Dinner at Grillmarkadurinn- Reykjavik, Iceland
What better to do after snorkeling than eating and shopping. We had a promising idea of being frugal and cooking in the hostel kitchen to save money on food...instead we made a reservation for 8pm at Grillmarkadurinn- a fancy (expensive) restaurant that offers a 7 course tasting menu for $110 per person. Worth it? Yes, definitely.
But that reservation isn’t until 8pm and it’s 5:00 and we’re showered and warm and so damn hungry. Our tour guide recommends a place called “Saegreifinn-The Sea Baron” because they have the best lobster soup. it’s not lobster bisque, which is what I imagined. I don’t particularly like lobster bisque but if this soul is the best then I must try it!
This place was super cute, located by the harbor with wooden plans as tables and little barrel stools to sit on. The soup ($13 to share one) was good, honestly, I would have thought it was a red pepper soup if I didn’t know that there was lobster in there. It was a thin broth and the little pieces of lobster were like finding treasure in your spoon. The real highlight? Bread and butter. Yes, we ate two baskets of bread and butter.
Shopping for souvenirs, everything is expensive, nothing is made in Iceland. Friends you either got a shot glass or a magnet. ❤️
Walking, wandering, waiting for 8pm.
yay! It’s dinner time! Grillmarkadurinn is a fancy place made of stone and wood. The walls look like rocks (that Adam wanted to climb) and the tables are finished wood. There was a divider made of birch tree logs and the lamps hanging from the ceiling were stone as well. They led us down a gigantic spiral staircase into the downstairs dining room. First thing to arrive on the table?
Bread and butta!
Stone slab of course, butter has gray salt sprinkled on top—lava salt from the volcanoes and a wooden knife to spread the butter. Yum yum yum .
Tasting menus are scary. You don’t know what you are getting but the place you are eating says it’s the best of the best. While adventuring, Adam and I always try what’s in front of us. I like a tasting menu because of the opportunity to try new foods and the experience of culinary creativity.
First Course- Duck salad with Pomegranite seeds, clementine segments, fried onions, mozzarella cheese, and micro greens
Adam says he doesn’t like salad but then I remind him that we are being adventurous and there is delicious duck on top! The dressing was citrus-y and it brought everything together well. Duck is one of my favorite meats when done the right way-it can be greasy at times. This was not at all. All the elements mixed together to create an amazing salad that I imagine is not healthy at all but was quite nice for the entry course.
Second Course- Arctic Char, Spiced Roe, Mustard
Adam says “I don’t like mustard, this ones all you.” And it was mostly. I give him credit for trying. The spiced roe (fish eggs) were actually spicy. The Char was raw and cold, basically sashimi. I didn’t really like it that much. Too spicy, too fishy, I ate my half, adam had half a piece, but this was the only course left unfinished. Fish lovers would probably enjoy it but we are meat people!
Third Course - Minke Whale topped with chili threads
Yes friends, I ate whale. I heard an Icelander talking about eating whales and that this particular species, Minke whale, is plentiful and one whale feeds a lot of people because they are so big. I wonder how my pescatarian people feel about this? A whale is not a fish so I guess it’s a no go. The big question: what does whale taste like? Whale tastes like a mixture of fish and steak. It reminded me of tuna with the texture in the center where it was less cooked, but the outside that was cooked was more meaty like a steak. You would never mistake it for meat because something about it was distinctly fishy, but it definitely wasn’t a fish. I guess you’ll have to try it to find out more.
Fourth Course - Pork Ribs, Honey BBQ, whiskey bourbon sauce, crackers
Pork Ribs were tasty, nothing exciting here. The suave was not too spicy, not too sweet. Like a lot of ribs there was a good amount of fat. I liked the crackers on top to give a little crunch. Might be worth trying next time you make ribs!
Fifth Course - Cod topped with langoustine and apple spirals
This may have been my favorite course besides dessert. Langoustine is basically like lobster but I guess less fancy. A bite of the smooth cod with the sweet baked langoustine on top and a bit of crunch from the apple with the broth around it...perfect! I really love sauces and I feel like this dish was enhanced by the perfect sauce/broth around it. If I had to go back and order something, I think it would be this. (And remember I’m not a fish person!)
Sixth Course - Horse with rutabaga purée and mushrooms
The adventure continues! Sorry black beauty, you were delicious. Looks like a really lean sirloin , tastes like a really lean sirloin. It was a bit smoky, but I believe that’s from how it was cooked. Loved the rutabaga purée, it’s sweet like yams and probably I would have thought that’s what it was if they didn’t say differently. If you gave me this plate without saying it was horse meat, I don’t think I would know it was anything other than a steak. I guess there is a slight texture difference but to me, it really just tasted like beef. I would eat it again if it was offered.
Seventh Course - Double cut lamb chops with garlic potatoes and baked kale
The two pieces of baked kale were really good but there were actually only two pieces. The potatoes were good, I’m not a roasted potato lover but I managed one of these garlicky ones. The lamb had a good amount of fat on the ends and that’s where most of the seasoning was located. I thought the lamb and the seasoning were both delicious, perfectly cooked and spiced-sweet and peppery. The only problem was trying to balance the fat and meat in each bite but don’t worry—I managed.
Dessert Course - Berries and Meringue, Lemon Sorbet, Chocolate Lava Cake, Chocolate Ball with Caramel Suace and Coffee Ice Cream
We saw a table next to us receive a huge dessert sampler and for ten minutes after the last course we waited in anticipation watching every waiter who walked by hoping it would be our turn. The coolest part of dessert was the chocolate ball—the waiter pours a hot caramel sauce on top of it that melts the chocolate and reveals a ball of coffee ice cream on the inside. This was my favorite and I was so damn excited to get a video of this!
If you don’t want to spend a fortune on dinner, go to Grillmarkadurinn for the dessert. It might be worth flying to Iceland for this plate.
Leave me a comment, I want to know if you would try everything on this menu! Who are my adventurous eaters?