A month ago, Derek and I went on vacation in beautiful Iceland. It was the nerdiest adventure I've been on so far. Having a background in geology, Iceland was the place to be. Stunning scenery, spectacular views, an infinite number of waterfalls (all of them with their own name), and ever-changing landscapes. Some highlights included kayaking in Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón) and getting a little more up close and personal with icebergs, experiencing what it's like to be inside a lava tunnel, and going off the beaten path to take in some sights to behold (Dynjandi and Hvitserkur above). While we took our adventure around the country, we reserved our culinary interests for the last few days of our travels. Sure, we could have eaten at various places along the way, but Iceland is so expensive. So, we thought we'd save our bank for the end of the trip. We spent 10 days eating homemade camp-like meals and a lot of peanut butter and jam sandwiches. If I wrote a blog for everyday eating on our trip, it would mostly entail peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, trail mix, oatmeal, Skyr and pasta. Skyr is Icelandic yogurt that I would replace what I purchase at home in a heartbeat. It's incredibly smooth and creamy and whether you have it plain or flavoured, it's fantastic. I know you can purchase it in Canada, but with all added sugars and only flavoured varieties, I can't find some good ol' plain skyr! We spent the last few days in Reykjavik. You can spend your time walking along the seawall, visiting a museum (if you can imagine a type of museum, it likely exists), or strolling in and out of the downtown streets cruising through the various shops. We may have splurged and purchased 100% Icelandic wool sweater. So cozy! And we may have visited the Phallological Museum. Yup, YAY penises! BUT, what you should also do, is take in some Icelandic food! Many eateries in Iceland have been putting a modern spin on traditional meals, or adding ingredients to dishes to make some items a little more appealing and appetizing. Spoiler alert: we did NOT try fermented shark. I don't need to subject myself to something that sounds disgusting, especially after watching Chef Ainsley Harriot spit it out on an Iceland episode of "Ainsley Eats the Streets." I don't need to spend a lot of money on something I will likely vomit back up. If I had the money...maybe?.....maybe not.... Not everything needs a twist on tradition though, and it doesn't have to be expensive. Take Icelandic Street Food. This family-run business is serving up traditional meals as a fast-food concept. This small joint packs up quickly, and if you feel like the meals taste like someone's grandmother made, well it's because that grandmother has a lot to do with the menu. The menu is fairly simple - a lamb soup and a shellfish soup are the staple dishes, with a small handful of other options and pastries. If you're not sold already, well they had a basket of free pastries near the door and sweets on all the tables...bribery maybe? We orderd both the lamb and shellfish soups. The lamb soup had beautiful chunks of lamb, potatoes and root vegetables topped with fresh cilantro. The broth was incredibly light and exploding with the wonderful gamy lamb flavour, which you could easily go for seconds (Another spoiler alert - free refill on soups!). The shellfish soup contained delicious scallops and shrimp served in a langoustine coconut-curry broth. This dish is so hearty and comforting, it's what you'd want on a wet or cold day. Their soups are served with home-made Rye bread, perfect for dunking. For the two of us, it was around $15-$20 CAD. Overall, if you're looking for a place where you don't have to break bank, but get an authentic Icelandic meal, Icelandic Street Food is your go-to place. The first evening we spent in Reykjavik we went to Ostabutin for dinner. The restaurant brings fresh and some unusual ingredients to the menu and has a wonderful selection of meats, cheeses and wines. We opted for the reindeer appetizer and Meat Feast (yes...meat feast!!) The reindeer was served with blini, beech mushrooms, garlic mayonnaise and sweet pears. This two-bite appy was a flavour bomb. The reindeer was incredibly tender, the garlic mayonnaise was creamy (and of course everything I expect of anything that contains garlic) and the pear added that little hint of fresh sweetness to balance it out. Reindeer isn't far off the beaten path for meats we've tried. If you've had venison, elk or caribou, it's very similar. The meat feast was by far the best charcuterie board I've had when it comes to variety. The board was covered with Foie gras terrine, cured horse meat, smoked goose breast, game meat paté, cured beef, ewe fillet, olives, blue cheese and Gouda. The best meat on the board? Probably the smoked goose breast. I loved how smokey and tender the goose was. It's more similar to beef than chicken in flavour and texture. Now, I know you just read horse meat. Horse meat is very common on menus in Iceland and whether you approve or not, it's pretty damn tasty in my books. (side note - I've actually had it in Vancouver! Thanks Wildebeast!) The cured horse meat is a bit chewier than beef, though it's texture is very similar. It taste like beef steak, but a bit gamy. Everything on the board was delicious, and as much as I dislike blue cheese, it was so mild and creamy even I loved it! The next evening had us at Grillmarkadurinn, where traditional and modernity come together. The name means "Grill Market" and if you're a fan of the grill, oh you'll love this place! We were sold of a 7-course tasting menu, which consisted of some recognizable foods and some unique eats. The tasting menu including mink whale, puffin, lamb, lightly smoked arctic char, halibut, horse tenderloin and beef short rib, all grilled to perfection! In case you're concerned, mink whale is commonly fished in Iceland and is sustainable. We had no idea what to expect, and it was best part of our meal. It tasted like the most tender steak you've ever had, but with an additional ocean-like flavour. I also loved the fact that some Asian flavours were brought into the dish - wasabi and soy vinaigrette. The puffin was beautifully smoked, had the flavour of the ocean, and reminded us of a juicy duck. the pickled blueberries complicated the puffin wonderfully. The beef short rib just fell off the bone (yum!), the arctic char, lamb and halibut were cooked perfectly and the horse tenderloin was incredibly tender. If that doesn't have you salivating already, just imagine the best dessert platter being presented to you. Never have we ever received a dessert that had multiple items on one large plate, it was an entire board worth. A chocolate ball filled with coffee ice cream caramel, strawberry pavlova, raspberry sorbet, chocolate tart and fresh fruit graced our plates. If you order the tasting menu and aren't full by the end of the 7 courses, the dessert will do you in! Our dining experience was fantastic in Reykjavik. There are two shoutouts though I must mention. One goes to the salty and delicious fried cod skin served with tartar sauce we had as a late night snack at the bar Insleski Barinn where we were able to try Iceland's own brewed and distilled alcohols. The other goes to the incredibly creamy Icelandic merge of ice cream and gelato from Valdi's, where they have dozens of flavours.
It seems it's impossible for us to go on any vacation without checking out the local food scene. I loved the fusion of traditional foods with modern ingredients as well as the simple traditions that shouldn't be altered. The best of both worlds were found in Iceland - geology and food! It's a place where you can be adventurous on foot, or with your taste buds.
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