One summer not too long ago, we traveled to one end of the earth to sample the best lobsters in a simple wooden shack in a tiny town.
DRIVING AROUND ICELAND
Eager to explore the extreme countryside on a trip to Iceland, we drove along a desolate coastline about two hours out of Reykjavik. This area was made even more dramatic by endless craters over the horizon, created over time by the inflows of lava from one volcanic eruption after another.
The result was a surreal 360-degree landscape. The barren earth looked like the surface of the moon on one side. Meanwhile, on the other, the gusty winds created ripples on an otherwise calm sea.
A QUIET TOWN AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
However, hunger pangs eventually set in after hours of driving. As luck would have it, however, we ended up in a tiny town. It was basically one quiet street with brightly colored wooden houses interspersed with pocket gardens and old-fashioned picket fences.
In another universe, this would be a regular street in a slight time warp — perhaps in the 1960s. But in that part of Iceland, this was actually a significant outpost of civilization. And the restaurant we found looked like the hub of social activity for miles. There was nothing much else except for a tin shack that sold cold drinks and chocolate bars.
WHERE TO EAT LOBSTERS IN ICELAND
The restaurant at the end of town was simple and clean. As Icelanders like to drink, it had an extensive bar that took up half the room. There were also several long tables with wooden benches, and token shells and a fisherman’s net adorned the bright red wall.
LUNCH BY THE SEA IN ICELAND
However that lunch will forever remain in my memory as the time I tasted the best lobsters I have ever had in my #Travelife. Fresh off the fishing boat, these were cooked with a slap and a dash in butter, garlic and chopped herbs.
Then the cook dished these into a tin pail, accompanied by potatoes, a basket of bread and little plates of marinated cucumbers and tomatoes picked just that morning from the owner’s greenhouse.
The lobsters were small and sweet, and ever so tasty. So all conversation at our table stopped while we pried the flesh off the shells. We needed no words between us, as we understood very clearly that this was a meal unlike any other in the world.
We savored it solo and slowly, so as to remember every morsel and every moment for a very long time.
Read more about traveling around Iceland in Travelife Magazine.
