Our last night in Reykjavik before we headed to the south coast was at the beautiful Grillmarket (or Grillmarkaðurinn in Icelandic) where grilled meats and fish reign. The restaurant is in a beautiful old building hidden on a small courtyard off one of the main shopping streets and hence a tad difficult to find. We had come across it the day prior. but still had a tad of difficulty finding it again!
There are two levels as well as outdoor dining(not very big in Iceland, even in the summer) and we were taken past the open kitchen and upstairs room to the open bar and downstairs room which was a tad quieter. The music was a tad loud, but we adapted. The menus came and were on super heavy iron clipboards that made them quite difficult to lift, especially with such large menus for food and drink. Will and I quickly agreed the tasting menu was a great deal and confirmed with our charming server Paulina that while we had no clue what was coming, it would not be too meat intense and that the portions were indeed tastings with good pours for the wine. She assured us that she would take care of us and she was spot on; superb service all night.
The tasting here runs 12,900kroner(about $93) and the wines ring in at 9990kr, or abour $73. This is very reasonable for such an expensive country especially where almost any bottle of wine at a restaurant starts at well over $60! Do keep in mind that taxes are included here and no tipping is expected.
Pauline proceeded to pour a glass of Zenato Prosecco Brut and brought out the most magnificent Duck Salad with mozzarella, mandarin, pomegranate and spinach. We had seen the starter version of this at the next table and were very glad that ours was much smaller. The duck was shredded and juicy and all the ingredients were amazingly fresh and the dressing was divine. Always remember that photos are on my FB page.
Pauline arrived early with the next wine, a Santa Cristina 2020 Chardonnay, and it was served with an amazing Smoked Arctic Char with mustardseed, breadcrumbs and sweet mustard. If you like smoked fish, this would be your dream.
we were falling in love with every bite but went nuts for the Tiger Shrimp Tempura with Kimchi dressing that were as tender and juiucy as could be, paired with a Zenato 2018 Lugana Reserva which I had never had (to the best of my memory0>
Just when we thought we could not be impressed any more Paulina presented a dish I had never seen before in my life: a whale tartare with chili threads and onion soya sauce
and poured a Zenato 2018 Alanera made from Corvina grapes, again a wine we do not see too often at home. We had whale in blubber form about 14 years earlier in the Faroe Islands where it is considered a delicacy and we considered it like rubber. I was worried as I took a bite of the dark meat that smelled more like tuna, but tasted more like steak with a hint of fish. We loved it!!!
Grilled Salmon is a signature dish for the fish menu here and it was indeed one of the best salmons ever grilled to perfection, slightly rare and served with bok choy, quinoa mashed potatoes and with a garlic teriyaki sauce. The wine was a repeat of the Lugana, which we could not resist!
When the meat course came we were now in love with the magnificent RIbeye Steak with Creamy Mushrooms, Fried Mushrooms, Shishito Tempura and Mushroom Glaze. The red wine was another Zenato, a 2018 Ripasso Superiore that was drinking as smooth as could be.
Just when we thought dessert was next a rack of lamb appeared with date jam, yogurt sauce and glazed carrots and more Ripasso was poured. This rack was much better than the previous nights, less fat, and not so chewy, but we decided we had enough lamb for the trip.
Dessert wine came in the form of a Zenato 2017 Recioto della Valpolicella which we love and it was served with the most dramatic of desserts presentations(see the video on FB) for the Chocolate Ice Cream, Ginger Blueberry Ice Cream, Chocolate Lava Cake and Donuts(called Love Balls) all side dishes to the Crispy Malaysian Coffee Ice Cream Bombe topped with Hot Caramel sauce poured by Raphael.
We were very glad to take tastes of everything and then waddle home as we had an early departure to head to the glaciers in the south for snowmobiling the next day.
