One of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, Iceland, is both breathtaking and overwhelming to see in real life.
The places that we traversed to has been so pristine and quite peaceful in its heart-stopping magnificence. It’s quite thrilling to see a country so moving in its raw and natural magnetism.
I’ve spent countless days in Iceland and have just been thrilled with all the wonders of nature we’ve seen. Furthermore, we have truly been enjoying Icelandic cuisine. We had a fine experience at Matarkjallarinn – The Food Cellar, translated in English as the Food Cellar, perched quite close to the coast of Iceland by Reykjavik’s city center.
We arrived here at lunch, right before our flight back to England that night. The service is so remarkable that they provided all the food and drinks smoothly throughout our experience in an incredibly timely manner. Needless to say, we made our flight back while having very serene, thankful and satisfied impression of Iceland.
Upon being seated, we were welcomed with a soft and crispy pretzel butter and a hint of horseradish. It was a very nice introduction to our delicious dining experience here at Matarkjallarinn – The Food Cellar in Reykjavik.
For appetizers, we had the delightful tuna tartare, ham cod, and beef carpaccio. The tuna tartare was fresh topped with a winning garnish and sliced chili pepper. The tuna was so delicately soft and tasty. The dish had lots of flavor with pleasant citrus hints.
The luscious ham cod was served with hollandaise sauce. The cod was so indulgent and tender in its every bite. It’s an alluring hot dish and the hollandaise is splendidly creamy.
The delectable beef carpaccio was topped with salad, crouton, cheese, and a variety of soft and salted nuts. This was also a refreshing dish. The beef carpaccio were thinly sliced and beautifully spread. Every single appetizer was so ambrosial and tasty. A congenial dining experience in the heart of this ravishing Icelandic city.
For mains, we decided to go for the duck leg confit and the heavenly catch of the day. The duck confit has such crispy skin — fairly thin and easy to bite. The duck is not oily at all. The duck confit had a rapturous cheese cream which made the entire dish so wonderfully decadent. My palette was swimming in the explosive flavors of the thrilling duck dish.
The beautiful catch of the day is an ocean perch steak. It is a white fish that is superbly fatty, soft, and fresh. Grilled to perfection, the fish achieved a very soft inside while the skin had a very pleasant light crunch.
Matarkjallarinn – The Food Cellar is certainly top notch, filled with remarkably fresh ingredients paired with excellent service. Our drinks are always topped up and the servers were all very friendly and informative. Our server was Halldor and he was engaging and excellent.
The namesake of this restaurant is taken from the time when the building was used as storage for hundreds of years. The building where this restaurant stands has been in existence since the year 860. The word “matar” means food. Thus, the remaining part of the restaurant name means cellar.
Matarkjallarinn – The Food Cellar serves primarily Icelandic dishes where most of the ingredients used are local except for the tuna and the duck leg. The main focus of the restaurant is to serve only enjoyable, delicious and juicy food made with appreciation and fondness for Icelandic cuisine.
Well, I must say, they certainly have achieved that! Matarkjallarinn – The Food Cellar is an amorous restaurant by the sea in Reykjavik that will leave you in complete fondness its culture, its people, its natural wonders, and of course, it’s gratifying fares.
Thanks to Matarkjallarinn – The Food Cellar | Aðalstræti 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland | +354 558 0000