When I arrived in Iceland, I met some entrepreneurs and locals at an event and later at TEDx Reykjavik which I had the privilege of attending and a couple followed up with email recommendations on where to eat before I left the country. Rub23 was consistently on their lists. Thanks Saevar (aka @sagaiceland) for making the introduction.
Rub23 is an Icelandic restaurant that uses ingredients from Icelandic fishermen and farmers with what they call, “ingenuity from both Asia and America.” They specialize in seafood and offer a wide variety of fish species and a wide selection of sushi dishes mixed with steaks and desserts.
What makes the restaurant unique both in Iceland and internationally is the unique way the menu is put together, including homemade spice mixtures that customers can choose from…the RUB part of Rub23. RUB has become a well known term for spice mixtures that are either put onto or rubbed into food, as the name indicates. You can first choose a particular ingredient, for example a special type of fish or meat and then choose from a list of spice mixtures those you want to try.
For meat dish options, you can have chicken, beef, lamb or a beef rib eye steak with a spice mixture of your choice, which include: Magic Pepper, Garlic Cordinader, Citrus rosemary, Creola, Arabian, Indian, Asian, Smoked BBQ, Garden herb, Sweet mango chilly and soya lemon. If the chef doesn’t think it will go well with the meat or fish, it isn’t offered. For fish dishes, they serve Cod, Catfish, Salted Cod, Arctic Char (yum!), Turbot and Salmon.
The Arctic Char.
They offer tasting menus as well, 7990 kronas for four courses and 6990 kronas for three courses, which includes sushi, lamb or fish and chocolate. I love the way they think. Sushi and chocolate in one meal? Talk about knowing how to make a woman happy! As for sushi dishes, consider these options to make your mouth water:
- Tempura Soft Shell Crab with salad and garlic sauce
- Surimi Crab with cucumber, mango, salad and chili
- Avocado, herbs, cucumber and salad
- Arctic Char with bell peppers, chives and black sesame seeds
Then of course there’s Rub23’s signature sushi dish, which they refer to as a Rub 23 Original. Termed sushi pizza, it is served “like a pizza,” sans the cheese of course. The layer at the bottom is sushi rice and it is topped with cod tartar, mango and spring onion. My to-die for dish? The Lobster tempura, served with beef carpaccio, unagi sauce and magic paper. It was out of this world!
Below, salmon served with a “rub.”
They have two locations: Reykjavik and Akureyri in the north, Iceland’s third largest city, a name it took me over a week to pronounce correctly and I’m still not sure I have it right. I dined in the Akureyri location with my pals from Saga Travel (aka @sagaiceland) and we had one food orgasm after another. Below is the dining room shot in the early evening before the place started filling up.
The outside of the restaurant (from the street), which is not far from the main drag of Akureyri, where you can walk down to the harbor, take in some shopping or merely sit and watch the Iceland summer roll by.
The restaurant has been open since June 2008 and has really started to grow in popularity. Two of the most prominent chefs in Iceland, Einar Geirsson and Kristján Þórir Kristjánsson, are owners and chefs of the restaurant and in true Icelandic style, know how to throw a fabulous and warm smile. And man, can they cook! Below is Kristjan before he prepared our meals.
Note: Prices are based on a 120 to the krona dollar exchange rate at the time of writing this in June/July 2013. I was hosted by Rub 23 for dinner, but all opinions expressed here are my own. Be sure to check out other posts on Iceland in our Iceland section / Travel to Ideland and also our Iceland Restaurants / Top Iceland Restaurants / Where To Eat in Iceland section. We did an extensive write up as well on our top 10 Picks in Reykjavik as well as another 5 or so more casual eateries and bars that should also be on your list.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
