We lucked out; they booked us a table at The Fish Market.
Since it was our last evening in Iceland, we decided to go for the tasting menu option here, along with a couple of cocktails to start things off. I had a ginger martini (captain morgan, triple sec, ginger liquor, apple juice and fresh ginger -- not as nice as the Matarkjallarin one, but very nice) and my wife had the Mr Nikka (nikka whisky, elderflower liquor, lemongrass liquor, fresh lemon, honey, chili, egg white and bitters), a cocktail that was served in a noodle box and topped with dried noodles. It was also delicious, thankfully.
Our tasting menu was nine courses long!
To start with: Arctic char with edamame puree, dried fish, pickled ginger and thin-sliced cauliflower. We each took one half and ate it in one mouthful, and lo, it was delicious.
Minke whale with horseradish, redcurrants and soy sauce. I know, it's whale. I wouldn't have ordered it off the menu personally, but once set in front of me I don't see the point in sending it back. It was delicious, in fact -- like a really meaty fish -- though not enough so to make me decide that whaling is worthwhile.
Next up was marinated herring with ryebread and orange-flavoured whipped butter. We were advised to butter the bread and eat the herring as a topping. This was really good. The herring was sweet and almost like a dessert.
Rock shrimp tempura with jalepeno dressing. We don't know why the tempura is red, but it was tasty.
Scallop nigiri and volcano maki (langoustine tartar with sesame oil, 7 spice and chilli on top of maki roll with salmon and cucumber). Very tasty, though I'm not a convert on the same level as the people next to us who apparently always come back here for it when they visit Reykjavik.
Salted cod with pureed celery salad and potato. This was pretty good, but not so outstanding I'd want a full dish of it, I think. Tasting menu sizing was just right for me.
Beer steamed mussels -- the waitress poured in tea under the dish of mussels and it foamed up with dry ice, a very pretty way to present it. After we'd eaten the mussels, the waitress gave us little cups to pour the broth into so we didn't waste the tastiness.
Pork belly and goose breast with confit leg of goose, cauliflower potato, pickled vegetables, whipped butter 'snow', and mushroom puree. This was good, and rich, and felt luxurious to eat.
And finally the dessert, from left to right: white chocolate and passionfruit cheesecake, raspberry mousse with poured lava sauce, lychee sorbet, red velvet cake with italian meringue topping, and raspberry sorbet. My heart is sold; two raspberry things! And the rest were delicious too.
This was... a lot of food. But great, and a really lovely way to finish off our trip.
And there was coffee, too. In fact, there was a lot of coffee in Iceland that has gone unmentioned, but I should say: in the whole time I was there, I didn't have a bad coffee. I am astonished and awed. Good work, Iceland.
And there was coffee, too. In fact, there was a lot of coffee in Iceland that has gone unmentioned, but I should say: in the whole time I was there, I didn't have a bad coffee. I am astonished and awed. Good work, Iceland.
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