Over the Summer (10-15 July), I visited Iceland for the first time! This restaurant I went to at the Blue Lagoon, called Lava, was one that I wanted to blog about because it was in my top 3 places for this year.
It’s hard to be dressed up for the Blue Lagoon, because basically you go there to relax in the hot thermal waters and spread white clay on your face! Which is fun! So I was in tee shirt, a warm jacket (it was summer in Iceland, so still much needed) and jeans. No problem.
I booked a Premier ticket (I know, I’m a sucker for an upgrade, find out more at their website here), and that buys you access to Lava. I mean you don’t get your meal for free, but you can dine there once you have that ticket.
You can tell I’m happy because I’m being fed.
First up was local breads – in general these are of super quality in Iceland – that white ball is a flavoured form of Skyr (Icelandic yoghurt). This was like whipped butter with volcanic salt on it. It was low fat (seriously) and amazing.
You get a free glass of bubbly when you book through the website. I was having that, thank you!
First up was birch and juniper cured arctic char, with horseradish cream and cucumber. This was a taste sensation. Curing or smoking can be WAY too strong for my taste buds, but this was gently done and the fish fell apart with still pearlescent flakes. Top notch.
A hefty glass of Californian cab sauv was needed to combat the cold day 🙂
Main course was lamb – there was some fillet and then a separate bit of shoulder with carrots and rhubarb (really).
Dessert was Astarpungar (apparently that translates as ‘Love Balls’) with icecream and salted caramel – kind of like beignets or crunchy doughnuts.
This was not a heavy meal. You come away feeling replete but not sickly full.
Three courses of this quality costs EUR53. For Iceland where a sandwich is EUR10, that’s a STEAL! If you’re going to the Blue Lagoon, go at lunch or dinner time and go to Lava. The service is good (although it’s hard to flag someone down when you want them as they shimmy around so quickly), the food is excellent and the value is amazing.
Don’t sit on those jagged rocks! I learned to my detriment…
Patrick xo
