If you guys saw our last weekend review, you had the chance to check out how awesome Kex Hostel was. And if they couldn’t get any more awesome- they have their own fantastic restaurant inside their place- Saemundur. Every bit of food is locally sourced and in season- a concept that I love and is really making waves (I won’t get into that one. I could talk for ages.)
We looked around and realized that quite a few of their patrons were Icelandic – a very good sign.
With the microbrew beers in hand, we sat down at our repurposed sewing machine table grinning.
Things are changing in gastronomy in Iceland and I am super excited to be part of it. Did you know that they had prohibition until 1989? Like, they have come a long way since then. People are growing their own barley and such now and the future of beer is exciting.
The lager and classic were delicious. The lager was light, flavorful and slightly flowery while the classic was super smooth and caramely- almost a stout.
The deal is that you pick a main, a side, and a sauce on the side. Our advice? Skip the aioli or sauces. The food stands alone (and it will save you a bit of cash).
Shaun got the salted cod with roasted roots. I got the steamed mussels with cauliflower. I’m always interested to see what you can do with cauliflower- it isn’t an ingredient I see much.
We were both a big fan of the salted cod and Shaun even have me the stink eye when I went for thirds and fourths (and fifths). It was light, flaky, and contained crispy caramalized onions. Nomnomnom. Although if you’re not into seafood it may be an issue.
I hadn’t had much experience with mussels before so I was surprised when the bright orange insides showed up. My thoughts? Tastes like the sea. They melted in my mouth and the carrots and onions made a nice touch with the change in texture.
The roots were awesome! I’m not sure which roots they were but good lord they were perfect. The cauliflower was… Cauliflower. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I’m still not swayed that it can be that great.
I’m a little sad we didn’t get to try everything but at the same time I really enjoy not being a gazillion pounds. It is times like this where I realize that I could TOTALLY get into food blogging.
So if you find yourself in Reykjavik, pop your head in. If you’re not into hostels, just make it a point to add this establishment onto your food list. I can’t wait to see where they go from here- keep them in business!
I’m kicking myself for not visiting Kex! Thanks for your write-ups, will definitely be staying there the next time I’m in town.
Looks delicious… could definitely go for that brew right about now.
What did it cost? We’re going to be in Iceland next week and this sort of info is kind of important to budget travelers!
Of course! I think it is important for people to know where to hang out/eat/stay!
So yummy. SO YUMMY!
And it was SO GOOD. Why no brew for you right now?
Hey Kevin and Ruth!
This would be considered more budget to mid-grade for pricing at $14 a dish. You can’t really get much cheaper than that.
Good beer selection. Skip the food. Also, the overall look of the Kex property and the people there were dirty.