We finally visited the local Icelandic fish restaurant, Tjöruhúsið. Local meaning, a log cabin, a tiny kitchen, and the husband cooking fish on a moving stove. There were three choices: fish soup, catfish, and a type of cod. We choose all of them and then waited.
We waited and waited; as the air filled with fish, the time passed slower and slower. Eventually, we received some fresh bread and a stick of butter (literally a square block) to hold us down from clamoring like cats. 30 minutes later and a massive porcelain bowl appeared at the table. It was fish soup. The soup was creamy but not too think and held morsels of white fish that melts in the mouth.
Another 30 minutes later, our professor plops down at the table and we partake of more beer while waiting for the main plats. They show up… in large ironclad pans. One pan is filled with cod cooked in a creamy, bechemal type sauce. Adorned with grapes, salad greens (the only time I will be able to forage in Iceland), sliced tomatoes, and lemons, the dish is fit for the aristocracy. Or maybe, just the local fisher families of the WestFjords.
How I miss amazing Icelandic local fish! I figured out the name of the restaurant for anyone visiting Isafjordur, Tjöruhúsið. It is located at the end of the street (past the university), next to museum.
[...] – e-mail: langimangi@langimangi.is Address: Adalstraeti 22, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 3022. Tjoruhusid Located next to the Isafjordur Maritime Museum at the waterfront. The restaurant is owned by a [...]
We ate at Tjöruhúsið in July of 2009, and it was still exactly the same, even down to the pictures on the menu. We were there late in the evening, and the food was being served sort of buffet-style- they put those pans on the counter at the front, and everybody came up and took some. Truly delicious!
Geoff – That’s awesome! Do you remember the pricing of the meals? It was something I wanted to mention.
we were there last summer and the food was delicious. do you know if it’s open in march? we would like the celebration of my husband in that restaurant
Thanks a bunchI really liked reading this. It makes me want to start my own blog! Just what topic though? I am a dentist by profession but cannot imagine many people wishing to read about the dental profession? Maybe I am wrong!