Within the past week, I have swung from such extreme polar opposites in dining experiences that it’s a wonder I’ve retained my sanity. I didn’t think it was possible to reach such sublime heights, or such hideous lows in the space of a few days. But - turns out it is, and here in our very own lil’ Smoky Bay.*
It all began last Friday when EPI and I were invited to dinner at Sjávarkjallarinn, one of Iceland’s most raved-about places. The person who invited us didn’t actually accompany us because he had other buttons to button*, namely a concert to play two hours later, to which we were subsequently invited. In lieu of his delightful company he’d actually gone and selected the entire experience for us - the most superexcellent choice on Sjávarkjallarinn’s roster, aptly dubbed the EXOTIC MENU, along with a fantastic and rarely-found variety of Pinot Gris.
Friends: I hardly possess enough superlatives to describe this meal. For one thing, it consisted of ONE appetizer, THREE entrées, TWO main courses and TWO desserts. And despite all this, we never felt excessively full - everything was just-so perfect. The sheer creativity and joy with which the food was put together was exhilarating, alternatively surprising and delightful. We were like little kids discovering food for the first time - it was that amazing. Case in point: the mini-burgers that comprised our third entrée, with filet of kangaroo, a creamy garlic sauce, peas, alfalfa sprouts, topped with orange foam - TO DIE FOR. As was the lobster compote served in a jar, the sushi and sashimi [one of the nigiri pieces was topped with elk meat], the different fish combos for the main course, and the DUCK main course [topped with foie gras - I know I know, poor ducks, I know] that still has me swooning every time I think of it. For dessert there were two types of mousse [white and dark] and also this dessert, which is actually three types of sorbet surrounded by fresh fruit, hiding inside that dry ice spectacle that the waitress sprung on us when we least expected it.
As regular readers will know, YT is somewhat hard to please when it comes to dining, but this meal was OUTSTANDING in every way. Even the service was fabulous and the waitstaff didn’t miss a beat. The only downer to the evening was that we had to finish this adventure for the senses in less than two hours to get to Víkingur’s concert - it’s the sort of meal you’d choose to linger over for an entire evening, not rush through. But major kudos to the staff for making sure we got out the door in time while never feeling excessively rushed. Which just means that we’ll have to go back again when we have more time. Soon.
So: if you’re coming over here, or if you’re already here, and want an extra-special treat, THIS is the place to go. It’s not cheap - but when you consider what you’d pay for three entrees, two main courses and two desserts anywhere else, it’s a total bargain.
—
Okay then.
So last night, AAH and YT opted for shopping over a proper dinner because, you know, we have our priorities straight, so by the time the old Kringlan mall closed we were famished and suffering from a severe crash in blood sugar. We’d been meaning to try this new Mexican place called Santa Maria on Laugavegur a] because there was this major buzz around it because it’s cheap [every entrée costs less than ISK 1.000] and b] because I’m so extremely self-sacrificing and I was looking forward to posting this as a HOT TIP on my blog for all the regular-income tourist people who generally have to choose between taking a trip to Iceland and actually eating food when they get here.
Anyway, we got there around 9.15 and got served pretty quickly. We decided to share a plate of nachos to start and then ordered a couple of entrées - YT a chicken mole somethingorother [with chocolate sauce - I'm sure most of you will know what I'm talking about here] while AAH ordered a burrito or something. So our nachos arrived within 15 minutes and were - adequate. We were both so ravenous that we wolfed them down, but in truth they were kind of chewy with merely little specks of ground beef on them and bits of grated cheese that wasn’t even melted.
So far so good [kinda]. We then proceeded to sit. And sit. And sit. The waitress came by a couple of times looking really confused with another plate of nachos that she couldn’t figure out where to put down [clearly some sort of mix-up with the order] then disappeared again, then came back again holding the nachos, then disappeared again. She then came back looking kind of spooked, walked up to our table, pointed to the order she’d left sitting on the table [?] and asked if we’d already eaten our entrées. No, we had not. At which she looked really alarmed and rushed off to the kitchen. Meaning: we’d been sitting there for 45 minutes and they hadn’t even started making our food.
