It was serendipity that brought us to Iceland. Well, perhaps to be perfectly honest, it was good pricing. In addition to some bargain Business Class tickets, we decided to take advantage of Icelandair's free stopover program. Basically, if you flew out of one of Icelandair's hubs you get up to a seven night extended layover with no additional charge. So, even though it was going to be the "off season", we thought it would be fun spending a few nights in Iceland. Which is how we ended up flying out of Seattle almost a year ago. We got into Reykjavik in the late afternoon; got our rental car and found our apartment; which was centrally located, spacious, and quite comfortable. By the time we settled in and headed off to dinner; it was pitch dark. And while we both knew that the chances of us seeing the "Northern Lights" on the nights we were to be in Iceland was basically nil because of the weather forecast…..overcast and rainy. When we ran early for dinner; I decided to make a stop at the quaint Aurora Reykjavik – The Northern Lights Center, which was basically right around the corner from our dinner destination.
The place was quaint and the folks very friendly. And we learned all about them Northern Lights.
And even though we didn't see any in person during our trip; we were mesmerized by the presentation in the little theatre.
One of these days!
Aurora Reykjavik
Grandagardur 2
Reykjavik 101, Iceland
Soon enough, it as time for dinner. We headed turned the corner and parked in the lot for the Saga Museum.
No, we weren't visiting the museum as it was already closed.
Rather, we entered the front doors and turned to our left.
After a fairly long day and really wanted some food and drink; which is what Matur Og Drykkur literally means, "food and drink". Matur Og Drykkur is also the name of a classic Icelandic cookbook that was originally published in 1947. The concept at "MOD" is to find classic Icelandic recipes and recreate them with a modern and local twist.
One of the first things I did when we finalized our itinerary was to try and hunt down some restaurants that would serve local specialties.
Along with am a la carte menu; there were three tasting menus on this evening. I chose the Game Menu, while the Missus went with the Seafood Menu.
First off; let me tell you about the wonderful moist and substantial bread and the awesome creamy whey butter.
Whoa, this was some great way to start a meal!
We both started with the Herring, micro potatoes, salted angelica seeds, and mustard.
Very nice, the Angelica Leaves had a nice celery like flavor; very clean. The fish was super fresh, with a nice toothsomeness. The potatoes were lovely and full of flavor.
We both also had Trout smoked in sheep's dung.
Before you freak out; I think this was smoked "over" dried sheep poop. It tasted like a very nice, perfectly smoked, lean fish. Very tender; the horseradish sauce wasn't too pungent and everything went together well.
I also had the Cured Reindeer, Sunchokes, and Bilberry Chutney.
In spite of looks a fairly mild dish overall.
The Missus's Halibut soup was very tasty.
The fish and the mussels were excellent; though I'm still not sold on raisins in soup.
The Goose Heart was delicious; chewy but with a very nice, mildly offal flavor. The smoked buttermilk took this to another level.
As did the peppery watercress, the endive, and slightly floral bay leaf vinaigrette. And yes, those are edible rose petals.
The Missus's Langoustine and cauliflower was also very tasty.
We both really enjoyed the cauliflower with the horseradish sauce. The tarragon added that slight bit of anise-like flavor to add complexity to the dish.
The Missus poached almost all the kale, which was really flavorful from my Starry Ray with Rutabaga and lamb jus.
I thought the lamb jus would really play havoc with the mild flavor of the skate, but this was nicely balanced; slightly rich, the skate cooked perfectly as it just melted in my mouth.
Meanwhile, we both watched the chef break out the torch.
It was for this.
Fish head, something that's treasured in Chinese cuisine. This was so good, the cheek meat buttery, the Missus loves the eyeballs. This was amazing. Though the Missus didn't care for the texture of the tongue, which was fried with almost a tempura like batter. Part of the tongue has a jelly-mushy texture that the Missus didn't care for. The other part is a bit tougher. The flavor is a bit more assertive than the cod head.
We were also provided with a very tasty potato salad.
There was a very enjoyable but assertive flavor in the salad and what I initially though was pickled shallot was definitely not. Our really friendly Server told us it was lovage; both the leaves in the salad and the pickled roots.
My main was Seared Mallard, which was surprisingly tender.
Loved the flavor; the wild mushroom sauce really deepened the savory factor in the dish. The Missus loved the beets.
and then dessert of course; the crowberry granite, was refreshing, though very mild, and with a slight bitteness to it.
And this was my first exposure to Skyr which I instantly loved.
I told the friendly Server to bring us just one Cookie to finish because I was stuffed.
I love meals like this. Not only was it delicious and well executed, the service was friendly and laid back. But I also learned quite a bit about some of the local food products….my favorite way, via my tastebuds. It's a meal I'll never forget.
Matur Og Drykkur
Grandagardur 2
Reykjavik 101, Iceland
