Best meal of 2015.
When I sat down to write this post, it was wonderful to recall all the amazing meals I’ve had this year. From Iceland to Los Angeles and the Emirates — including a nice lunch on board a ship — there have been a lot of fantastic occasions. Overall, between Michelin stars, street food, making a lot of my own meals, tasting menus and a go to sushi place my winner for 2015 is… Dill! I asked Hubs this same question and without prompting him, he volunteered our night at this very special Reykjavik restaurant. It wasn’t the most expensive meal we ate, or at the most exotic location, but it was truly memorable – start to finish. Where was your favorite meal in 2015?
Chef Tyffi: My Favorite Meal in Iceland
Another Reykjavik memory – and this is a great one! In my research for our trip, I knew I wanted to ride Icelandic horses (this is a deep infatuation that goes back to my childhood). In my research I found a (random) pairing of riding with a authentic Icelandic meal prepared by a local chef. My interest piqued, I contacted Season Tours, made the booking and then kind of forgot about it. The morning of, we were picked up and taken a bit outside the city to meet our horses. Side note unrelated to food, Islenski Hesturinn, The Icelandic Horse Riding Tours know what they are about and are well worth a visit. I rode from ages 6-13, but never experienced the gait Icelandic horses are well known for – the tölt (a smooth step somewhere between a trot and a canter). After a fun ride, we were dropped off at a bakery…
Grillmarkaðurin: Meat, meat and more meat!
Given we were in Reykjavik for a week, Hubs and I treated ourselves to not one, but two nice meals (to be fair there are a number of other great restaurants we didn’t even get to). While both were wonderful and represented all that Iceland has to offer, if you were pushed for time (or money) I would still go for Dill – it feels more special. There is some je ne sais quo that the Grillmarkaðurin doesn’t seem to have. Reservations? Made online. Given the busy nature of the restaurant, I would say these are necessary. Ambiance? Chic viking hall. Is that a thing? The upstairs receives all the natural light (when available) and down a grand staircase is the remainder of the dining area. The tables are closer than I usually prefer – we were seated nearly on top of other diners, but the acoustics are enough that you are…
What’s the Dill?
Hubs and I were lucky enough to travel to Iceland this summer and after a small amount of research I knew Dill would be on our list. Reservation? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Online reservation that was confirmed quickly. Given how far out in advance we made the booking, I believe we were granted the best seats in the house (practically on top of the open space kitchen). Ambiance? Not exactly what I was expecting…in a good way. The one room restaurant is located off of the main street in Reykjavik. Hubs and I walked from our AirBnb (silly me, I had every intention of wearing something nicer than jeans and a nice sweater, but it was just too cold and my trusty Loubouts remained packed). We were greeted and our jackets were taken. Seated at the bar was different than sitting at one of the small tables, but I liked…