OK. We were prepared to overlook that little faux-pas, but when they finally brought the food an hour after we’d sat down and it was COLD and tasted like crap … well, we [read: YT] weren’t feeling all that benign any more. Seriously: that food was horrible. How horrible? it tasted like the inside of an ancient pillow covered in rancid chocolate sauce poured all over a COLD plate, with a few strands of ungrated cheese on top. Gross. I was so famished that I was ready to devour the fricking table, but I still wasn’t able to get the food down. We just got up and left. Paid for the nachos and two cokes, and left.
Moral of the story: if you’re desperate for a chicken burrito, go to your local 10-11 and buy a ready-made one and heat it in the store’s microwave. Then use what you’ve saved and put it towards an exhilarating meal at Sjávarkjallarinn.
WHAT? TIME’S UP?
Oh right, I forgot: you want to hear about the weather. It’s gorgeous right now, almost 11.30 pm and bright as day. Dark blue and purple clouds are sailing through the sky and I bet if I left my house and walked 50 metres I’d be in the midst of a gorgeous sunset. But I’m lazy so just envisioning it will have to be enough. Currently 10°C [50], sunrise this morning at 3.11 am and sunset in a few minutes at 11.44 pm.
* The literal translation of Reykjavík
** Nicelandic idiom
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m thinking that maybe they HAD made your food and it just sat in the kitchen all that time. Either way, inexcusable and I wouldn’t be going back, either. Love your suggestion to use the money saved toward a meal at the expensive place.
I used to be able to afford a great meal about once a year, but now I am classified as a regular income tourist who can only put so much cheese and crackers in a suitcase. There are some really good deals to get to Niceland and back, but I can’t afford to stay and get grossed out by the bad food. I need a better job. So how was the concert?
wahahahahaha, this isn’t quite my experience, I got fairly quick service at Santa Maria - but I won’t be going back there again, I hated the food, sorry to say. Can’t stand fresh coriander, that’s my fault for forgetting to ask or mention it, but the chocolate thing I didn’t like either.
Was your Sjávarkjallari stuff full of fresh coriander too? Somebody told me that it was. Must go there, though - and not forget to mention…
How is the Mexican food in Iceland, in general? I’m guessing not too good and not too authentic.
That meal you had at the first place, though, sounds wonderful. Elk sushi! What a concept!
I second Rozanne’s comments. I’m always suspicious of Mexican food served too far away from Mexico. I had some really sad experiences trying to eat the British concept of Mexican food when I lived there in the 90s. I’ll stick with skyr and other Icelandic treats when I’m in Iceland.
There used to be an excellent Mexican place here, called Amigos, I really miss it
Santa Maria might serve fairly authentic Mexican food, since one of the owner’s Mexican, he and his wife lived there for a while too, maybe I just like more westernized Mexican food
owners’s I meant…
Cat - I don’t think so - judging by the scared look on the waitress’s face, I think they probably hadn’t even started making it. And then they just threw it together without cooking or heating it properly. Unless that’s how their food is all the time, which is a distinct possibility.
Jon - the concert - magnifico! He’s one of our most talented musicians without a doubt, and definitely a name to watch. Plus a really nice person.
Hildigunnur - you and EPI share this inability to stomach coriander - it’s about the only thing he won’t eat, he hates it! Whereas I LOVE it! It’s my favourite herb. We’ve often pondered this difference, and the other day someone said that it’s a genetic thing - that to some people coriander tastes like soap. Bizarre, no? - I didn’t think there was too much coriander in the food at Sjávarkjallarinn. EPI noticed there was some, but it was not overwhelming enough to dampen his enjoyment of the food.
Rozanne - I haven’t tried much Mexican food here - only at one restaurant that is now defunct, we had nachos and they were OK. So I really can’t say. But like Hildigunnur says, one of the owners of this place is Mexican and he brought his mama over to cook, so ……………..
linguaphile - you can’t go wrong with the local food, for sure. Especially the shark and picked whale.
Hildigunnur - I think you had it right the first time.
First of all, you just made me hungry (despite the fact that I’m a semi-vegetarian- I know, I know there’s no such thing, but that’s the only way I can describe it. Meat is … ugh. But anyway, that dinner sounded GORGEOUS!!!!)
2) Your blog totally makes me want to go to Iceland. Seriosly. I yearn for 20 hour days right now!
Point c)- In the midst of my exams, two of which I write tomorrow *insertmildpanichere* I couldn’t help myself… I had to read your blog. Sigh. It is totally worth it, and always makes me chuckle.
