Day 2 Shopping in the Rain

We had loose plans to head to another island via an undersea tunnel today, but as the weather had turned to heavy rain before we got out, decided maybe this was the day to hit all the shops we'd been eyeing in town instead of navigating single lane roads on the edges of cliffs without guardrails. 

We hit a lovely bookshop with lots of cute puffin merch first. Followed by a yarn shop, a menswear store with some hats, an art shop, and a small mall that had both a grocery store and a boutique that happily carried multiple home goods with FUCK printed on them on all sorts. Somehow the sum total of purchases for the morning were a box of tissues. Some of the art was quite nice, though. 

After lunch at a cafe we hadn't tried yet, we revisited the cafe we went on the first day to better peruse the tea selection. I then decided I wanted to see the rest of the harbor. We've walked the side where the ferries dock quite a bit, but not the more industrial portion. 

On the way around to that side, we found another gallery, with a print shop, and Østrøm, a store that was part sporting goods and part hand crafted Faroes goods. They had a few pieces by the same artist who made the distillery tables. They also had quite a selection of fish leather bags from Fosaa. I got a fishleather purse and gloves when we were in Iceland, and they are still in excellent shape. Didn't add anything today, but will have to keep an eye on their website for potential future treats. I did get a fun hat from Vesturgarður handknit, made with Faroes wool. 

The walk along the harbor was cold and wet, but we got to see some boats in dry dock and see someone Bill called "crazier than us" who was fishing in this weather. 

Still beautiful in spite of the weather

After changing into some dry clothes, we headed to dinner at Ræst, a restaurant specializing in fermentation and dedicated to showcasing local Faroes ingredients. In addition to a wine pairing, they do a non alcoholic drink pairing that includes house made kombuchas, fermented juices, and NA cocktails and getting it was a great decision on my part. I feel certain Bill will extensively cover the menu and wine pairings, so I'll keep to briefer notes. 

When we were in Copenhagen, we went to Kadeau for one of the best dining experiences ever. This felt similar in a lot of ways, the service was outstanding, the entire staff engaged and attentive, and the food was challenging, thoughtful, and ambitious in ways that succeeded and exceeded expectations. They are very different experiences - this one in a historic building with a tiny kitchen where they cannot make updates to layout, wiring, plumbing did not include details from the thoroughly controlled setting of Kadeau's modern facility, for example. But both hit the same sense of wonder, hospitality, and just fucking fantastic food. This place far exceeded the offerings at multiple Michelin star restaurants I can walk to. I don't understand why they don't have one, I wouldn't be surprised to hear they earned 2. 

Some notes on the actual menu: I hadn't had sea buckthorn before, but I'll be sure to order it if I ever see it on a menu. I don't know how to smoke gooseberry juice, but this seems like a great experiment for the future. Pickled kale stems are such a great use for the part normally discarded. We do not make sufficient use of rhubarb in food or drinks. This was also a 4 hour long meal, so I went straight to bed sans nightcap. Tomorrow is going to be an early start.