Brikk [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Brikk
Address: Norðurbakki 1, Hafnarfjörður
Website: facebook
Style: Icelandic
Price: $$

The Cake Fairy sent me a notification regarding the opening of this (now relatively) new bakery in downtown Hafnarfjörður and I knew I had to check it out; it took a few months for me to well, end up in Iceland, but this was an exciting gem!

Given the fact there are already two bakeries pretty much across the street, it may seem like an usual choice of location, but essentially, Brikk is not quite a bakery and at the same time more than a bakery. Perhaps their subtitle "brauð & eldhús" (bread & kitchen) sums it up more nicely? With a small counterful of breads and baked goods presented next to bowls of various creamy salads, one could almost call Brikk a deli. The airy, open-concept space with large windows seamlessly looking out onto the harbour and white-painted brick walls along with goods served on long rustic plank would almost make it more at home in urban mainland Scandinavia than suburban Iceland. The equally more rustic baked goods also seemed to bring me back to the days of my Cake Tour of Copenhagen.

The selection isn't big, the prices aren't bad and the baked goods -- more unique, artisan takes than what you'd normally find in Iceland -- look delicious. And how do they taste? Well, I couldn't resist the one-of-a-kind caramel rhubarb danish (350 kr). Flaky, layered dough rolled round in a spiral with mildly tangy, homemade "real" rhubarb jam (not the dark brown stuff) and a drizzle of icing. Just looking at it, I knew it would be 3.5 stars, minimum. Taking that first bite, I gave it a four without further deliberation. This was insanely good; I haven't experienced a perfect 4 on my Icelandic Cake Tours in a while now and boy, did I miss the feeling. 

Another signature item seemed to be their cinnamon buns (320kr, I believe?), a take on the classic kanilsuður: fluffier yeast dough rolled with a drier cinnamon mass and topped with a nice swirl of thick icing. This wasn't on the same level as the caramel rhubarb one, but still delicious. It feels (and tastes) so good to welcome this newcomer onto the Icelandic bakery scene! 

Rating: ****