A FOOD TOUR OF REYKJAVIK

When people return from Iceland, often they will tell you about all the beautiful and awe inspiring nature.  Undoubtedly, Iceland is a magnificent and individual place, but no one prepared me for the Icelanders' love of food.  Even at the office of 60 people, where I worked for a week, they had an in-house chef who cooked delicious and fresh meals every lunchtime.  Below I try to explain the Icelandic food experience.

Fish Market

This place had a great vibe, yet inviting and appealing to diners of all ages, and it possessed a cool soundtrack to boot.  Along with one of its sister restaurants Grill Market (below), the decor was an earthy modern Scandinavian.  The freshest sushi I've ever tasted, and the food served in a dramatic but stylish manner.

Adalstraeti 12, Reykjavik, Iceland

Fish Company

More rustic, and less of an urban cool feel to it than its sister restaurants.  The feel here is more an open, airy, coastal affair. We stopped here for a birthday dinner, and I daresay the mains here were better than at Fish Market, but it does lack the atmosphere of some of the other restaurants.

Vesturgotu 2a, Grófartorg, Reykjavik 101, Iceland

Grill Market

Visited here on the last night.  As my companion for that evening had arrived later than me, I was considering a return visit to Fish Market but, at the last minute, we decided to go with Grill, and did not regret the decision.  As an all-rounder it beats the rest. It is extremely hard to even begin to describe the decor and atmosphere of the place, and the food was simply divine.  Serves a mixture of meat and fish courses.

Laekjargata 2A, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Sea Baron

On the first day, I was part of a group of hungry girls searching for fish, and luckily one who had visited Reykjavik before, recommended this place.  Lobster soup is a classic in Iceland, and of the three I tried, the Sea Baron's was the best.  They also serve an incredible array of fish skewers, along with delicious bread (we asked them to refresh the bread basket three times).  Small, rustic and quirky, packed with locals, and a perfect reflection of the surrounding docks.

Geirsgata 8, 101, Reykjavik, Iceland

Sandholt Bakery

On the last day, I had just enough time to grab some pastries and shopping before my coach departed.  On the plane ride home, I was so happy to have a delicious sandwich and scone from this place in my bag, and was nostalgically munching on some of the other pastries for my breakfast the next couple of mornings, which helped soothe my post holiday blues somewhat.

Laugavegi 36, Reykjavik

Icelandic Bread (in general)

A consistent theme throughout our trip.  The bread in Iceland is second to none (they say its due to the water, which is a wonder in itself).  At all the above restaurants we were served bread with or before the meal, but if you're going to be in an airbnb, its worth buying some from the bakery for your breakfast.

I hope that one day I can add to this list.  Please leave comments below on these or any other Reykjavik restaurants, or let me know if you want me to expand on the meals (could talk about them for days, to be honest).

SHOREDITCH STREET ART TOUR

We booked the Shoreditch Street Art tour for a friend who was visiting from India, who unfotunately pulled out at the last minute (due to the weather being much colder than the Indian climate), meaning we two Londoners were left umming and ahhing over whether we should do it without a tourist present.  Then yes, we decided to go for it, and it turned out to be, the right decision in the end.

For us locals, it was enlightening to hear the story behind the scenes of the street art that we pass by (and usually ignore) every day.  Those who were visiting and taking the tour seemed to be as impressed as we were, by the tour guide's knowledge.  He had left his job, spurred by the financial crisis, in order to make a living from his passion, and it shows.

Be warned, the tour is long, you'll be told at the beginning that the time will fly by, and it really does.

RAINY DAYS IN BRIGHTON

A balmy day in London, so we escaped to a breezier place.  First to Brighton Pavilion and a stroll around the beautiful surrounding gardens that were in full bloom, although sadly we didn't have time to explore the museum within the Pavilion.  

From there, we tried to locate D'arcys, which was a bit of a mission but well worth it (and we made an unexpected visit to ChoccyWoccyDoodah on the way, which was a must see).  At Darcy's we both ordered the Lobster pasta, which came in a delicious tomato sauce, on a bed of spaghetti.  The Lobster was cooked to perfection, and despite us both of us declaring that we could never finish the behemoth of a plate, it was polished off within about ten minutes.  (It's also worth mentioning that a trip to the bathroom allows you to explore a gorgeous old house).

After lunch, we dragged our sleepy selves off to the pier, and then down to the beach for a read and an afternoon nap.  It was the perfect weather, so we were reluctant to schlep back into town, but as the shops close at around 5pm, we roused ourselves and went for ice cream to perk us up.  

