MAT BAR

Sitting cozy at the corner of two busy streets in downtown Reykjavik, Mat Bar is a teensy jewel box of a restaurant. What once started as a Nordic Italian eatery has quickly found its stride as a fun joint with exciting small plates teased out of an even smaller kitchen. Graphic black and white flooring is a chic canvas for its plush interiors of brown leather, green walls, gleaming brass bar and mirrors. The space may be slight, but the custom furnishings reveal a no holds barred approach.

Helmed by Hranfnkell Sigríðarson, the kitchen consistently pushes out original dishes loaded with personality. The menu changes often, keeping with the erratic seasonality of produce in Iceland. You may try the deceptively simple mozzarella with tomatoes, a riff on the Caprese; flavor-shy Icelandic tomatoes are pickled lightly, an almost necessary treatment that pushes them towards the memorable, the mozzarella is a nice creamy orb glistening with fragrant basil oil. During lumpfish season, it’s peachy sprinkles-like roe might be piled high on crusty sourdough.

The ricotta will certainly be homemade. The XO sauce with the scallops may not be true to its insultingly decadent Hong Kong original with the dried scallop-shrimp-abalone trifecta, but it will nevertheless pack a punch with mushrooms instead. The open-fire grill is put to good use time and again. And vegans and vegetarians are welcome for the ride.

The red beets with walnuts and smoked buttermilk is by now a classic. Despite the prolific presence of the beet, this one strikes a chord with its smoky sweetness. There may also be meaty grilled carrots, with a licorice-edged oat crumble. Dumplings and tacos too make guest appearances.

The kitchen borrows from cuisines far and wide and is loyal to none, which is partly what makes it exciting to dine here, even for the purist. Attentive service and a lively cocktail selection often edging on the herby make Mat Bar a popular haunt with locals and visitors alike. Published, October 2019.