Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Restaurant reviews! that aren't just rants

You know, I’ve been feeling rather guilty for not writing a proper restaurant review of the restaurants I actually like in Reykjavík, as opposed to just using my self-appointed critic status as an excuse to rant about bad service and whathaveyou. Especially since this is the time when the tidalwave of tourists hits us, and I just know they’re scouring the place for cheap restaurants [‘cheap’ being relative, of course – this being Iceland] that serve up sizeable portions of healthy, tasty food.

So, I offer three of my fave quick-and-tasty eateries for anyone planning to visit our fair isle now or in the future, who aren’t carrying all their provisions with them in tin cans.*

GRÆNN KOSTUR
Don’t try to pronounce it because you won’t be able to. Anyway, this is my favourite place for a quick bite because it’s good and
very healthy and reasonable and because the people who work there are lovely. It’s vegetarian and a few years back it was getting reeaaalllyy dreadfully boring, with the cuisine centering around fried patties that tasted like cardboard covered in mushroom gravy. BUT fortunately it changed hands and these new people can really cook up a mean vegetarian that’s completely delicious. The combo platter of the day is generally the best value, and cost ISK 1,100 the last time I checked. The only problem is that you’ll have to find the place ... it’s tucked away in an unlikely location off a parking lot at the corner of Skólavörðustígur and Bergstaðarstræti. graaennkostur.is.

ICELANDIC FISH AND CHIPS
See here.
fishandchips.is

KRUA THAI
Just a stone’s throw away from the fish & chips place is one of the most popular Thai restaurants in the city, and with good reason. This unassuming little place cooks up excellent food at
very reasonable prices. Its rough stone [whitewashed] walls and low ceiling always remind me of a cave. Generally I tend to go for the take-away option because the smell of cooking can get pretty intense in there and you’ll smell like deep-fried shrimp for the rest of the evening if you stay too long. Particularly if they’re busy, which they almost always are. The service is super-friendly, the food is fresh and tasty and the portions are fairly hefty. EPI and I almost always order the No. 8 and No. 21, and share. Each costs around ISK 1,100. Yum! kruathai.is

Okay! Now, as for the weather, it’s been incredible today, brilliant sunshine and everybody in a sunny mood. I spent the better part of the afternoon out on the balcony soaking up rays and doing code word puzzles. Ah, the luxury of self-employment! Right now 10°C [50F] and sunrise was at 3:02 am, sunset at 11:54 pm.

* Yes, I have met such people. They were riding bicycles and stealing sugar packets from every place they went, and no, I won’t tell you where they were from. You’ll have to guess.

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