So… we had a REALLY good night’s sleep and woke up in Iceland FINALLY!! My mom and I were excited to finally get our vacation started! If she were already having fun making new friends in an airport, it can only get better from there right? 🙂
We got ready and Mommy even wanted to take a selfie. We boarded a Sprinter at 8am to start our South Coast tour, which included the Black Sand Beach, Skogafoss waterfall, and Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
Our ride there was a bit bumpy.. We had to pass a mountain and because the winds were so strong, our van got slid off road down the hill about 10-15 feet. Our van actually tilted sideways and was on two wheels for a bit. I thought we were going to tip over!! But we didn’t.. And because of the impending storm coming earlier in the afternoon, our tour guide said we had to skip out on a glacier hike to head back through the mountain earlier..
For a lunch pit stop, we stopped by a shopping center in the middle of nowhere with a variety of brand stores and cafes. My mom and I decided to share something for lunch from a bistro.
Icelandic traditional fish stew. Codfish, potato, onion, celery, cheese served with rye bread. It looks like Mac n cheese but it’s actually cod fish mashed potatoes.. Haha. The rye bread was interestingly dense and mildly sweet from being cooked in the hot springs sand.
After we got back from the tour, we rested for a little bit before heading back out. We walked 0.5miles to visit the Háteigskirkja Church. It is Sunday and my mom wants to pray.. Then we walked to a super nearly restaurant called Potturinn og pannan.
Soup of the day (Creamy leek soup) served with bread and butter. This was very good! I was hoping for fish soup but this also hit the spot! So creamy and light at the same time. It had the textures of a creamy potato soup. Very warm.
The soup was served with three slices of bread and an interesting butter that is an off white cream color and maybe had the slightest tinge of sweetness to it. I couldn’t make out what it was but both was tasty. I mean, who doesn’t love bread and butter?
Icelandic grilled lamb with bearnaise sauce, baby potatoes and roasted vegetables (red pepper and broccolini). We must eat lamb while in Iceland! Lamb and fish is what we must eat!! The lamb was grilled to a perfect medium rare, delicious, savory, moist. My mom loved the lamb!! The vegetables and baby potatoes were yummy.
Sea wolf fish (pan seared) with rice and roasted vegetables (red pepper and broccolini). Now I HAD to get this..I’ve never heard of sea wolf fish before!!! And it was the best fish I’ve ever had.. it was soft, flaky, and yet MEATY at the same time. It was just incredible and cooked perfectly. It was served with the same vegetables as the lamb.
The only way I can get my mom to let me order dessert is if I said I’m craving sweets. Her eyes lit up when she saw creme brûlée so she also caved in. They make the desserts fresh to order!
Vanilla creme brûlée with fruits and whipped cream. We heard them beating the eggs in the back and our desserts did take a looong time to come out. There was a nice, thick layer of glazed sugar on top. The creme brûlée itself was delicious. The fruits were drizzled with honey and there was even whipped cream. Presentation was beautiful!
Chocolate soufflé with ice cream, fruits and whipped cream. Now this was definitely made fresh. It was freshly hot and molten, melty chocolate on the inside. So decadent and so sweet. The ice cream was a perfect pairing.. A NEW fruit we ate!!
I’m so glad I learned of a new fruit and it was called physalis fruit. It was so beautiful and looked like gold. I couldn’t make out what the waiter was telling me so I shot Jan, our new German friend, a text and he knew what it was! Thank you Jan! The fruit was slightly citrus and slightly sweet. Surprisingly, it originated from Columbia. It had good cherry texture and I loved it! I wish we had this fruit in LA?
The walk back from the restaurant was only 15 min.. We got back, showered and now resting in bed with the curtains open because we heard you can see the northern lights in downtown Reykjavík! Wish us luck!!
