Kaffivagninn, Reykjavik 01-2018

Kaffivagninn was on my list and on a lazy Sunday morning it seemed a good place given the more isolated location, close to the apartment, close to Valdis and serving good fishy food. I read the website and saw that all meals also included soup and coffee which made the deal even better, however discovered upon arrival that this was only on weekdays. Nonetheless the Malaysian manager and all staff were very pleasant. Given the more westward location and quiet season, it was easy to find a seat and ponder outwards into the harbour.

The menu consisted of a few breakfast items, the main lunch menu, Danish open sandwiches on rye, and a really nice looking selection of sweets including Icelandic donuts and a Skyr cheesecake, neither of which I was able to try.

- Odins Fish Soup 2490ISK - a hearty warm soup flavoured with curry powder and cream. The fish pieces were nice and the overall broth was nicely flavoured and not overly fishy;
- Fish & chips (with remoulade, mustard sauce, cocktail sauce) 2690ISK - not sure what fish it was (I think cod) and it was breaded to look like fried chicken. The taste was mild and the fish itself was a little tougher than I would like. The remoulade had a little curry flavour and the mustard sauce some chopped pickles in it. Fries weren't the crispiest but adequately tasty;
- The Kaffivagninn Fishpan (cod loin au gratin with shrimp, bernaise, potatoes) 2990ISK - sticking to a dish with the restaurant name in it is always quite safe and this dish was a winner. Served in a hot pan the beautifully tender cod was covered with a not-too-strongly-flavoured cheesy gratin and little shrimp. The potatoes and cod lay in a translucent butter and the lemon juice helped to balance the flavours of salty, buttery with tangy. Excellent.

Good food at reasonable prices in a nice location. I would have liked to stay for dessert, now that I know a repeat trip to Valdis probably isn't for me.