WORDS
SARAH WARWICK
PHOTO
BJÖRN ÁRNASON
1 0 8
V I E W P O I N T S
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02
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Fiskmarkadurinn
Reykjavik
|
Fusion
|
€55
fish market by
name, fish mecca
for visitors to this hip corner of
the Icelandic capital by trade, this
popular Asian-influenced seafood
joint is the brainchild of culinary
wunderkind Hrefna Rósa Sætran.
Still under 30, Sætran has never-
theless been head chef here, gar-
nering top reviews, since 2008 and
even has her own TV show, but it’s
clear fame hasn’t dulled her skills.
Seasonal dishes with an Asian
twist, like grilled minke whale meat
with wasabi cream cheese and soya
lemon sauce, or rock shrimp in a
light, pink-tinged tempura, use juicy,
sustainable ingredients sourced
direct from local producers.
Her sushi platters practically sing
with freshness, and a “premium
blend” dessert spread incites a
clashing of spoons over inventive
passion-fruit custard and peanut-
butter chocolate fondant cake. This
alone is worth the flight.
12
Adalstræti; fishmarket.is
Wabi
London
|
Japanese
|
From €75
this latest opening from
former Nobu head chef Scott
Hallsworth in London’s Holborn – usually a black hole of
culinary art – bears the unmistakable stamp of his pedigree.
The restaurant’s name comes, appropriately, from a Japanese
phrase that means beauty is impermanent (
wabi-sabi
),
and
the food is as pleasing to the eye as it is melt-in-the-mouth.
For the full experience, opt for the contemporary
kaiseki
set meal: 10 courses that master the tightrope between
innovation and gimmick. Fillets of Loch Duart Scottish
salmon are blow-torched through a thin veneer of removable
sugi wood at the table, flavouring the air and the fish with
a sweet cedar aroma; a piece of tuna
tataki
(
sushi) wears a
sheet of tomato jelly, an unexpected tart and juicy edge.
From a delicate crunchy
temaki
cone with
toro
(
fish),
mascarpone and charcoal onion dust, to a deconstructed
tiramisu, every wow touch has a practical why. Star of the
show is a plump wagyu beef fillet, which arrives sizzling over a
flame,
ishiyaki
-
style, its flavour rendering the table speechless.
Take heart, Holborn. Your saviour has arrived.
36-38
Kingsway, WC2; wabirestaurants.com
R E S T A U R A N T
R E V I E W S
Opt for the contemporary
kaiseki
set meal:
10
courses that master the tightrope between
innovation and gimmick
