Off our Arctic Expedition cruise, we were eager for some Icelandic local food and chose Kopar located on the waterfront in downtown Reykjavik. It is a two story building with simple yet attractive decor and our server, who said to call him "John" as his name was so long, was very helpful and totally accommodated our needs to relax between courses and really enjoy our first night back on land.
We started with one of their specialty drinks called Euphoria and asked "John" to cut the Elderflower a tad so it was not too sweet. The drink was also made with Icelandic vodka, Blue Curacao and lime and was nice an tart and refreshing.
Beautiful bread arrived, which was just a plain yet crusty edged white, but we had noticed the breads on the ship were never that great, so being here in Iceland where the bread is all freshly baked is a real treat, especially the black breads! The butter was purplish with dried violets and licorice salt, which when spread on the bread did not give a very strong licorice flavor, so I gobbled it down; Will asked for the plain purple dried violet butter.
Starters were Rock Crab Soup with Shrimp, Spinach & Bean Sprouts which Will said was delicious, but could have used some more chunks of seafood in it. My Langoustine Wantons used local lobster(they call it langoustine as they tend to be smaller than what we are used to) in a crispy fried wonton with cauliflower, pickled onion and a tangy chili mayo for dipping. While the starters were not that large, the mains were quite large.
We ordered a bottle of Muga Reserva 2018 Tempranillo blend from Rioja, Spain and while we realize Iceland is expensive, the alcohol import tax really makes a bottle of wine that runs $50-60 at a DC restaurant, over $80 here!! It was a great choice as we both ordered the local Grilled Rack of Lamb with Slow-cooked lamb shoulder served with Fondant Potato, Apricot-Thyme Demi-Glaze, charred Asparagus and Crispy fried lotus.
I guess the terms for part of the lamb are different here as the "rack" was not a chop, but a slice which was a tad fatty, though beautifully crispy on the top. The shoulder underneath was more like a confit as was superb and tasty. Fondant potato here was a 1/2 large potato just peeled and braised, not exciting but the sauces were so tasty as there was the glaze as well as a nice lamb jus. The asparagus and lotus were a nice touch. We had seen the dessert menu, but we were so stuffed we decided to split one and "John" suggested the Chocolate Trio which was a very nice trio of a gooey Dark Chocolate Fondant Tart, White Chocolate Ice Cream and a Milk Chocolate Mousse. We loved it all and headed back to our hotel after an exhausting day as we had toured 10-hours with a guide all day after disembarking at 730am and needed a good rest.
Tonight--Iceland's Michelin starred DILL!
