Ýmir Björgvin Arthursson is a great friend of mine and probably the best culinary guide in Iceland. He is one of these authentic people who have a true passion for what they do. I am happy to report that we have joined forces so if you head to his web site, and use the promo code ´STUCK´ when you book the tour you get 10% discount off the acclaimed Reykjavik Food & Wine Tour. This tour has 116 reviews on Trip Advisor and I am not surprised that it has a full house and that it has been featured in National Geographic Magazine. Everybody who reviewed it has given this Icelandic culinary experience a 5-star rating.
Food, Culture, and Laughs
The Reykjavik Food & Wine Tour is a 5-star Icelandic culinary experience in downtown Reykjavík where you will discover Icelandic gourmet food and learn all there is to know about Icelandic people and culture.
Just Bring Your Smile and Empty Stomach to the 5 star Icelandic culinary experience
The duration of the tour is 4 hours, it starts at 1PM and ends at 5PM. It starts with a beer tasting at a local brewery where a tailor-made taste of the Icelandic cuisine, including the Icelandic lamb and wild goose with goat cheese (to mention few) where all your food samples are paired with locally brewed beer.
You will visit restaurants which are favoured by local culinary connoisseurs. There are no more than 12 people only tour. You just need to bring an open mind, a smile on your face and an empty stomach. Be sure to let Ýmir know if you have any allergies, preferences or issue with food and / or drinks.
I will only warn against one thing. Do not make any major restaurant reservation for dinner as the portions of food and drinks amount to both lunch and dinner !
Meeting Ýmir
So how do I know Ýmir? well, the first time I met him was on a rainy Saturday morning in September 2015. It was the day after a huge annual IT conference I had a major role in organizing. At the time I was working for the IT company Advania and this was the third conference I was responsible for the conference agenda and speaker relations. Believe or not, this project consumed half of the year and I think it is safe to say that each conference was a big success but for us 2015 was the best by far. So we in the Marketing Department celebrated with gusto when the conference was over. And I was stepping out of my car, feeling miserable after a bit too much celebration the night before. It was raining hard. And I was late. Way too late.
The shark will heal your self inflicted pain
I was joining the speakers on a Golden Circle tour and Ýmir was the host. The bus and the distinguished speakers were waiting patiently for me. The first thing I see when I step out of the car is a jovial bearded man with a hat walking towards me. He held out a bottle of Brennivín Black Death Schnapps in one hand and a box with pieces of fermented shark in the other. He said loudly to everybody´s delight but mine: ‘Here, you look like you need this’. I had no choice but to smile bravely, take a few pieces of shark and a shot of the Brennivin. It tasted as it did. A few minutes later I did feel better. And soon we were off.
Star of the trip
And Ýmir was a star of the trip. It was raining and overcast but that didn´t matter. He took us on this fantastic Icelandic culinary experience around the Golden Circle. Even when we were soaking in the Secret Lagoon he was busy bringing us delightful Icelandic hors d’ oeuvres and drinks. He told stories and jokes and showed my speakers a great time. And I was grateful for that since all of them had come to Iceland to share their insights without receiving any payment at all. And this is when Ýmir and I became good friends.
