These fine individuals do not mess around with their fare. There is no big tub of factory-made ice cream hiding in cold storage in the back of the shop. The varieties that you see in the case are all that the shop has for the day, each flavor mixed in-house, and only on the menu for as long as demand requires it be kept. The flavor varieties are subject to availability of ingredients, so there were things we have seen reviewed that we could not try. We will not whine about that, however, because what we came specifically to try was right there in front of us when we walked inside. One either loves or hates the anise-like flavor of black licorice, and salting the licorice just intensifies that reaction either way. I count salted black licorice as one of my favorite flavors of all time, and Valdis has turned it into ice cream. It’s a novel enough thing that I would guess many tourists like myself try it just for that. Iceland, like all the other Scandinavian cultures I’ve encountered, loves its licorice, so this flavor is also a big hit with the locals. It’s a big enough hit that it’s a staple of the menu. When you look at its cement sidewalk-like color, there may be a moment of dubiousness, since it is rare that anything that shade of grey has flavor at all. One bite, however, completely erased all my qualms as it was perfectly balanced sweetness, saltiness, creaminess, and that anisey kick that is uniquely licorice. If I ever get the chance to visit Reykjavik again, Valdis is my first stop, because I haven’t stopped dreaming about that ice cream since I finished my cup.