Moss Restaurant

It’s hard to say which Icelandic national treasure is more famous, Björk or the Blue Lagoon; the former a mystical, singing fairy, the latter a mythical, geothermal bath resort whose latest expansion, The Retreat features not only a luxe hotel and spa but also a striking fine dining restaurant. Moss is plush as a forest carpet in the mist; its dining room is endowed with expansive windows that frame the otherworldly landscape beyond. Green and grey seating cleverly echoes mossy lava and brings the outdoors in. If the scenery and warm service didn’t already floor you, then the exquisite wine selection and skillful wine pairing certainly will.

Icelandic culinary traditions are the main attraction here, think farm fresh lamb and seafood. The vegan menu shines a well-deserved spotlight on vegetables. Chef Roberto Sandonato’s charred leek is a paper-thin boat cradling lightly pickled morels, chanterelles and crunchy asparagus swirled with buttery leek meat. Other highlights include a mesmerizing grilled, intensely smoky Eryngii mushroom.

Despite all this, Moss suffers from a niggling sense of deja vú. The same trio of seeds––chia, flax and sunflower––appear alarmingly often. Proteins are all cooked sous-vide, sometimes, unnecessarily so. The technique works well with the cod, seared to a pleasing crackle but the confit salmon suffers from lack of texture. Despite the absence of  ‘bite’ in the lamb, and the confounding accompaniment of broth-like “kjötsupa”, its dramatic tableside presentation of smoking twigs makes it memorable enough, especially when paired with a 2015 Sangiovese from Isole e Olena.

Please do tour the subterranean wine cellar to complete the experience before you head off for a dip in the fabled lagoon’s milky-blue water.

Published, October 2019.