I had a fantastic evening at the Fish Market (fiskmarkadurinn), whilst staying in Iceland’s Reykjavik.
A surprise from my wife for my birthday, I eagerly made my way through the superb 8 course tasting menu after working up an appetite at a beer tour.
It’s safe to say, we opted to have the matched wine selection alongside our food, and combined with the beer, it means my recollection of the evening is a little hazy.
However, here are a few photos of what you’ll expect if you are to visit.
As you may expect from Iceland, there’s heat, smoke and fish in abundance, and all dishes are designed to be shared.
The meal starts with a bag of hot rocks which keeps an Icelandic malt loaf warm – combined with salty butter, this was a great start to the meal.
There follows several courses of excellent sushi and some kind of white fish (cod?), all of which were delicious, if a little predictable.
Next there was a dish of peat-smoked minke whale in the tasting menu.
Although it tasted good, it’s something I don’t feel too good about now, having done more research and visited Reykjavik’s whale museum. Minke’s aren’t endangered, but apparently tourists, under the misapprehension that they are a traditional Icelandic dish, create demand for them at restaurants. I wouldn’t eat it again.
Next up were the mussels, served with lots of dry ice for some welcome theatrics. The bisque for the muscles was deep with rich fishy flavour.
The final savoury dish was lamb, which was tasty enough but it was clear that the fish was the real speciality.
For dessert, we were served a huge platter filled with different small bites, from fruit to chocolate, sorbet to tarts. It was all delicious, but after the beer, wine, and 7 previous courses, it was a little wasted on our full bellies.
The service was friendly, un-rushed, and very professional. All in all – a great destination for a special occasion. Make sure you book in advance, and as with everywhere in Iceland, save up for a couple of years before the bill arrives.
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