Overview
⭐ Name: IKEA Alexandra & IKEA Jurong
📍 Location: 317 Alexandra Rd, Singapore 159965 & 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #02-12/13/14 #03-15/16/17, 04-20/21/22 Jem, Singapore 608549
🗓️ Date of visit: 7 & 13 January 2022
📋 Click here to view their website
💰 Estimated cost per pax: SGD 10 – 15
Introduction
I was lucky enough to dine at IKEA twice in the last few weeks. Mr Bao and I went to IKEA Alexandra first and had meatballs, salmon, and dessert. The next week, my parents and I went to IKEA Jurong and had meatballs, spaghetti, and soup. Here are all the dishes I got to try and my recommendations!
Food Review
Swedish meatballs with mashed potato and mixed vegetable
Starting off strong, we have the famous Swedish meatballs. I didn’t eat beef in my childhood so I never really developed a taste for it. However, I do enjoy these meatballs. I love the combination of them with the brown sauce and the lingonberry jam. The tart and sweet of the jam pairs really well with the savoury meatball. Love it.
I didn’t enjoy the boiled vegetables as much because they’re quite bland but they make for a refreshing break from the flavourful meatballs. What I did enjoy more was the side of mashed potatoes! The creamy mash had little bits of potato in it and it was super addictive. Overall, I would eat this dish again and it is deservedly IKEA’s most famous dish.
Salmon fillet with lemon and dill sauce ($9.90)
This looked like quite a small portion of salmon but I was interested to learn that the salmon is ASC-certified (Aquaculture Stewardship Council). This means that the salmon was certified environmentally and socially responsible. The salmon itself was regular cooked salmon. The sauce had a hint of lemon and another flavour I couldn’t quite place. This dish overall is quite mild on the palate so it felt very healthy. I wouldn’t mind ordering this again but it’s not a “must try”.
Cinnamon Bun ($2.00)
This cinnamon bun was a bit of an impulse purchase. It smelled really good and reminded me of sweet churros! We ate this after we had finished our mains and it had cooled down to room temperature. The outside crust was quite hard and we could feel how dense the bun was as we bit into it. The glaze is sweet and the aroma of cinnamon lingers in the after-taste. It wasn’t bad but I probably wouldn’t get this again.
Plant ball with mala spaghetti ($8.00)
This was perhaps the most disappointing meal that I’ve had in a long while. I’d considered eating this on the first trip to IKEA Alexandra but Mr Bao talked me out of it. I got it after my family decided to dine there a week later. Regretfully, as you can tell from the before and after pictures, I didn’t eat much.
The main issue I had with this dish was the sauce. I had (foolishly), mixed in all of the sauce at the start. But when I took a bite, it was far too salty. As someone who usually can’t tell when something is salty, it was a clear indication that the dish was exceeding some sort of humanely allowable salt limit. To be fair, I asked my parents to try and they said that it was too salty as well. I’m not sure if I’d just caught it on a bad day, but I’m definitely staying away from mala spaghetti from now on.
Not all was lost however. The spaghetti noodles themselves were fine and the plant balls were reminiscent of traditional mock meat. I had mistakenly assumed that it was in the style of impossible meat but it’s not. I think it’s a welcome addition for people who can’t eat IKEA’s classic beef balls.
Lingonberry juice
This was a much needed surprise! We were entitled to one soft drink because we had ordered a set. I went up to one of their drink dispensers and they had an eclectic selection of drinks like elderflower juice. In the end, I decided to try the lingonberry juice because I remembered that the delightful meatball jam was made of lingonberries. The drink itself was tart and slightly sweet, giving me respite from my poor choice of main.
Garlic bread and mushroom soup
The set also came with mushroom soup and a garlic bread main. I was really impressed by the mushroom soup which had a creamy consistency and small bits of mushroom here and there. It was very umami. The garlic bread was also interesting. It’s quite a thick slice of toasted bread with a generous layer of garlic spread on one side. Delicious!
Final thoughts
I can see why people enjoy going to IKEA for their food. It has a nice atmosphere and the dishes are simple, somewhat affordable, and (mostly) good. My advice is to order their classics and try the new dishes with a sprinkle of caution. I wouldn’t travel to IKEA just to eat, but it’s a solid choice for no-frills Western fare.
💜 jy
About Food Reviews
My reviews will be based on the date and outlet of the visit, the dishes I tried, and the overall dining experience. Ratings are just for fun and may not be an accurate reflection of a food establishment’s entire repertoire. I just hope to share some food memories with you!