Reykjavik: A few foodie finds

Thanks to delightful pastries, perfectly-cooked fish and some unusual, gastronomic dishes, I ate very well in Iceland.

It’s not the cheapest place to eat out, but the food was so delicious it was worth the elevated price tag.

Here are a few of my favourite foodie finds from Reykjavik…

Heavenly pastries in the cafés and bakeries

Icelanders know their baked goods and I found myself indulging in a pastry most days while I was in the country.

The best pastries I had were from Hygge Coffee and Micro Bakery, a café by my hotel near the historic harbour, and Sandholt (above), a family-run bakery and chocolatier on the city’s main shopping street, Laugavegur.

My favourite pastry was the poppy seed bun, which I had at Hygge (below) and Sandholt. Both were utterly delicious.

One of the other things I loved about Reykjavik was the hot drinks.

I often find it hard to find a good brew abroad, but Icelanders make a mean cup of tea and everywhere I went, I enjoyed an excellent cuppa.

The hot chocolate from Sandholt was also superb and is highly recommended.

An abundance of choice in the gourmet food halls

Reykjavik is home to a host of food halls, serving some exceptional cooking.

I visited two during my time in the city – Grandi Mathöll and Pósthús Mathöll.

Grandi Mathöll (above) is situated in the city’s historic harbour area, just down the road from the Reykjavik Maritime Museum, and serves all manner of foods, including fish, burgers, and Indonesian, Nepalese and Italian dishes.

I plumped for an Icelandic hot dog with fries (above). Traditionally made with a lamb, pork and beef sausage, it’s served in a bun topped with a sweet, spicy mustard, a creamy remoulade and fried onions.

The fries were sprinkled with paprika and came with a side of ketchup.

It was a tasty and satisfying meal, and really hit the spot.

The Pósthús Mathöll, meanwhile, is located in a beautiful former post office in the heart of the city.

Open daily, the food hall boasts stalls selling Korean street food, burritos, sushi, pizza, an Italian food and wine bar, a cocktail and coffee bar, and more.

I decided to head to Finsen, a French bistro run by chef Eiríkur Róbertsson that’s named after Iceland’s first postmaster.

There I had a small bowl of fish soup (above), followed by the fish of the day.

The hearty fish soup was served with a lovely garlic bread and filled with huge meaty chunks of fish.

But the star of the show was my fish main (above) – a cod fillet served with garlic potatoes, carrots, parsnips, pickled shallots and micro herbs.

It was exceptional. The fish was perfectly cooked – seared, yet flaky – and the potatoes and veg were divine.

It wasn’t cheap, but it was an accomplished piece of cooking and well worth the money.

Icelandic fine dining at Skál!

Before I went to Iceland I did some research on where to eat and Skál!, on the corner of Njálsgata in the city centre, was rated number one on Time Out’s list of the best restaurants in Reykjavik.

I promptly booked a table – and didn’t regret it. The quirky fine dining extravaganza was the best meal I had in the Icelandic capital.

I opted for two small plates – slow-roasted celeriac with cured egg yolk, poached pear, rye bread and brown butter (above), and cod wings with hot sauce, chives and smoked buttermilk.

This was followed by 24-month Feykir cheese with black honey and walnuts for dessert. It was all washed down with a cold, refreshing and drinkable three citrus gimlet and tap water.

The earthy slow-roasted celeriac was scrumptious, the egg yolk was fabulously jammy and the pear added a welcome tang.

My favourite part was the toasted rye bread crumb that gave the dish a nutty crunch and I could easily have wolfed down a bowl of it.

The cod wings (above) are an Icelandic specialty and they consist of battered cod wings (complete with fin) smothered in a spicy orange sauce topped with chives.

The batter was lovely, the cod flaked just so and the sauce had a real kick to it. It was really tasty and the two wings were just the right size for one.

The cheese dessert (above) was a curious affair and quite unlike anything I’d ever had. I’m not sure I’d call it a dessert though, there was nothing particularly sweet about it.

It was made up of half a bowl of shaved ewe’s milk cheese topped with honey and walnuts, and served with a very moreish rye crisp cracker (I LOVED the cracker!!).

The 24-month Feykir was pungent and full of flavour. It was a very generous portion of cheese – and if I’m being honest, a tad too big (and this is coming from someone who loves cheese and can eat mounds of it).

Every so often I got a hint of sweetness from the honey, but I couldn’t really taste the nuts because the cheese overpowered it.

It was an interesting dish, but I felt as though it could do with a touch more sweetness or perhaps some fruit to cut through the richness.

Skál! was fairly expensive, but I had an amazing time there and it’s well worth visiting if you’re looking for somewhere slightly different to treat yourself in Reykjavik.

The service was top notch – friendly, welcoming and the right level of attentive – and the food was distinctive and delectable.

All in all, I spent a very enjoyable evening at Skál! and could see why it occupies the top spot on Time Out’s list of best Reykjavik restaurants.

An honourable mention to the biggest slab of cake I’ve ever had

For some people, their foodie downfall is chocolate, for others it’s biscuits or cheese. For me, it’s cake.

I’m a big believer that you can never have too much cake – and then I went to Reykjavik. Where I met my match in the most unexpected of places.

On my final day in Reykjavik, I spent the morning at the Perlan Institute, a marvellous interactive museum about Iceland’s geology and natural wonders.

After looking around the museum, I stopped at the café on the top floor for a pick me up. In this case, a cup of tea and a slab of Snickers cake (above).

The ginormous piece of cake was served with a huge whirl of whipped cream, and it’s combination of chocolate, peanuts and caramel was delightful.

It’s not often that a slice of cake will defeat me, but this monster slice was insurmountable and I only managed half.

I love cake but I’d have left very satisfied with a slice a third of the size. Still, it was a wonderful end to a fantastically foodie five days in Iceland.

Info

Hygge Coffee and Micro Bakery
Seljavegur 2, 101 Reykjavík
hyggebakery.is

Sandholt Bakery
Laugavegur 36, 101 Reykjavik
sandholt.is/en/

Grandi Mathöll
Grandagarður 16, 101 Reykjavík
grandimatholl.is

Pósthús Mathöll
Pósthússtræti 3-5, 101 Reykjavík
posthusfoodhall.is/en

Skál!
Njálsgata 1, 101 Reykjavik
skalrvk.com

Perlan Institute
Varmahlíð 1, 105 Reykjavík
perlan.is