Iceland....cold, beautiful, sharp, serene, rugged and natural.
After returning from 3 days in Iceland I'm feeling a bit lost and rather hungry after having some of the most delicious food. To quench my thirst to rave about it, I've decided to write a series of posts about our recent trip; food, accommodation, places to go and things to do - watch out for them!
D and I are your typical young tourists; a bit hedonistic but always looking to save money. We see holidays as a perfect opportunity to try new things, though have a bicker when it comes to the more extravagant of choices e.g. snowmobiling. D twists my arm and we mostly always do something fairly expensive. But love works two ways and I manage to get him to do cheaper, cost saving alternatives too.
Anyway, back to it, lets run through some of the best places to eat in Iceland (there are plenty to choose from!).
An easy lunch
Glo, Laugavegur 20B, Reykjavik 101
Glo (cafe) was exactly what we needed after a cold landing in the capital. Situated right on the
main shopping street, close to the bus station it was the perfect little hideaway for us to cosy up
with a coffee and healthy lunch. Specialising in juices and vegan cuisine, D (an avid meat eater)
was a little skeptical, but soon calmed down when he saw there was plenty of choice and it catered
for vegans and carnivores alike. D went for a meaty sandwich whilst I opted for a vegan meal - falafel,
roasted veg and rice - sounds dull but I promise it was super tasty. This was our first experience of the
sky high cost of living in Iceland, with each priced around £7-8. Not the cheapest meal but what made
this place great is that they offer two coffees (including speciality ones) for a cheaper price. And so we
cosied up with our capucinnos and watched the world go by.
Cost: mid range for lunch
Decor: Cosy, comfortable yet Scandinavian chique
Food: Tasty, good choice, nice option of soups for a cold and windy day, colourful, maybe a little small
portions
Overall rating: 7/10
Feeling risky?
Tapas Barinn, Vesturgotu 3b, Reykjavik 101
Now I only say 'feeling risky' because of the amazing options available at this place and the chance to
try some more obscure meats like puffin and whale. We stumbled upon this place on my birthday evening,
hoping for somewhere not too expensive (as we had planned to spend big the following night). This
place oozes charm and atmosphere, snuck underground in a small maze of rooms that have an authentic
Spanish feel (right in the heart of Reykjavik!). The waitress led us down the stairs and for 7pm the place was
packed. Completely and utterly packed. Luckily we were able to squeeze into a little table by the radiator to
keep warm. The menu is pretty large. It starts with a range of set tapas which would be around £30-£40 a head,
then moves on to the individual dishes. This is where we went wrong and my advice to your would be to go small
and add more if you need. D is more adventurous than me, so he went for the Icelandic Gourmet Feast. I opted
for the De la heuerta (veggie again) though snuck a fair few tasters from D. Overall we felt the 'tapas our way' menus
were a bit too much food - we ended up having 6 courses plus bread which felt like far too much. Each dish was
small and delicious - our favourites were the puffin, whale and spanish omelette. If we went back we would share tapas
and opt for possibly 4-6 between the both of us. Overall this 'cheaper' night turned out expensive when paired with
wine - totally our fault so don't be put off - there is a much more affordable way of trying this delicious night out!
Cost: Expensive our way, but can be made more affordable
Decor: Cosy and authentic
Food: Super tasty and very filling. Perfectly proportioned dishes
Overall rating: 7/10
No budget fine dining
Isafold, Þingholtsstræti 5 - 101 Reykjavík
Finally, I've saved the best 'til last. Isafold, our best meal of the whole trip. Whilst Iceland's cuisine is expensive (in part because they are trying to become a wholly organic country and are proud of their self sufficiency) this was our most pricey, yet totally worth it, meal of the trip. For D and I's birthday's we decided to splash out on a tasting menu for the final night. The trendy Isafold restaurant is located within the CenterThingholt hotel, just off the main shopping street. If you didn't know it was there you could definitely miss it! We booked to avoid not getting in, though funnily enough we needn't have bothered as it was very quiet. The 5 course taster menu included halibut, beef carpaccio, bacalao, lamb and desert. There are no words to describe how good the whole meal was. The fish courses were beautifully fresh and delicate. The meat was just to die for....lamb totally pink in the middle and cut like butter. The staff were absolutely excellent and we cannot rave enough about how they made our night special - even providing a little birthday cake as a treat for our final course. If you save money to go anywhere, let it be this place!
Our one and only disappointment with the experience at the Isafold was the atmosphere, or lack of it. On a Tuesday you just can't tell how many people will be there and unfortunately for us it was the quietest day they'd had in ages (so the waiter told us). We were the only people there all night and so it was half romantic and half strange experience. Restaurant can't help this kind of thing though so I wouldn't want to put a downer on it, but maybe choose a Friday or Saturday if you want the best experience!
Cost: Expensive - budget £125+
Decor: chique, calm and smart
Food: Beautiful, stunning, every positive word under the sun
Overall rating: 9/10 (just the atmosphere that let it down)
That's all for the Iceland food diary. Have you visited anywhere in Reykjavik with incredible food?
