I’ve been meaning to stop by Mmmmm (Laugavegur 42) for some time now. Its name intrigued me, as did its bright and light signage—I’m a sucker for a catchy sign. However I never had the chance as every time I happened to be walking by with a grumble in my stomach it was closed. The joint was open and bustling when I finally walked through its doors during the lunch hour on Wednesday; French tourists in hiking boots sat alongside men in business suits and all appeared to be enjoying their grub.
The first thing that struck me was the amount of selection. Mmmmm stocks yogurt parfaits, pre-made sandwiches and wraps, cakes, salads, soups and a menu of daily hot specials. This was going to be tough. With a massive hunger to respond to, my date zoomed in on the daily specials and settled on chicken breast with potato wedges and mushroom sauce (1.590 ISK). I, on the other hand, chose the Mexico Wrap (650 ISK) and “Guffi’s Seafood Soup” (1.090 ISK alone, or 1.280 ISK with bread), which came highly recommended by the sign near the cashier.
My date’s chicken and potatoes arrived with a generous helping of salad on the side; a nice addition that wasn’t mentioned on the chalk menu. The chicken was succulent and moist and was cut into strips and fanned across the plate alongside the slightly dry potato wedges. Both meat and starch were drizzled in a mushroom sauce that was thinner than expected and could have benefited from an infusion of creaminess. Aside from the somewhat parched potatoes, everything was sufficiently tasty.
My seafood soup, the usual orange shade of creamy broth, was conservatively peppered with scallops and shrimp—the convincing sign also promised salmon, though there was none to be found in my bowl. Despite the lack of salmon, I found the soup quite nice. The flavour was somewhat akin to a corn chowder under the stronger seafood notes, which I enjoyed. But, like my date’s mushroom sauce, the soup would have done well with a livelier texture.
The Mexican Wrap was piping hot out of the oven when I received it and was stuffed with chicken, cheese, guacamole, lettuce and tomato. Expecting something fajita-like, I was surprised when I bit into the wrap and was greeted by a smoky, mesquite flavour. Like smoked bacon. It was really rather tasty, but Mexican it was not. The pockets of guacamole upped the Mexican-quotient of certain bites, but I would consider renaming the wrap none-the-less.
Though the meal had certain drawbacks, I still plan on going back to Mmmmm to check out some more of their ample selection in the future, now that I’m more aware of their opening hours.
- Mmmmm Laugavegur 42
- What we think: Mmmmm is ummmm, okay
- Flavour: Fine, but could use some oomph
- Ambiance: Bright, white and airy
- Service: Pleasant, though on the slow side
- Rating: 3/5
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