Issue1 TasteBound compressed - Flipbook - Page 101
FAR FAROE AWAY
muscle. He hews off a solid lump to reveal an ombré meat
with a glistening, still-moist heart.
I take a sniff and a host of not-quite-right words skitter
across my mind: lanolin and wet fleece, rendered lamb fat,
washed-rind cheese. Farmyards and decay. The English
language feels inadequate. The taste is even more ineffable
– it’s as though someone has removed all tang, sweetness, salt
and sour, to leave only the purest distillation of gone-off
umami. It’s both dry and gummy. It sticks in your teeth like
a fruit pastille, so there’s no escaping its all-consuming fetid
savouriness. Sebastián was right.
Óli joins me in the tasting and sheepishly admits that this
one is uncharacteristically ripe, so abnormally strong, and
I feel less wimpish. And while our night descends into good
food, great company and the clatter of excitable sheepdogs,
I can’t quite remove the singular ræst from my mind or molars.
Yet the Faroese ingredient with the strongest reaction has
been noticeably absent. Whale hasn’t featured on any menu,
though the Rubeksons mention that their dinner yesterday was
a classic meal of whale blubber, milk and pancakes.
Contentions around traditional Faroese whaling have been
covered and covered again, for better and for worse. As the
rain pitter-patters on Tórshavn’s ancient houses, I ask an
off-duty Ziska about the whaling coverage and controversy.
‘Honestly, I think it’s quite boring,’ he says, hiking up his
sleeves to inadvertently reveal a bowhead whale tattoo. ‘We
don’t serve it. We have so many other things to work with that
I’d rather serve. We have some of the best seafood in the world.’
Seafood is the undoubted headliner. The incredibly steady
local water temperature lets Faroese shellfish mature slowly
into a rich and inimitable flavour – the best of which is
currently found on the dramatic banks of Kaldbaksfjørður.
Skerpi is the portable arm of Ræst and its more casual,
no-less-brilliant sister restaurant, Roks. Headed by Sebastián,
W H E R E
T O
S T A Y
Hotel Hafnia
Hotel Føroyar
A 79-room boutique hotel
in the heart of Tórshavn,
Hafnia features a bistro,
café and two restaurants,
including the popular
Restaurant Katrina. Its
modern decor combines
deep colours with quirky
wallpaper, and rooms come
with all-important blackout
curtains for shutting out the
midnight sun. It’s topped
off with a sauna, extensive
breakfast buffet and warm
communal spaces. Ideal for
exploring the city, it’s just
a minute’s walk from ROKS
and Ræst, and six from Paz.
Doubles from £175 a night.
hotelhafnia.com
This turf-roof hotel on the
outskirts of Tórshavn gives
guests a taste of tradition
and nature, all while being
just 15 minutes’ walk from
the city. Føroyar offers
panoramic views, naturaltoned sunlit rooms and the
gorgeous Ress Spa, which
features an infrared sauna,
gym and myriad treatments.
Restaurant Ruts serves up
seasonal dishes overlooking
the fjord and capital, and
there are wine-tastings in
the cellar. Føroyar offers
one- to three-day wellness
and activity packages too.
Doubles from £193 a night.
hotelforoyar.com
Sebastián Jiménez’s
Skerpi menu includes
langoustines, huge horse
mussels, queen scallops
and mahogany clams
– served raw, the clams
come with chervil granita
