I’m stopping in the Bónus for some snacks, and yes, for some butter. This is Bónus. No, it's not the dollar store, Bónus is the local grocery store in Reykjavík.

Yes, their mascot is a pudgy pig that looks like it has partied way too much on all sorts of contraband. I love it. There has to be a story behind the design of this graphic, right? There has to be.

First, behold the wall of Malt Extrakt.

Another malt beverage find at Gary’s European Sausage and Deli! I make regular stops at Gary's for deli offerings, and malt drinks. On this particular day Gary’s Deli is out of Karamalz, but I spy Club Malz occupying its place inside the cooler. Let’s try!

Club Malz ($1.65)

I’ve been enamored with malt beverages for awhile now.
Look what I found in Kamloops the other day:

Tiger Malt ($0.98)

If you ever move to a new place and want to know where to get good sausage my advice is to chat with local hunters. That’s how I first heard about Gary’s European Sausage and Deli. Not that I hunt or anything...

I’ve been meaning to visit Gary’s European Sausage and Deli for some time now, but have been taking my sweet ol’ time getting to it. Recently, a Love of Eating reader commented that he spotted malt beverages there. Well, I put my visit on fast-forward and made a visit on route to the garden centre.

**UPDATE 2014: Heba Supermarket is no more. It is now the home of Joe Pho Vietnamese Restaurant.**

I swung into Heba Supermarket at the crack of noon. I actually arrived a little earlier and patiently waited until the lights flick on at precisely 12:00. I'm not the only one waiting as three others loitered around watching their watches too. We are all here for lunch. We all want samosas.

Before I order my samosas, I make a bee-line to the beverage coolers located in the far corner of the store.

Laziza Malt ($2.50)

Íslenski Barinn serves solid pub grub Icelandic styles. It’s really cozy in this place. The space is fairly roomy but it feels small, in a good way.

Coffee (350 ISK; approx $3.00 CAD)

Sægreifinn or Seabaron is a little seafood shack on the marina in Reykjavík, Iceland. This is also the place where I discovered my love for malt drinks. I came for the lobster stew. A local resident, I was chatting with earlier in my visit, spoke about this shack passionately.

Lobster Stew (1,100 ISK; approx $9.45 CAD)

Fun fact: did you know beer was banned in Iceland until 1989? During Iceland’s prohibition era some non alcoholic or low alcohol beer-like beverages became common in Iceland. Some of those virgin libations are still popular today. One of them is my current obsession: Egils Maltextrakt.

This is The Smörgåsbord. I too wanted to visit the “sandwich dames” as suggested in their adverts. It’s a deli. A café. A European grocery. A gift shop. And it’s a garden center!

The menu is straight forward and made to order. Soups, salads, sandwiches, freshly baked goods and coffee. The prices are more than alright, and you know how much I love locally owned and operated establishments.

This was a drive-by discovery. We were coming back through town after buying some plant pots at Art Knapp and happen to drive down this end of Victoria Street.