Sægreifinn
The original „Icelandic Fish & Chips“ from 2006
Tasty fish dishes in a seafarer’s cabin Translated from the Icelandic, “Sægreifinn” means the Sea Baron (Neptune). His riches include the fruits of the sea, making Sægreifinn the perfect name for one of Reykjavik’s best kept secrets – a bona fide and inexpensive (by Icelandic standards!) fish restaurant on the harbour’s edge. Sadly, the proprietor of Sægreifinn, Kjartan Halldórsson has recently passed away, but he will be remembered by many, not least at SÆGREIFINN, where the atmosphere and menu remain as authentic as the day he started his restaurant 2002.
Legendary lobster soup The offers change with the tides, anything from smoked monkfish, to eels, halibut, trout, salmon, lumpsucker, blue ling, lemon sole, marinated herring and 64
other delicacies. The house speciality is humarsúpa – a mouth-watering lobster soup that’s more of a stew really, for the less than the price of a glass of wine. Delicious, fresh Icelandic cod also makes it onto the menu, while “harðfiskur”, the dried stuff that locals seem to relish, is available on request. For those wanting a genuine and unpretentious taste of Iceland this is a great find. Eat in or take away a parcel of ready-tocook delights – either way it’s a real treat.
A distinctly local flavour For the adventurous, there is Minke whale meat (a legally caught and not endangered species). You can ponder your political correctness over smoked slices or have it kebab-style, grilled with vegetables, offering a taste not too dissimilar to beef. Grilled
Restaurant down at the harbour. cormorant, puffin and shark can also be served up for those brave enough to try. Sægreifinn´s Saturday lunch special is when a wholesome plates of “saltfiskur” and “skata” is served. Saltfish, or baccalao - distinctively flavoured, tasty salt-dried cod - was a major Icelandic export for centuries. Skata, or stingray, is another kettle of fish altogether. Fermented for weeks, sometimes months, it assaults your senses with the pungent smell of ammonia. Served with potatoes it is usually complemented with some nice hot fatty animal suet. Go on try it, we dare you!
Sægreifinn, Verbúð 8, Geirsgata, 101 Reykjavík +354 553 1500, www.saegreifinn.is seabaron8@gmail.com Open daily 11:30 - 22:00
For a great meal and great value, take a wander down to the old city harbour in Reykjavik and enjoy some fresh Icelandic fish and chips. Enveloped in a crispy light batter, or gently baked in delicious pesto, there is usually a choice of between three and five types of fish delivered daily from the high seas. The restaurant also serves up garlic roasted langoustine – the unmissable ‘Icelandic lobster’. Wonderfully unique in terms of its authenticity and commitment to organic produce, Icelandic Fish & Chips is located within the ‘Volcano House’, one of the city’s top tourist attractions and another good reason to head on down.
Full of flavour The ‘chips’ are in fact wedges of white fluffy potato, oven-roasted to perfection with local
sea-salt and parsley, rosemary or garlic. And for the fish, the chefs have carefully considered how best to batter them, creating a crispy concoction using spelt as opposed to wheat flour, and rapeseed oil for its healthy omega-3 content. Rounding off the menu is a tasty range of fresh salads, while drinks include homemade ginger beer (the non-alcoholic variety). For those who can’t contemplate their fish and chips without a dash of malt vinegar, worry not. Although there is no tradition of the stuff in Iceland, and nobody imports it, the restaurant makes their own in-house.
An endearing Icelandic addition is the choice of dips featuring the legendary local produce ‘Skyr’. Essentially a milky cheese product, that tastes and looks like yoghurt, it’s a great fat-free base for all sorts of yummy dips ranging from coriander and lime, to ginger and wasabi or even mango – don’t go home without tasting them.
Icelandic Fish & Chips Tryggvagata 11, 101 Reykjavík Tel: +354 511 1118 reservations@fishandchips.is www.fishandchips.is Open daily 12:00-21:00 65