
chef’sguidesfromaroundthe
world, seethelocaltongue.comReykjavik.
Clockwisefrom
right:dishesat
Vinstukan;
dumplings
atMakake;
LaPrimavera
chefLeifur
Kolbeinsson;
Vinstukan’s bar.
When Mexico
meetsIceland
MBTaqueriahasjustopenedand
I’malreadyhooked.It hasthelargest
selectionofmezcalandtequila
inReykjavik,andthetacosare
awesome.I lovethepoached
oceanperchtacoandtheceleriac
kebab.It’syourtypicalrotating
kebabspit,butinsteadofthe
usualchickenorlamb,chefscarve
offdeeplycaramelisedslicesof
roastedceleriacandserveit with
corianderandhazelnuts.Thespace
is alsoreallycool;localartists were
invitedtopaintthewalls.Vegetarianfriendly
Sumacis a funandlivelyrestaurant
cookingNorthAfricanandLebanese
dishesusingIcelandicingredients.
Mygirlfriendis vegetarian,sowe
usuallyheadhereondatenightfor
greatvegetabledishessuchas
bakedcauliflowerwithpomegranate
andalmonds;orgrilledoyster
mushroomswith ras el hanout.whichis cookedoveropenfire– it’s
awesome.ThenI justletthemtake
chargeandsendmewhatthey
want,andit’salwaysgood.I like
beinghandedrowsoffoodand
drinks,andI likenothavingtothink
aboutfoodfora coupleofhoursafter
a busyweek.Theirkitchenis open
until11pm,soit’salsoa great spot
fora late-nightsnack.Come and sayhi
MyfriendOli(asommelier)andI
recentlyopenedVinstukan,a wine
barindowntownReykjavik.It’s
designedtobeexactlythekindof
barwewouldliketogotoourselves.
Thewinelisthasa bigemphasison
naturalwineandwinesfromsmaller
producers,butnotexclusively.There
areonlythreesmallimportersof
naturalwineinIceland.Theyonly
importbetween 60 and 120 bottles
ofeachwine,sowerotateour
glasslistweekly.Thefoodis simple:
smallplatesservedfastandfullof
flavoursuchascuredcodwithblack-
garlicmayonnaiseandolives.One
ofthemorepopulardishesis a
localcheesecalledtindur– an
18-monthcow’smilkcheesethat
hasa verysimilartasteandtexture
toComte– thatweservewith
brown butter and hazelnuts.●The risingstar
Óxis thehottestplacetoeatin
Reykjavikrightnow.It’sa completely
uniqueexperienceandif I hadtoput
mymoneyonit, I’dsaythatit willbe
thenextinthecitytoreceivea
Michelinstar.The11-seatcounter
wrapsaroundanopenkitchenand
sitsinthebackofSumac.Because
allguestsstarttheirtastingmenuat
thesametime,thechefscancreate
dishestobesharedandencourage
interaction,suchasa wholesaddle
oflambservedwithindigenous
herbsorwhole-grilledmonkfishwith
a creamybirchandmusselsauce.
Disheslikelumpfishroewithcultured
creamonthinpancakesareevidence
ofIcelandiccookingtraditionsat
play,butthemoistlava-bakedrye
breadthat’ssteamedinmilkcartons
for 24 hoursprovesthatthere’sreally
nootherrestaurantquitelikeÓx.Chat with the locals
Fora superlocalexperience,goto
Kaffivagnin,a coffeehousebythe
harbourwheretheoldfishermen
meetupinthemorningtotalk
abouttheweatherandprettymuch
everythingelse.It’sbeentherefor
atleast 50 years,and somehow
it’sstillthesame.Look for my man Siggi
Whenindustryfriendscometo
visit,I takethemtoKolaportidflea
market(it’sopenonweekends
from11amto5pm).I alsogothere
frequentlytoscoutforvintageLPs.
Thereis a foodmarketinsidewith
allsortsofweirdtraditionalfood,
andtheproducersareusuallymore
thanhappytogivecuriousvisitors
a littletaste.Lookformyman
SiggifromDepla– heis usuallyin
thecentralboothwearingyellow
overalls,andheis happytoshare
hisstashoffermentedsharkand
whaleblubber.It’sonlyforthebrave;
I’mafraidit’stoomuchforme.Late-night treats
MatBaris a lovelylittlebarserving
tapas,wineandamazingcocktails.
Themenuchangesquitefrequently,
but I always start with the flatbread,New
to GTGOURMET TRAVELLER 37