A Michelin star worth exploring, when you’re in Iceland: Restaurant Dill (17. August 2024)

It wasn’t entirely easy to find a Michelin starred restaurant in Reykjavík on short notice, but luckily, I was able to score the Dill for a 9.30pm booking. I decided to go for the “Tasting Menu” (23’500 ISK) with the “Wine Pairing” (17’500 ISK), which turned out much better than I had expected (since there were a lot of unfiltered and organic wines).

In any case, the evening started with “smoked haddock, potatoes”, “grilled vegetable broth, horseradish”, “cured lamb tenderloin, angelica” and “onion cake, carrots”. Frankly, to my very surprise, all of them were somehow exciting and interesting from a flavour perspective – minus the lamb. I mean, that wasn’t bad, but it was far from mind-blowing, and I, as a meat lover, would have expected for this to be the best part of this course. Well, turns out, I was wrong.

Then it was time for “whelk stock, spruce” and “whelk, salt-baked turnip”, which was interesting to drink, but the turnip was actually rather interesting in terms of flavour profile.

Then, they did a small exception to the wine pairing and offered a beer next – which worked quite well with the next course.

The “Öland bread, mushroom butter” was delicious bread with tasty butter. The fact that you had something like pickled rose petals on top of the butter (edible), added a bit to the speciality of the course.

Then, it was time for “tindur, barley, tomatoes”, and I must say, while it looked a bit boring with the green only, it turned out to be rather tasty. Tindur is an Icelandic cheese, which is – in combination with the other ingredients – turned out to be tastier than expected.

Next in line was “lumpfish roe, sour cream, waffle” and while the dish was rather small, it was also something interesting in terms of flavour and texture profile.

Then it was time for the “cod tongues, cabbage, tomato” and that was smooth and rich as a combination of flavours.

The “cod fillet, wasabi, söl” was definitely interesting – especially since I’ve never eaten söl before (söl is the Icelandic term for dulse).

I was really hoping that the “pork cheek, black garlic, green tomatoes” would blow my mind – and it kind of did. Not entirely, to be honest, but overall, it was great. The pork meat was tender and the crust made out of black garlic was exquisite.

The “pork belly, parsnip, blueberries” was great as well. I loved the texture, how the meat just basically dissolved in your mouth – the sourness of the blueberries was something, which was adding to the dish, but was – in my personal opinion – a tiny bit too sour.

Then it was time for “parsnip, caviar, rapeseed oil” and that pre-dessert was actually nice – very small, like a pre-dessert should be, but tasty.

Then, it was time for the actual dessert, which wouldn’t ‘read’ like a dessert. The “blue potatoes, dill, sour cream” turned out not only to be delicious, but also had a note of sweetness in it, which was quite nice.

Last but not least, it was time for “friandises (barley ‘chocolate, pine; birch, fermented bilberries; chervil, cream)”, which were a nice ending to the dinner.

What I loved about the place was not only the quality of the food, but the fact that you were able to watch the kitchen prepare the meal …

… and you had a nice view onto the streets below. And keep in mind, this is about 10pm, so, you can see how bright it still is at night!

Last but not least, what was great about the Dill was the quality of the staff. The waiters were not only friendly, they were also super professional and attentive at all times. Plus, they would explain your food in detail and enjoy a conversation about it.

So, to sum it up, if you’re going to Iceland, and more specifically Reykjavík, then you should definitely book the Dill in advance!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Dill

Laugavegur 59

101 Reykjavík (IS)

Tel.: +354 552 15 22

E-Mail: dillrestaurant@dillrestaurant.is

Homepage: http://www.dillrestaurant.is

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.