Okay, so picture this: I’m in Iceland. Yeah, Iceland. Land of volcanoes, ice, you know the drill. Absolutely stunning place, don’t get me wrong. Saw the Northern Lights, walked on a glacier – amazing stuff.
But after about a week of fermented shark (tried it once, that was enough), lamb stew, and more skyr than any human should eat, I got this serious itch. A craving. You know what for? Dim sum. Yeah, crazy, right? Standing there, freezing my butt off near some waterfall, and all I could think about was har gow and siu mai.
So, the mission began. Find dim sum in Iceland. Seemed like a long shot, I know.
The Search Begins
First, I was in Reykjavik, figured that was my best bet. Started just wandering around the main streets, Laugavegur and all that. Popped my head into a few restaurants. Mostly saw fancy Nordic cuisine, fish, lamb, burgers. Nice places, but not what I was after.
I asked a couple of hotel staff. They kinda looked at me funny. “Dim sum? Here?” One nice lady suggested an Asian fusion place, but it didn’t sound quite right.
I spent a good afternoon just walking, peering into windows. Found plenty of Thai places, a couple of Vietnamese spots, even sushi. But proper Cantonese-style dim sum? It was looking grim.
- Walked up and down side streets.
- Checked out the menus posted outside.
- Tried searching on my phone using general terms like “Chinese food” or “dumplings”.
A Glimmer of Hope?
Eventually, I stumbled upon a place. It wasn’t advertising dim sum with trolleys rolling around or anything like back home. It was just a small, unassuming Chinese restaurant, tucked away a bit from the main tourist drag. Looked more like a standard takeaway spot.
Went inside. The menu was mostly the usual suspects – sweet and sour pork, kung pao chicken. But then, buried deep in the appetizers section, I saw it: Dumplings. And something listed as “Steamed Buns”. Okay, not exactly the dim sum feast I dreamed of, but it was something!
I decided to give it a shot. What did I have to lose?
The Verdict
So, I ordered a few things:
- The steamed dumplings (they were basically pork dumplings, kinda like potstickers but steamed).
- The steamed buns (turned out to be plain mantou, no filling).
- Some spring rolls, just because.
Sat down at a little table. The place was quiet. The food came out pretty quick.
Was it like the dim sum I get on Sunday mornings back home? Absolutely not. No delicate shrimp har gow, no savory siu mai, no sticky rice in lotus leaf. The dumplings were decent, a bit doughy maybe, but hot and filled with pork. The plain steamed bun was… well, a plain steamed bun. Dipped it in some soy sauce.
But you know what? Sitting there, looking out at the Icelandic street, eating those simple dumplings – it kinda hit the spot. It wasn’t the authentic dim sum experience by any stretch, but it was warm, it was savory, and it temporarily quieted that craving.
So, yeah. Dim sum in Iceland. Not really a thing, at least not in the traditional sense I found. But I managed to find something dumpling-like. It was a weird little food quest on my trip. Made for a good story, I guess. Sometimes the hunt is part of the fun, even if the treasure isn’t exactly what you expected.