Reykjavik - Grillmarkadurinn (The Grill Market)

The Missus had enjoyed our dinner at Fiskmarkadurinn so much, She had me make reservations at their sister restaurant, named Grillmarkadurinn (The Grill Market). I was lucky enough to get reservations and it would end being a nice finish to our trip to Iceland.

The restaurant was fairly close to where we were staying. It is rather discreetly located down a passage and is easy to miss if you don't see the signs.

The place was packed and like other restaurants, you hang your coat on the rack near the doorway. We found a strategic and easy to remember location on the rack.....we saw several folks digging around having not remembered where they hung their coats.

The service here was very good; relaxed but professional. Like the Fish Market, many items had Asian touches. Some sounded a bit odd, but we actually enjoyed this meal more than what we had the previous night.

Man, do we love the bread and the whey butter in Iceland.....

The Missus really enjoyed the Minke Whale the previous night, so we started with the Minke Whale Steak (2890kr - about $27.75 US).

Fashionably dressed with chili threads and served with a ponzu sauce, we both really enjoyed this version of Minke Whale. I really didn't care for the robata version I had the night before, finding it too livery. I thought this was very tender; the crisp oyster mushrooms added an almost sweet earthiness to the tender and mildly offaly whale.

Next up; a dish whose name was so long that I actually wrote it down - Angelica Lamb from Halla at Ytri Fagridalur (2190kr - $21 US).

So, what's in a name? Ytri Fagridalur is the name of the farm where Halla Sigríður Steinólfsdóttir and her husband raise certified organic lamb. During the summer months the lamb are fed Angelica, which is supposed to change the flavor of the lamb. We both enjoyed the lamb, it was quite mild in flavor and surprisingly tender. We thought the Sichuan Peppercorn based seasoning was a bit over-powering.

So, Minke Whale and Angelica Fed Lamb....a bit too much for you? How about some sliders?

Of course these weren't just ordinary sliders. This was Whale, Puffin, and Langoustine "Mini-Burgers" (3790kr - $36.50 US). Not cheap, but quite interesting.

The Langoustine version was very tender and sweet, though the addition of chorizo kind of killed things for us.

The whale was by far our favorite as it went strangely well with the pesto and was very meaty, with a flavor that edged toward grass-fed beef. The puffin had a rather strange livery-fishy flavor; kind of predictable, since it's main diet is small fish. While I won't be searching it out in the future, I was glad to have tried it.

We shared one "main"; the "Fish Gourmet" (5490kr - $53 US).

A trilogy of fish; salmon, cod and redfish served with garlic potatoes and vegetables. The most memorable of the bunch was the cod which was so tender and buttery, unlike the cod I'm used to eating here in the states.

Some of the flavors and presentation (and prices!!!) was a bit over-the-top.

But the ingredients were without a doubt top-notch.

 

So, if you're doing the math; dinner topped out at about $175; not cheap, but we went mostly with starters and one rather large sized main course. The steaks can go for $70-$100.

Iceland turned out to be quite an interesting eating destination for us. A big plus is that folks here are very friendly and nice.

If I had a choice between the Fish Market and the Grill Market; we'd go with Grillmarkaðurinn.

Grillmarkaðurinn
Lækjargata 2a
101 Reykjavík, Iceland

I ended my last evening as I often do; with a "cold one" and reflected on all we'd done and the places we had been. Starting in Seattle for an overnight stay. From there it was off to Paris, the city captivated the Missus, and made my credit card scream for mercy. From there it was off to Burgundy where we were entranced by the countryside, the Saturday Market in Beaune, and the food. It was back to Paris and one of the finest meals we've ever had. Being able to visit Iceland was icing on the cake. We had no complaints; even the $70 for three-quarters of a tank of gas didn't phase us. We are lucky to be able to travel like this.......

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Soo]

I like the light char on the salmon. That's good you are eating well on your travels.

[Junichi]

For a second I thought the restaurant sign said 619.

[Kirk]

We try to eat well Soo!

It does kinda look like "619" Junichi!

[Nicole @ Bento Momentos]

$70 for 3/4 tank of gas?! Dang. The food sure does look hearty. Were you able to check out the Northern Lights? One thing on my unofficial bucket list :D

[Kirk]

Iceland ain't cheap Nicole. We missed out on the Northern Lights....maybe next time.

[kat]

what a great dining experience!

[Kirk]

It was a fun time Kat!