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Rekyjavik | Forétta Barinn | 16 January 2013
I left design store Netagerdin Work & Shop fully intending to walk directly back to my hotel…but right next door, in the old fishing net factory, was an inviting, designer-y restaurant calling to me to come in.
The interior of Forrétta Barinn is infused with the creative spirit of Netagerdin (and some of the products.) It’s a whitewashed industrial space filled with mismatched white chairs around wood tables set with bright turquoise napkins and amber glasses…the atmosphere is happy and warm and cozy.
Off to one side are two white leather Chesterfield sofas, tufted with multicolored buttons. Coffee tables are old factory pallets topped with heavy glass.
Forréttabarinn translates as “starters bar.” The entire menu is appetizers…it’s like Icelandic tapas!
I wasn’t even going to eat, in fact I didn’t even ask for a menu…I was just going to have a late afternoon glass of Icelandic beer. (I had really just come in because I loved the way it looked.)
That is, until the Irish waiter (he came to Iceland as an environmental intern and never left) passed by and said, “The Smoked Arctic Charr is incredible.”
Okay, why not?
To be precise, “Smoked Arctic Charr, cranberries, ginger sauce, baguette.”
Delicious.
Forétta Barinn is one of those friendly places where you just want to settle in and hang out for hours.
To top it off, the food is fabulous…and, because it’s all appetizers, you could sample everything.
(I didn’t…but I did contentedly hang out for a good long while!)
Forétta Barinn
Nylendugata 14
Reykjavik, Iceland
Makes me want to go!!!