Author: Ragnar Egilsson
Merry Orange-Malted Salmon: A Visit To The Latest In A Long Line Of Basements
Matarkjallarinn sits nestled in the cosy basement of Aðalstræti 2, a 160-year-old building in the heart of downtown Reykjavík. Prior…
Food Review: Servers Squared, Peaks Squared
There were three of us there that night and all we realised that during our lives, we had approached the…
Fun With Icelandic Names! – Ragnar Egilsson Explains Words!
Most Icelandic names have some cool, ancient symbolism. My name, Ragnar, means something like “Soldier of God” (no biggie). The…
Last Year In Food: A Grumpy Glutton’s Guide
To mark the New Year, I am giving you what I give my friends every year: opinions. Opinions are like…
Eulogy for Asia (The Restaurant, Not The Continent)
After 27 years in business, the owners of pan-Asian take away joint Asia are closing their doors for good. The…
“RASSGAT” – Ragnar Egilsson Explains Words!
So we have a word, which is this word: “rassgat”. It 100% literally means “asshole”, as in “the hole part…
The Icelandic Christmas Buffet – Explained, Explored, Expanded
The Icelandic Christmas buffet is all about tradition. December is a time where you head out with your family or—more…
“FERTUGSALDRI” – Ragnar Egilsson Explains Words!
When referring to a person’s age (the verb is “dilapidating”), we sometimes refer to the decade of existence that person…
Nazi Acid Zombies Leave Icelandic Police Concerned
Local news outlet DV, enemies of corporate conflicts of interest and paragons of journalistic virtue, reports a wave of Nazi-themed…
Cruising At Caruso
My gay-for-pay date for the evening was looking very happy with his meal. His manly physique was wrapped in an…
Matur Og Drykkur: Whole Cod Heads And Licorice Pancakes
If you have your heart set on traditional Icelandic food with some creative flourishes, then there are three places worth…
Bjórgarðurinn Is A Fancy-Pants Beer Hub For Serious Beer Pervs
Bjórgarðurinn (“The Beer Garden”), Iceland’s first self-styled… beer garden, opened for business in Borgartún, 105 Reykjavík, this June. The latest…
Icelandic Vikings: More Portlandia Than Pirate Paradise
The above photograph shows a recreation of the fictional construct celebrating violence in front of the very real institution of…
Make Your Own Smørrebrød
The shrimp pyramid at “Smørrebrød” sandwich place Jómfrúin received our coveted “Best Must-Try Dining Experience” prize in this year’s Reykjavík…
Food News: June 2015
An Icelandic fish market has opened up in Closter, New Jersey. Baldur Ólafsson and family are serving up butter-baked arctic…
A Visit To The Erpsstaðir Ice Cream Valley
The Erpsstaðir creamery has been building up a steady reputation for artisan ice cream and a range of other small-batch…
Secret Solstice Friday RECAP: Hashtag Problem, Hashtag Zzz, And Not A Chance In Hel
The Secret Solstice music festival breaks fresh ground in Icelandic history in two ways. For starters, it is the first…
VIDEO: Making Icelandic Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream With Gísli Pálmi
We met up with Gísli Pálmi to make some ice cold liquid nitrogen ice c.r.e.a.m with caramel chocolate, kiwi, and…
Veal Tartare With Tough Guy At The Overlook Hotel
The undulating highway 54 made a sharp turn by the mountain of Axlarhyrna towards Hótel Búðir and the gunmetal grey…
Sakebarinn: The Devil Is In The Details
Japan and Iceland seem to have a lot in common—they are homogenous, nationalistic island nations that depend on the ocean’s…
Brooklyn Bar, We Need To 718
Brooklyn is a hodgepodge of a hundred different nationalities, ethnicities and customs and does not present a single unified presence….
This Month In Food: May / June 2015
Vísir reports that the head of the farm-to-table organisation in Iceland is less than pleased with budget supermarket chain Bónus…
Meeting The Shark Man
I had been stubbornly ploughing through mounds of snow overlaying a sheet of ice one Sunday morning when a blind…
This Month In Food: May 2015
Iceland’s two most popular shawarma places have gone to war. Owners of shawarma joint Ali Baba are pressing charges against…
Dunkin’ Donuts Coming: Mmmmm, Forbidden Donut
I love donuts. My favourite donut place is probably Peter Pan in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (google “Peter Pan Bakery: A Documentary…