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22<br />
The Reykjavík Grapevine<br />
Issue 16 — 2015<br />
FOOD<br />
FOR YOUR MIND BODY AND SOUL<br />
West Side Story<br />
Kaffihús Vesturbæjar<br />
Melhagi 20-22, 107 Reykjavík<br />
What We Think:<br />
Don’t be afraid of seasoning! A<br />
little salt and acidity would go a<br />
long way in singing our way to<br />
flavour-town.<br />
Flavour:<br />
Kind of mis-matched, but with<br />
something for everyone.<br />
Ambiance:<br />
Trendy, clever and comfortable. It<br />
can get pretty loud, though.<br />
Service:<br />
Laid-back and friendly.<br />
Price for 2 (no drinks):<br />
5-6,000 ISK for 2 main courses<br />
and coffee<br />
One of the dangers of living in Reykjavík<br />
is that you quickly adapt to the local<br />
concept of time and space. As a city rat,<br />
I now think that anything outside of the<br />
101 postcode is “far.” Even the 107 hood<br />
has fallen off my radar. But an enterprising<br />
bunch of West Reykjavík folks<br />
(or “Vesturbæingar” as they are called)<br />
have taken up the challenge of planting<br />
their neighbourhood on the downtown<br />
radar with their on-point bistro, Kaffihús<br />
Vesturbæjar.<br />
Bang opposite the beloved Vesturbæjarlaug<br />
pool, Kaffi Vest jostles for<br />
space with the Gamla Apótek in the<br />
same building. After a dip in the pool,<br />
so popular with the trendy west side<br />
families, this would seem an obvious<br />
choice to get some grub.<br />
It is a stylish bistro replete with the<br />
now trendy wall-to-wall open shelving<br />
and old school displays of their freshly<br />
baked wares. Do not miss the little details<br />
(very much a Kex-like flair going<br />
on here, with the same team responsible<br />
for the décor): the vintage light<br />
fixtures, the wire basket full of wooden<br />
rolling pins, the old apothecary jars<br />
lining the rustic shelves, and the wide<br />
windows opening up to the main street<br />
makes for a chic package. It is all very<br />
inviting, and I can see why it is such a<br />
popular hangout with the locals.<br />
My husband and I decided to make<br />
the best of a sunny autumn day and call<br />
it a lunch date. The café is clearly an<br />
afternoon favourite, with every table<br />
occupied during our meal. We skipped<br />
the popular cauliflower soup (1,690<br />
ISK) and decided on the tartine of<br />
smoked salmon (1,690 ISK). My adventurous<br />
meat-loving husband decided<br />
to go in all guns blazing and chose the<br />
vegan burger (2,550 ISK). I did want to<br />
try the avocado salad (2,100 ISK), but<br />
was saved by the thoughtful hostess<br />
who suggested we might want to wait<br />
with that since the portions were very<br />
generous.<br />
The service is laid-back and easy,<br />
which if you are in a hurry or want a<br />
working lunch might not be the best<br />
pace, but we have dined here for dinner<br />
and had no complaints then. Our food<br />
arrived, affirming that the kitchen sure<br />
isn’t skimping on the portions!<br />
My tartine was a humongous hunk<br />
of sourdough-like bread, lusciously<br />
draped with silky slices of smoked<br />
salmon. With briny capers, pickled red<br />
peppers and a generous smattering of<br />
fresh parsley, this was a beautiful take<br />
on classic flavours.<br />
My partner´s burger, on the other<br />
hand, was underwhelming. The bun<br />
to patty ratio was off balance, the<br />
chickpea-beetroot-oatmeal patty with<br />
ginger and chillies was too pasty and<br />
under-seasoned. Conceptually great,<br />
Kaffi Vest’s veggie burger really failed<br />
on the taste front. The avocado mayonnaise<br />
is a very clever idea, however, and<br />
the texture had me fooled for a while; it<br />
was quite the mayonnaise doppleganger.<br />
With a touch more acidity, it could<br />
stand up very well to the herby fries<br />
that accompanied the burger. I was a<br />
big fan, and stole more than one (even<br />
though they too needed a touch more<br />
seasoning. Wait, am I a salt fiend?),<br />
though my husband, less of a fan, overlooked<br />
the potato larceny. At Kaffi<br />
Vesturbær, they seem to favour wholewheat<br />
buns but I’d love to see them offer<br />
diners some variety on that front.<br />
Kaffi Vest’s food has great potential.<br />
Their focus on thoughtfully sourced<br />
fresh ingredients, cooked seasonally, is<br />
a winning formula, but they can take it<br />
up a few notches with some minor revisions<br />
to the recipes. If that slow-cooked<br />
Moroccan lamb I had on a previous occasion<br />
is any proof, their autumn-winter<br />
menu seems worth looking forward to.<br />
Until then, one can celebrity-gaze,<br />
nibble on some dainty macaroons and<br />
drink never-ending cups of the excellent<br />
house coffee. Kaffi Vest has<br />
cracked the code on how to attract the<br />
coffee lounge crowd. With laid back<br />
service and a chic style quotient, it is<br />
not hard to see why it is such a popular<br />
haunt, and not just for the locals.<br />
SHRUTHI BASAPPA<br />
ART BICNICK<br />
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N E W A W A R D<br />
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 5<br />
BanThai<br />
R E S T A U R A N T<br />
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s<br />
----------------------------<br />
L a u g a v e g u r 1 3 0<br />
T E L : 6 9 2 - 0 5 6 4<br />
----------------------------<br />
“<br />
A L S O B E S T 2 0 0 9, 2 0 1 0, 2 0 1 1, 2 0 1 2, 2 0 1 3 a n d 2 0 1 4<br />
m a n y f a m o u s p e o p l e a r e r e g u l a r s h e r e<br />
Do not miss !<br />
“<br />
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