Our second night here in the nation' capital was a meal we had planned and re-planned for the last several years!! Ever since DILL won a Michelin star (the first in Iceland), it was on our radar. The concept is to use all local ingredients and also try to remain as sustainable as possible with no waste. The meal was a spectacular journey through Icelandic cuisine and we were nuts about virtually every bite.
The only option here is a tasting menu at 15,900IKS(approx $116US) and there are wine parings for an additional 13,900IKS($102 each). Will decided to add the glass of Olivier Horiot French Champagne "Metisse" for an extra $24 which was nice, but quite an overdose of bubbly for me. Nice Riedel stemware is used, but my only real qualm with the arrangement was that the silverware is placed on the table in a large canister and you take whatever you want. I guess this saves time for the staff setting it out, but there is a lack of glass and one knife was actually dirty!
Four amuses arrive first in the form of (1) a Raw Char Tartlet with Dehydrated Sheep-dung Smoked Trout(!!), (2)Vegetable soup made over 4 days from leftover veggies in the kitchen and smoked and caramelized over 2 days, topped with horseradish cream and wasabi powder, (3) a Pancake with Lamb Tartare(made from filet & hearts that are brined, then smoked0 with Angelica emulsion and pickled roses, dehydrated dung-smoked lamb and fresh watercress, (4)Caramelized Onion cake with pickled carrots and Juniper emulsion, which would have been quite dry save for the emulsion. The flavors were intense and the ingredients obviously insane, but it was a burst of flavors in each dish.
The only item not pictured on my FB photos is the Grilled Blue Mussel from Stykkisholmer (where we had visited 2 days prior on our cruise) with a black garlic puree, blue mussel emulsion, lovage and sea sandwort. This was paired with a To Ol x Saltverk beer called "There goes the seawater pipe" which Will oved, but I opted for the 2020 Rose of Pinot Noir from Pfalzland in Germany. Jasmine, the sommelier and winemaker from Germany did keep our glasses refilled and she was a font of knowledge and a treat as was the entire staff. It seemed that every course was delivered by a different chef from the kitchen which was fun as well.
The bread was from the island of Oland and served with Spruce Butter!
The next pair of dishes were paired with a Riesling from Peter Jakob Kun 2020 Alte Reben in Rheingau which was nice and dry and worked great with the greens.
1)Green Fermented Tomatoes, 4-week Fermented Cabbage, fresh cabbage, Romaine and Tindur cheese were dressed in the most amazing Almond and buttermilk puree that had an awesome flavor and a crunch from some almonds(I intend to try and replicate this). The second dish was Barley Risotto in brown butter with fermented daikon(in cream and butter), Golden Beetroot(in nutmeg & lemon) and salt baked roots with sprouts on top.
Remember that all the photos are on FB!!
Fish was next and the first dish was Cured cod in chive oil (think ceviche, and how odd that they have great fish here in Iceland, but tartare is not so common!) with tomatoes two ways: Slow roasted overnight and marinated in Marigold pickling liquid all covered by a tomato consomme. This was a brilliant tartare that had us wanting more. It was paired with a Siur Alta Orange wine 2021 from Catalonia, Spain(Pinedes) made by Vins Nus. Jasmine said she loved it and wanted us to try it. I was okay with it for the fish, but alone it was a tad funky.
The second fish was a Cod Loin and Jelly with Mushroom Puree, fermented tomato water, pickled green currants, chervil and chervil foam. Again, cod is the star fish here in Iceland and this dish was truly an example of how heightened it can be.
Of course the pother star product of Iceland is lamb, and the next two dishes were examples of that paired with a Valli Unite rosato frizzante(sparkling rose) called "Il Rose & The Beast." we tried it and again, it was on the verge of funky, but was okay with the first Braised Lamb Shank with Salt-baked Rutabagas, burnt bay leaf powder and fresh lemon-thyme leaves. Like the previous night, this shank was a confit style and melted in your mouth. The second lamb dish was a grilled Loin aged 14 days with Compressed lamb lettuce, lamb consomme, black garlic and lovage with Icelandic seaweed. The flavor profiles of this dish were amazing, but again the loin was a tad chewy and in some places the sinew was hard to cut. It was in a bowl and we were both afraid the sauce or meat would fly across the table. I asked the staff if Icelanders like their lamb this way and they said it is very common. They prefer it rare and sinewy and the fatty tradition goes way back. I will stick to the confit versions!! This dish, to me, also demanded red wine and Jasmine immediately complied with a yummy Grenache-Syrah blend called "Fruit Jazz" from Sylvain Bock(an Alsatian winemaker) in Ardeche, France that we loved and asked for refills on--several times.
A wonderfully refreshing palate cleanser of Rhubarb Sorbet came with wasabi oil and dehydrated wasabi leaf. I should also mention that each dish was a work of art in the presentation department--you need to check out the FB photos.
Desserts started with an homage to Icelandic nature with an Almond/Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake with preserved rhubarb, chervil stems and pods, pickled roses and burnt cream. I was nuts about this dish and the smoky cream. The second plate was a simpler looking yet super tasty Chocolate & Coffee Roll Cake with Arctic Thyme and Lemon Cream.
Jasmine returned with several after dinner drink options(not included) and we tasted them all before ordering. Will opted for the smooth and herbal Helviti Iceland Vodka while I chose the Bjork Liqueur made from birch that was amazing. We will have to buy these both at duty-free on departure!
There were small treats afterwards in the form of a Chocolate Ganache tart with Pickled Rhubarb and roasted almonds as well as a crunchy taffy of Lemon-Thyme-Vinegar-Caramel-He
We were so glad we finally got to Dill and would return in a second as it was an amazing journey through the highest echelons of Icelandic cuisine.
