After haute cuisine there was molecular gastronomy, and after molecular gastronomy came New Nordic cuisine, a high-end food revolution led by Danish chefs René Redzepi and Claus Meyer of Noma, which swiftly spread across Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland.
And though it began slowly, Iceland’s cuisine now sits near the forefront of the trend, with, as Lonely Planet says “a plucky population tucking into boundary-pushing dishes such as fermented shark or sheep’s head.”
To find out more about the cutting edge of Icelandic gastronomy, The Week Portfolio caught up with Executive Head Chef Ingi Þórarinn Friðriksson, and Head Chef Rosario Sandonato from Moss, the innovative restaurant at the newly opened Retreat Hotel at the Blue Lagoon.
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Given the popularity of the Blue Lagoon and the ambition of the Retreat Hotel, did you feel pressure to create something special in Moss Restaurant?
We did feel the pressure to create something special in Moss, but this is what made the project so exciting. We set out to reimagine Iceland’s culinary traditions through three tasting menus (five- or seven-course, or vegan) and we are continuously pushing ourselves to be the best restaurant and kitchen team we can be, giving life to world class dining experiences based on the extraordinary possibilities of Icelandic ingredients.
Your menus change with the seasons and with the availability of ingredients. Is that limiting on your creativity or does it enhance it?
When guests dine at Moss, we aim to take them on a culinary journey through Iceland’s vast terrain, sourcing ingredients from across the country. The menu changes according to availability and seasonality and this definitely enhances our creativity. Sample dishes include langoustines farmed in nearby Grindavík and served with wild garlic, butter, parsley and croutons; and smoked arctic char tartare with caviar, lemon and romaine.
Would it be possible to create menus that exclusively use Icelandic ingredients, with nothing imported from elsewhere?
Menus built from exclusively Icelandic ingredients are definitely possible. In fact, this is what we strive for. Only where absolutely necessary do we look abroad for other ingredients. Although we have to import some items, our aim is for all vegetables and produce to be sustainably cultivated on organic farms or in geothermal greenhouses.
Before you opened Moss, many of your team members began with stints at the Michelin-starred Texture restaurant in London. How did their work at Texture contribute to Moss?
Staging at Texture helped our team realise how high to set the bar. They were exposed to the passion, dedication, quality control, standards, and the effort required to cook at a world-class level. The result is enhanced knowledge, inspiration, and an optimised approach to service. To ensure the team remains engaged and inspired, these staging experiences will become common practice.
You have a vegan menu that has the same prominence in your restaurant as your meat menu. Is this a response to customer demand or because of an ideological or even a creative impulse?
Our vegan menu resulted from demand. Today there are so many people who have become either vegetarian, vegan, or pescetarian that a vegan menu is absolutely necessary. At Moss, this option includes dishes such as barley and turnip as well as one of chef Ross’s signature plates: leek and wild mushrooms.
The show-stopping dish on the night we dined was a piece of lamb that arrived at our table served on smouldering fir tree fronds. How did you devise this dish?
Cooking over open fire, the smell of smoking pine, fir, and birch is very nostalgic to us Icelanders. In our food culture, we both chargrill and smoke our meats. So the show-stopping dish you enjoyed is the result of the way that we reimagined our cultural and culinary traditions, creating something sensational and engaging, something that honors our heritage while also embodying a uniquely new gourmet experience.
Why do you think contemporary Icelandic cooking has become so interesting? What do Icelandic chefs do better than anyone else at the moment?
Integrating flavours, ideas, and ingredients we know from our childhood, bringing them into our restaurant, and showcasing them in a contemporary way — this is what we find interesting and inspiring about Icelandic cooking. We try and keep everything as clean, pure, and natural as we can. Our chefs are explorers of Iceland’s culinary frontier, gatherers of the freshest ingredients, and creators of ever-changing menus that transform seasonal ingredients into unforgettable gourmet experiences.
We currently have a ‘Wine, Dine, and Unwind’ offer running at the Retreat. Created for guests booking a minimum stay of three nights, this unique experience includes a seven-course dinner at Moss Restaurant, a complimentary bottle of wine, a private wine tasting with our sommelier, and a complimentary three-course dinner at either Spa Restaurant or Lava Restaurant. 'Wine, Dine and Unwind' gives guests the opportunity to enjoy cuisine that is based on traditional Icelandic cooking techniques utilising local ingredients. Dishes at Lava include langoustine soup, cod with mussel sauce, and shoulder of lamb with rutabaga. Spa Restaurant offers savoury food such as traditional Icelandic gravlax and fresh sushi with Icelandic fish and shellfish, as well as side dishes with vegetables such as kale and small Icelandic potatoes.
Our ambition with Moss is to create unforgettable gourmet experiences based on world-class service, a relaxed atmosphere, breathtaking views, and cuisine that reimagines Iceland’s culinary traditions. In an effort to expand our horizons, we recently changed our booking policy. Guests no longer need to be staying at the Retreat in order to enjoy Moss’s creations. Our doors are open to everyone.
And where would you like to be in 20 years’ time?
I would like to have a successful restaurant with a strong team, fantastic food, amazing wines, and a sustained level of culinary excellence that will spark delight and wonderful memories in the hearts and minds of every guest.
Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.
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