Post ice cream, we set about investigating the independent shops.  Unfortunately it was already the cusp of closing time so there were many stores left unexplored, but we did manage to load up on a few interior decorations.  This means that a return visit is definitely due in the not too distant future.  Any recommendations for a return visit are welcome, and hopefully a guide on the shops to come!

Brighton Pavilion, BN1 1EE

D'arcys Restaurant, BN1 1HH

SUNDAY BARNSBURY

We had narrowly missed out on pancakes at Glastonbury due to rain and mud, so we needed to fix this mishap sharpish, and chose Sunday in Barnsbury as the remedy after much research via Instagram.  Up until this point, the Clerkenwell branch of Granger & Co. had been first port of call for pancakes (or ricotta hotcakes to be precise), but Sunday may have edged it.  Maybe that's because at Sunday, there is bacon, and you can't argue with an idea like bacon.  I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the pancake stack, as the often aerial Instagram shots have failed to display that there are 4 of them (4 of them!) topped with a knob of honeycomb butter the size of my head, which was worth the £9 alone.

Also, the warm and cloudy weather currently looming in London reminds me of when I went to Morocco in February, meaning I've been pining after a mint tea.  So I ordered one, and it was nice (can't really go too wrong after all).  I was wishing it had more sugar, not noticing the sugar sat on the table next to me, so that's my bad.

The eagle-eyed of you may have noticed a baby's feet in the first shot.  Instagram also fails to note that you are stepping into Islington mummy territory here in Barnsbury, so don't go there thinking that at 10am on a weekday it's going to be empty and there's no need to book...ahem.

So we headed off to Camden market to walk it off, and instead went on what turned into a buying spree for 'clothes to wear at Lovebox'.  I'm sure that also burns off butter.  If you have had any other pancakes that compete with Granger & Co. please please let me know below.  Always interested in new pancakes!

Sunday Barnsbury, 169 Hemingford Rd, London N1 1DA

STREET FEAST: DINERAMA

A meal made possible by a confusing Friday evening.  An impromptu birthday drinks, an arrangement to eat with a friend, birthday drinks clashing with prearranged pub drinks, pub drinks clashing with eating, post-pub central drinks clashing with birthday drinks, drinks in central being cancelled, friend flaking on birthday drinks...  And the result was a lovely evening spent at East London's newest Street Food venue, Dinerama.

The first surprise was that there were more food stalls than expected, therefore more untried foods than expected.  I had previously tried Bobs' lobster at a former Street Feast incarnation, Hawker House, where the crab roll had been really nice...if pricey, lobster roll sold out, and the famed 'lobster mac n cheese', which had looked so tempting through instagram filters, was in fact so utterly salty that the taste needed to be doused by one of the £10 cocktails.

So on to Yum Bun.  This was a repeat of a Hawker House purchase (ashamedly purchased at two separate Hawker Houses), but in our defense it was purchased as a kind of food buffer; something to chew on whilst we decided which new food to try.  Needless to say, Yum Bun's pork bun is always a solid choice, (though we swore it was smaller than last time...) with a fluffy bun and tasty filling.  Also, my Taiwanese companion gave it the thumbs up, which obviously means that the whole of Taiwan accepts this as a completely valid substitute for their home country's street snacks.

Then to BBQ Lab, with its extravagant stall that they've put a tremendous effort into, which only 10% of diners will ever notice, as there is little point competing with the excellent looking food they roll out.  In fact, we stop for the 'award winning' Chipuffalo wings, in a ridiculously peppery gooey cheese sauce, and can't help but be distracted by the look of the ribs whilst we are mid-eat.  See?  Even your food can't compete with its own good looks.  Back to the wings; crunchy and delicious, in the kind of sauce that you will find yourself craving the next evening.  The ribs meanwhile told no lies with their looks.

But then we get distracted by the delicious-looking £10 cocktails, which do tell a lie, because really they are sour and strong, whilst looking sweet and dainty.  A long time is spent consuming these liquids, and soaking up the atmosphere, which is actually truly pleasant.  You would think its pretty easy to create 'atmoshphere' when you have food plus drink plus a location near Old Street, and that the situation should write itself, but the reality is often overly busy, becoming a stressful race for food and seats.  Dinerama somehow feels relaxed, with a plentiful bounty of food and drink. 

Then, finally, on to dessert.  We have chosen YouDoughnut's salted caramel doughnuts with a banana ice cream.  Salty and sweet is always a winning combination, and the addition of the sticky sauce and crunchy walnut topping makes for a fittingly successful end for our time at Street Feast.  After which, I go to those pub drinks, knowing that, whichever arrangement happens now, the evening has already hit its high.

Street Feast Dinerama is at 19 Great Eastern Street to 4th October