Apotek Kitchen + Bar

Welcome to this limited series travel edition on dining in Iceland. We’re on our honeymoon in Reykjavik, dining at some of the city’s best restaurants. On our first night in town, we enjoyed the three-course tasting menu option at our hotel restaurant, Apotek.

The iconic structure in center city was one of Iceland’s first large buildings, with high ceilings, large arched window, and huge stone pillars. The restaurant has maintained the vibe of the former apothecary, with shelves full of assorted glass jars, many incorporated into serving vessels presented throughout the evening’s meal. The walls were lined with bottles of wine, furthering the apothecary feel.

The dark room with towering half-circle banquettes was bustling during our Valentine’s Day evening dinner, filled nearly to capacity. The decorated ceilings held pendulous glass sconces featuring massive Edison bulbs, like Brooklyn on steroids. The partially open kitchen with a big window and glass partitions was echoing with cries of ‘service’ as plates hit the counter, and the barkeep was hustling to mix up the many specialty cocktails on offer, like the Dillagin: Dill-infused Beefeater gin, mango, lime, and sugar; and the Hekla: Reyka vodka, grapefruit, butterscotch, green tea, and yuzu.

A front room was likewise filled with casual diners, in for a quick bite. The sound system boomed with a selection of vintage disco cuts, like Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie.” True to the Interwebs, this City Center eatery was a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. My wife commented that all the servers were exceptionally good looking, and I was forced to admit that their Nordic cheekbones could cut glass.

We were nestled at a two-top table flush with another two-top, separated by a barrier of artificial plants, just enough to suggest privacy. J ordered a glass of wine, and I ordered an Einstök White Ale from their selection of draft beers.

Sidestepping a seven-course gourmet tasting menu featuring (non-appealing to me) traditional dishes like puffin and ‘lightly grilled horse,’ we opted instead for the Three-Course Icelandic Menu for 13.900 krona per person. It offers six items, so we ordered all six options, to be divided between the two of us.

Our drinks appeared along with a bread board full of soft baked bread, along with a monkey dish of whipped Icelandic butter and a pile of flaky salt. It set the trend for every other local restaurant, as Iceland has inordinately delicious creamery butter, heaped onto bread boards and generally incorporated into most dishes. After one bite, we were neither complaining, nor worrying about the calorie count. It was that delicious.  

First came our starter courses. The Icelandic Landscape was lamp rump steak tartar, with pickled red onions, smoked cream cheese, bright green dill oil, and vinegar snow. The meat was finely chopped, dark red but not gamey. The pickled red onions proved to be constant every place we ate and added a nice counterpunch to the meat. We couldn’t discern exactly what the vinegar ‘snow’ was, but I suppose it was the white drifts of sugar-like substance on top of the meat and crunchy microgreens. The smoked cream cheese was sublime, in soft little quenelles.

The fish starter was easier to understand: a bright piece of slow-cooked Arctic char atop a large slab of pink Himalayan salt. It was lain atop several rounds of crisp green apple and topped with crunchy quinoa and drizzles of yuzu and truffle mayo. It was absolutely delicious, and we devoured the entire portion together. That’s love.

The main courses came next. There was a dish of impossibly flaky Pan-Fried Cod Loin, served with spicy spinach and cashew purées, crunchy tuiles of battered squash with limey sudachi, and a saffron cream sauce that was bright and savory. A bright passel of steamed green beans lurked underneath it.

The meat entrée was grilled lamb rump steak with whole roast carrots and carrot purée, roasted cauliflower, spring onion, and a black garlic sauce. Most of the Icelandic meals we ate during our weeklong visit came with root vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, and onions. They are the epitome of Iceland’s homegrown veggie options. The lamb meat was perfectly cooked and so delicious.

Still, we couldn’t finish everything and have room for dessert, so we prioritized and got the rest of our entrees to go in a very ecologically sound paper box, which I heated up on our hotel room towel rack several days later and finished. Go, geothermal heat!

When the third course arrived, the desserts were almost too pretty to eat. I do remember thinking that—right before I tucked into them. Icelandic chefs do amazing things with Skyr yogurt, and my Skyr Fantasia dessert was a perfect example: a hard white shell cracked to reveal Skyr fromage and mousse, with strawberry and lime gel over a lime sponge cake. It came with a quenelle of passionfruit gelato, macerated berries, and tiny, perfect merengues. It was sublime.

But it couldn’t even compete with the delicious beauty of J’s dessert: a perfect red rose cake on the outside, revealing the softest chocolate mousse interior. In the middle of all of that was a raspberry gelee center. It was visually stunning and so rich. It also came with a quenelle of passionfruit gelato, plated atop of pile of cookie crumbles. It was an amazing culinary creation at a restaurant renowned for their patisserie selection, on exhibit in a front counter and much touted at special ‘afternoon tea.’

The meal was a great way to kick off our honeymoon, and perfectly suited for Valentine’s Day dinner. Sated but not stuffed, we left Apotek and headed out into the night to Iceland’s gay Kiki Bar, where we enjoyed a drag show with Venezuelan queen Cris Artista.

A local joke found on postcards and T-shirts quips that Iceland is, “Not just cold, but expensive, too!” And that’s the truth. Because Iceland is an island, everything needs to be imported, and you’ll pay dearly for that. And even the locally sourced cuisine like cod and lamb will cost you. But visiting Iceland is like taking a trip to the moon. It’s a once in a lifetime experience—with a matching price tag. You might as well enjoy yourself while you’re there. So, try the multi-course tasting menus, and prepare to be wowed.

Apotek Kitchen + Bar
Austurstræti 16, 101
Reykjavik, Iceland
+354 551 0011
Apotekrestaurant.is

Monday-Sunday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Save a Few Clams

Unless it’s cod, you’re not going to save too many clams in Iceland. However, the Apotek Bar does have a daily Happy Hour drinks menu, in which you can get a bit of a discount on their specialty cocktails or get a pour of house white or red for 1.490 krona, about $12. And, if your visit coincides with Iceland’s Food and Fun Festival, February 25-March 1, you can sample Chef Danitza Gabriela of Michelin-listed Bib Gourmand restaurants special tasting menu: a six-course extravaganza featuring cured scallops, venison loin, marinated cod, Huacatay pappardelle, dry-aged ribeye, and chocolate mousse for 14.900 krona per person.