The Reykjavík Grapevine 45 Issue 02— 2019
This man is definitely not cooking scorpions
I’ll Eat a Donkey, But Don’t Tell Me It’s A Thoroughbred Enough pickled fish to deck RuPaul’s All Stars Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Burro Veltusund 1.
Shortly after Burro flung open their saloon doors for the first time in the winter of 2016, I was pleased with the lively atmosphere and impressed by the lengths they went to feature hard-to-source ingredients like tonka beans, and their threat of serving crickets and scorpions. Sure, the menu was a bit chaotic and the dishes were a little rough around the edges, but that’s to be expected while people are getting off the ground. So how is it working out three years down the line?
No scorpions The first thing to notice is that the menu hasn’t undergone any massive changes aside from losing the pretentious “soil, ocean, land” categories, and most of the desserts. Burro is still far from orthodox Mexican food, and there are still no scorpions to be seen. The decor still has that Cinco de Mayo party feel, and the music is a playlist of Latin brass band
covers of the Wu Tang Clan. This is all par for the course as the sunshine mafia behind Burro have since expanded their approach to cocktails and dining at their Florida-themed cocktail spot Miami Bar, and a tongue-in-cheek Spanish holiday kitsch bar Benedorm (sic), all of which are replete with tropical colours and fruity cocktails.
Mexican cantina The food, however, is where my smile starts to fade. On paper it all seems sensible: small plates and shared courses, served either in tacos or with dips. Fish is served ceviche-style—cured in citrus juice—and the slabs of meat come hot off the grill. So what’s the problem? If this was a solid Mexican neighbourhood cantina in a European city or a mid-range Baja Med spot in LA, and a two small courses with a cocktail would set you back €30. Pop it in your mouth, pay the bill, hit the town. No fuss. Here we’d be looking at €50 easy. I know we’re in Iceland and prices are crazy here, and
that Burro is positioning itself as a steakhouse, but for this price bracket, the quality would need to be twice the current standard.
Starchy tubers The crispy platanos chips (990 ISK) were a nice change from the omnipresent tortilla chips and the guacamole was nicely chunky, but lacking in both heat and acidity. The tuna ceviche (1,990 ISK) hit the heat level right but the frozen tuna lacked texture and flavour (I’d opt for fresh local cod instead). The cassava chips (990 ISK) get a glowing recommendation, those starchy tubers familiar to every Brazilian with a pulse— big deep-fried chunks with a thin truffle oil sauce (I hate truffle oil, but even a broken condiment is right once a decade.) The most pleasant dish was the slab of marbled ribeye with double crisp potato wedges and sautéed mushrooms (8,490 ISK). It was under-seasoned, but that was easily fixed, and then you were left with enough meat to feed two hungry food bros. The béarnaise sauce was superfluous, but with 70% of the guests being Icelandic, I don’t see how they could have skipped it. Icelanders are all over béarnaise like tweakers in a Montana meth lab. All in all, I have some love for Burro, and the vibe at 8pm on a Friday night is fun. But I’d love to see the kitchen upgraded from a donkey to a Shetland pony.
REYKJAVÍK’S FIRST BREWPUB
REYKJAVIK
EST. 2012
FRENCH ONION SOUP Icelandic Ísbúi cheese, croûtons
2.390 kr.
MOULES MARINIÈRES
steamed mussels from Breiðafjörður
2.600 kr.
FISH OF THE DAY
lunch from 1.690 kr
chef´s special
3.890 kr.
Lunch offer from 11:30 - 14:00 1.990 kr.
ÓÐINSTORG | 101 | REYKJAVÍK | ÍSLAND BRYGGJAN BRUGGHÚS * GRANDAGARÐI 8 101 REYKJAVÍK * 00354 456 4040 * WWW.BRYGGJANBRUGGHUS.IS
SNAPSBISTRO.IS | +354 5116677