Iceland: beyond the wall
One cold March, I had the brilliant idea to leave one winter wonderland for another, thanks to WOW Air’s insane promotion at the time ($319 RT to Rekjavik). So. Cold.
Now, let me tell you all about how I became a “foodie” for the weekend in Iceland.
The traveller in me couldn’t pass up a deal like that, even though Iceland wasn’t on my list of must-visit places. Leading up to my solo trip, two things I kept hearing and reading about the gorgeous landscape but that it was quite expensive to visit. Thank you to Nomadness Travel Tribe, one of my fave Black travel groups for all of the tips! But no one mentioned the food…
I was in for the surprise of my life.
Iceland has AMAZING food and in recent years, quickly became one of Europe’s culinary hot spots. Keep reading and you’ll see why.
I knew prices were high, so before leaving on my trip I planned out where I would eat almost all of my meals. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to spend the equivalent of a mortgage on food while on vacation. I intentionally chose Skuggi Hotel because it offered a full breakfast (none of that continental nonsense where you’re hungry in 2 hours) and since it had very recently opened, there was a promotion happening that included breakfast with all room bookings!
Thank you to Skuggi Hotel’s breakfast spread for introducing me to Skyr (pronounced skeer). I had heard that this Scandinavian yogurt was really low in fat and high in protein (technically cheese but that’s a minor detail) so I was curious to try it. I didn’t want the North American take on it since it was new (to me at least), so I patiently waited until i arrived in Iceland where it has been a part of the cuisine for over 1000 years. Yep 1000.
One morning before heading out, I grabbed my usual suspects of eggs and toast, then a little bit of Skyr with some honey. I had no idea it was supposed to be mixed with cereal for breakfast...did I care? Not one bit. It was so creamy and delicious, I helped myself to a second bowl. Skyr quickly became a fave of mine on that trip.
Now I was ready for my Golden Circle day tour with Your Day Tour! So ready that by the time we made our first coffee/snack stop in Hveragerdi, I wasn’t even the slightest bit hungry. I almost didn’t go inside the rather plain looking convenience store/bakery since the weather was so drab and dreary that day.
Looks can be deceiving. My tour guide (who also happened to work on the set of Game of Thrones) convinced me to go in and I’m glad he did.
Do you see that beautiful spread? Icelanders have a sweet tooth! I had no idea what to choose but eventually settled on a couple of doughnuts. Huge, light, moist and just the right amount of sweet..pastry lover approved.
Things only continued to get better from there. After checking out the Geysir geothermal area it was time for lunch. I have to admit, I was a tad bit nervous about how much I might have to spend because I couldn’t find the info online beforehand. So, I strolled around the tourist centre/food court hybrid price comparing.
I finally settled on Mulligatawny soup because it was the cheapest meal option (ha!). At $25 a bowl, I was hoping I’d get enough to keep me satisfied for a few hours. Let’s just say that bowl was everything and some. I didn’t expect to find a richly flavoured Sri Lankan-Indian-British soup in the middle of nowhere Iceland but I did and it was SO GOOD.
I just want to pause here to say that my tour was great and I’d highly recommend it if you’re only in Iceland for a few days. The company uses mini buses instead of those massive ones that struggle to make turns (you know the ones I’m talking about lol!), which means much smaller groups and minimal waiting on others to keep things moving.
We also stopped at the Gullfoss waterfall, walked through Þingvellir National Park where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are drifting apart and met some cute Icelandic horses at the Myrkholt Wool Farm.
One little tidbit from my tour: I learned that vegetables in Iceland are not imported but instead grown using geothermal energy! I think it’s so cool that the country is big on harnessing energy for local food production (ugh I love science!).
Now for my next surprise: kanilsnúðar.
The next day I was heading up to check out Hallgrimskirkja, the largest church in the country best known for its stunning architectural design and a tower that gives a 360 degree view of Reykjavik. 10/10 recommend.
I was completely sidetracked on my walk by Drake’s More Life BLASTING at 8:30am from a colourful shop. Turns out that fun shop was a very well-known bakery: Brauð & Co.
The bakery smelled so damn good, I had to stop and see what they had to offer. I came away with a couple of warm rolls covered in a respectable layer of icing sugar (after seeing locals gravitate towards them). They were divine. I had never had anything like them before, the taste is so hard to describe but imagine the softest pillowy cinnamon rolls but where vanilla is the star of the show. I would fly back to Iceland for them, they were that good.
The finale: Messinn
This small seafood restaurant about 15 minutes walking from my hotel, was where I had one of the best meals of my life to this day. Unfortunately I can’t remember how I heard about it, but I’m glad I followed advice online to make reservations as far in advance as possible. The facade is nice, somewhat unassuming then you walk in and go down a couple of steps where the dining room is warmly lit . It has a cozy minimalist rustic vibe with very friendly staff-I didn’t feel out of place eating solo, which was nice.
Honestly, everything on the menu sounded great, so I asked my waiter which was the most popular dish and he promptly directed me to the Fillet of Cod fish pan. I had a hint of what was to come, as even locals were being turned away disappointed they couldn’t get a table that night. Always eat where the locals eat.
My dish came out in a pan, no surprise there but wow….the flavours blew me away. The curry was just the right amount, the leeks divine, the white wine + cream sauce so smooth and the fish was so fresh and perfectly cooked.
The meal was incredible, nothing was left behind in the pan. The ingredients worked well together and I was so sad when it was finished, that I contemplated ordering again but..that would be doing the most. Happy to say that I ended my time in Iceland on an extremely high note with that meal, as I flew out early the next morning.
Final words
You may notice I skipped over a few “must see” things, so here’s a quick run down:
Ring Road (including Black Sand Beach): would love to do this drive the next time I’m there. Not advised to do it solo given the treacherous road conditions at times and remote nature of it.
Blue Lagoon: it’s a rip off. Very pretty to look at but unnecessarily expensive so I won’t go back. It’s man-made which I was disappointed to learn about. You’re better off going to a local thermal pool.
Northern Lights: Very pretty but I’ve already seen them in Alberta, so I didn’t make a point of seeing them on this trip. Don’t miss them in Iceland though, if it’s your first time.
Glacier Lagoon: again, thanks to my early life in Calgary I’ve walked glaciers but definitely recommend if you haven’t been to one yet. It’s an experience you’ll never forget!
I don’t think of myself as a “foodie” by any means, but for a few days thanks to amazing offerings in Iceland I certainly pretended to be! The quirky little country turned out to be such a joy food-wise and I hope more people get a chance to experience it. There’s really something for everyone there.
I can’t wait to go back with the Mr. next time, he’s the real foodie so I’m sure he’ll love everything Icelandic cuisine has to offer!
Short & Sweet
Accommodations: Skuggi Hotel
Neighbourhood to stay in: Downtown
Mode of transportation: airport charter bus to/from hotel, walking since it is very pedestrian friendly.
Currency: Icelandic Króna (kr)
