When you hear “IKEA”, your first thought is most probably their famous Swedish meatballs that everyone in Singapore has eaten at least once in their lives. However, with a now increasingly localised menu, IKEA’s restaurant has so much more to offer than just their meatballs.
From the standard Swedish fare to Singaporean classics such as their Chicken Rendang, we’ve narrowed down their extensive menu, highlighting some of our favourite dishes that we think everyone should try at IKEA!
HOTDOG
The perfect snack to munch on while walking through the various halls of IKEA, their S$1.50 Hotdog is wallet-friendly, simple and still super satisfying. Top it off with a generous helping of tangy chilli and mustard and you’re good to go!
CHICKEN WINGS
Another must-get at IKEA and one of the most popular dishes besides the meatballs has got to be the Chicken Wings (S$3 for 2pcs). Incredibly flavourful and juicy, the chicken wings here feature a unique spice blend that probably gives the wings their darker exterior.
MEATBALLS
It really wouldn’t be an IKEA food guide if we excluded their signature Meatballs (S$8.50 for 12pcs). Coming doused in the flavourful and savoury brown sauce and a side of lingonberry jam, these meatballs will definitely live up to expectations. A perfect mouthful is having a bite of the meatball, a bit of mashed potato and a chunk of broccoli.
FRENCH TOAST
While the French Toast (S$5) was nothing to shout about, it’s a pretty decent breakfast option. We feel that the cheese sausage is worth the mention though because it was juicy and oozed cheese when we bit into it. Apart from that, the two slices of fluffy french toasts are accompanied by hash browns, cherry tomatoes and baked beans that make it a filling meal.
CHICKEN RENDANG
For a Swedish establishment, IKEA sure does our local cuisine pretty well. We loved the Chicken Rendang (S$5) which featured a chicken drumstick, green beans, hard-boiled egg and rice. IKEA uses cage-free chicken and the drumstick that was pretty large came doused in lemak rendang sauce. Both the green beans and egg provided additional textures and dimensions to the heat too.
CARROT CAKE
Another of IKEA’s dishes in their local food lineup, this Carrot Cake (S$2.50) may not look impressive, but paired with the savoury chilli that accompanies the tender chunks of carrot cake, it is high up on our list of IKEA’s best dishes. It even has that slight wok-hei that more traditional carrot cakes have, making it quite the surprise.
LOTUS LEAF RICE
Another surprising main dish was the Lotus Leaf Rice (S$6.80) consisting of a generous portion of glutinous rice, lap cheong slices, Chinese mushrooms, salted egg yolk, chestnuts and chicken chunks. The aroma of the lotus leaf permeates the sticky rice impeccably and every bite you take will be filled with that toasty fragrance.
SOY ICE CREAM
Of course, one of the best ways to end off an IKEA meal is to eat their S$0.50 Soy Ice Cream. IKEA had changed the formula, making it soy-based to accommodate a larger audience. What they changed in ingredients didn’t really change the quality, though taste-wise, it definitely resembles an icy tau-huey. For S$0.50, who could complain, though?
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DAIM CAKE
Daim is a quintessential Swedish chocolate bar that is extremely addictive. While you can them at IKEA, the café also has it in cake form. The Daim Almond Chocolate Cake (S$3.50) is an upgraded version of the sweet treat. Layers of crunchy almond brittle, smooth cream and decadent milk chocolate, this is one indulgent dessert you must get when you’re at IKEA.