In conclusion, hmmm. Nope pretty much said it all! Seriously though, thanks for the great writing!
Aw. Thanks. And you’re welcome.
Good luck with the exams. We’ve been fielding panic attacks from a certain household member around here, too.
no, did I? Must be - one of the owners is… in the context
Yes, the coriander thing is genetic, apparently coriander leaves contain organic arsenic compounds (not poisonous, though), some people can taste them and some not. If you can taste them - well, it’s moderately horrible
my uncle is ernesto the owner of santa maria restaurant is really good my brother is now there on iceland im in mexico in my home plain xbox 360 hehehe well is really much better than amigos bealive me I m half mexican an its reallly good U should go if u have doubts you can e mail me leo8live@hotmail.com
sorry my uncle is ernesto the owner of santa maria restaurant is really good my brother is now there on iceland im in mexico in my home plain xbox 360 hehehe well is really much better than amigos bealive me I m half mexican an its reallly good U should go if u have doubts you can e mail me leo8live@hotmail.com
hahahahah the mom of the owner of santa maria(my uncle and my grandmother) the really now how to cook and here´s a little secret: shes going to go to iceland again on july 15 or 16 to cook again so if you see her tell her please that you know about her thanks to me pleasee
rigth now shes on mexico but Ive told you she will go on july 15 or 16 so wait her he realy cook aswome
ahhhhhI forgot another secret they are gonna broing to iceland a tortilla maker machine so you will try real tacos not fake like on amigos
Well, leonardo, you wouldn’t be just the tiniest bit biased now, would you?
hhaahahah daa sorry its just that I forgot to put all in just one comment
I´m Icelandic and married to a Mexican. It´s true that the food at Santa Maria is a little bit strange for the Icelandic people who are used to just eating Mexican the American way. When we moved back to Iceland in December I started noticing how Icelandic companies use Mexico in a very funny way. You can have Kristall water with Mexico Lime (how is that different from other countries?), the Mexico Cheese with a guy in a sombrero with riffles on the front etc. There are plenty of Latinos in Iceland but not many Mexicans so we get away with it.
Getting off topic here, Santa Maria serves the really authentic Mexican food which is hard for us to stomach because we are not expecting anything but the American kind. These are worlds apart but Ernesto and Maria surely know how to make it. I would recommend the the Mexican Salad! I am a fat, non salad eater, but I was raving about it for days after going. I´m going again tonight.
I think it is a tiny bit unfair to have The Seafood Cellar in the same blog as Santa María. The cheap Mexican cuisine can hardly escape being compared unfavourably to the second best restaurant in Iceland (Gallery at Hotel Holt being the best).
Snorri - authentic or not, the food I got was cold and tasted like crap, and the service was slow. And perhaps it was unfair to put two restaurants together in one blog post, but the two just happened in the same week and it was simply convenient. It was not a compare-and-contrast type of review - obviously that would never have worked.
Hello,
My name is Esteban, 28 year old guy from California. I been doing research on Mexican restaurants in Iceland. I have visited but never saw one. My dream is to start a restaurant, I always imagine it would be here at home but after my trip to Iceland, I been obsessing for almost a year of starting my restaurant in Reykjavik. so far from what I gather, I think Iceland is in need of a real authentic Mexican restaurant LOL. I would like to share my mothers dishes, I obviously believe her cooking is the best. I think icelanders will appreciate what I have to offer. Hopefully an adventurous entrepreneur from Iceland who wants to partner can help out
how dare u mexican food is not cheap you shuld better come to mexico again and take a look in lomas or in polanco and you will find the moast expencive restaurants and delicious its so stupid of you saing that santamarias food is cheap you are crazy santamaria is 100% mexican food not horrible tex-mex food like in USA its autentic food and I can tell you because my uncle is the owner and he really knows how to make food and my grandmother sometimes go to iceland and help him and its also delicious so better dont comment anything and travel more to mexico and take a look again to good restaurants like el penacho la manzana ETC. really expensive restaurants so please dont be bad and dont tell bad things about santa maria because u dont really know what are you talking about
To contrast this experience, I had a good experience at Santa maria, it was quick, and they went out of their way to make me something vegetarian when there wasn’t too much selection on the menu. I also found the food delicious, fresh and interesting.
have a nice day
-Dan