Exploring Iceland's Cuisine

One of the perks of working for a travel company is that we are obliged to constantly check out the accommodation, restaurants, and destinations that we offer to our valued clients.

Iceland is a gourmand's heaven, and as product manager for the 'Land of Ice and Fire', I was lucky enough to be on cloud 9 with some of the restaurants that I sampled during my last visit to Iceland. With fresh produce and imaginative chefs very much influencing the menu, Iceland is a country that values great food, locally sourced - at Hotel Arnanes in the South East, the salad travels only a matter of metres from the garden to your table!

One of my personal favourites is in the vibrant capital, Reykjavik. Buried in the backstreets near the imposing church Hallgrimskirkja is Thrir Frakkar (Three Coats), a family-run restaurant with an emphasis of fresh seafood cooked in a traditional Icelandic fashion.

For those special occasions, Humarhusid (The Lobster House) in the middle of Reykjavik occupies a beautifully restored old house right in the city centre, classically furnished with dark wood furniture and even paintings of fish on the ceiling. The speciality? Rather unsurprisingly, this is the best spot in Reykjavik for delicious lobster.

Hotel Ranga, a couple of hours from Reykjavik on the South Coast, has fantastic views overlooking the sweeping Ranga river. The cuisine, influenced by the hotel manager Bjorn Eriksson, was exquisite when I was there, with gorgeous Arctic char and vanilla cod followed by a dessert of local strawberries with a fresh syrup and champagne sorbet. Glorious.

By Nikki Rickett, Iceland Product Manager

Comments

[James Humphries]

Having just returned from Iceland I have a couple of contributions to make to this review. Firstly, that the Humarhusid was in fact quite 'pokey' and that the staff were very cool and brusque with us. This is unlike the rest of our experience in Iceland where everyone was extremely warm, friendly and inviting. The second is that there is a little known restaurant that cooks the best fish I have tasted globally, let alone in Iceland - Rauða Húsið in Eyrarbakki. Very friendly staff served us beautifully cooked fish dishes using fish caught that day. They also produced the best Crème brûlée I've had too.