2 weeks ago
12
Rakel Sigurðardóttir: Iceland isn't that old of a country and the restaurant scene is pretty young as well, so I'm always trying to find something that's older, and that can be quite hard as there's always new things happening. And Icelandic people are very much always trying new things but I like places that are a little bit quirky and kitschy.
When I'm running late – maybe on the way to studio – and I need to grab something quick, there's bakery called BakaBaka. It’s a restaurant too, and they have this ham and cheese croissant thing - and every time I have it, I'm like oh my god! I have a physical reaction to it because it's so good – it has crispy cheese on top and it's so soft and nice when you're in a hurry and you don't get the flakes all over you like on a normal croissant!
Þrír frakkar is a place just up the street from where I live and it’s one of the oldest places in town; I think it’s been there since 1989. On Thursdays they have this special lunch: breaded lamb cutlets – they’re fried and a little crispy – and served with sugared potatoes and canned peas, canned red cabbage with this brown sauce, and rhubarb jam. We just love to eat sweet things here because everything's really salty – and we love how the salty and sweet go together. There are men in suits at Þrír frakkar that have been going there for years, always talking politics or whatever. It’s a very special experience in Reykjavík for me but I don't go every Thursday because it's not maybe the healthiest, but once in a while I like to treat myself.
My favourite restaurant used to be a cafe back in the days called Tíu Dropar but they closed that right about the time I moved from Akureyri to Reykjavík. Then this new place opened called Tíu Sopar (‘Ten Sips’) and they just have really good food there. My favourite dish is the smoked mackerel, and they serve it on top of potatoes and caramelised onions. It's very simple and it's so good. It’s very casual and laid back, with good wines and good food and good service.
Jómfrúin is a place that serves Danish Smørrebrød - open sandwiches. A lot of what we have in Iceland, it turns out, is actually Danish! This is one of the oldest places in town, and I like to go there alone or with a friend and have a beer or snaps and some Smørrebrød. The staff are super nice and they’ve been doing it for so long so it feels friendly and homey. People like to go in big groups too and it’s a big thing at Christmas – they have a special Christmas menu and when people go to a Christmas concert or something, they often go there first. A lot of what they serve is what we’ve adopted as Christmas food in Iceland - things like the warm pate, with jam and gravy. People book to go there at Christmas way in advance!
Skál! used to be up at Hlemmer in the food court, but they opened their own place on this cute corner on Njálsgata. They have really good food using Icelandic ingredients but I actually like to go there and have a martini. They serve half-martinis, in case you don’t want a whole one, and it always stays cold. They have different types - I had a tomato-infused one the other day. They have a good bar to sit at but the high chairs are a bit uncomfortable, so you don't want to stay for too long on those!
We don’t have a lot of roaster coffee in Reykjavík. It’s hard to to find good coffee and it is expensive, no matter where you buy it but I go to Reykjavík Roasters for mine. They have three spots around town and I like to go to Ásmundarsalur, which is a gallery on Freyjugata, and they have a spot on the first floor with an outside area which is nice to sit on. They also have one on Kárastígur and another up near Hlemmur. We also have a Starbucks in Iceland but please don’t go there! There’s only tourists in there drinking frapuccinnos!
I love liquorice and in Iceland my favourite is Sambó Lakkris who make these bars in yellow packets. They also have these rolled up marzipan and licorice wheels that are really good. And here we love to mix licorice with chocolate. Some people hate it and I really don’t understand that. Everyone in Iceland loves liquorice!
Singer-songwriter RAKEL makes music that draws on memory, atmosphere, and personal reflection, shaped by her upbringing between Akureyri and her family’s farm in Hrútafjörður. Her album A Place To Be is released via the Ólafur Arnalds-founded OPIA Community on 17 October and she plays Iceland Airwaves this November.
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