IKEA Halal meatballs

I only managed to get my hands on these only last night. So the very backdated, I know. 

I realised only yesterday that the supposed great IKEA Sale will end today so I made a spontaneous decision to drop by there to get my coveted Marius stools that's going for only $4.90 ea. 

The initial plan was to grab a quick snack of hotdog wraps from that GoGo stall in 7-11. Munch on that while waiting for the shuttle bus service. Well, that was when I expect to reach Tampines right around the time to break fast. 

Reality however, had me arrive in Tampines with more that 1/2hr prior to the time for breaking fast. And the shuttle bus service arrived soon after. So there's a change of plans. Maybe I should just dine at the IKEA Restaurant, after all. 

Upon arriving, I made the bistro my first stop, to purchase my favourite Wasa Cream Cheese cracker sandwich; seeing that by the time I check out of there, my hands will be full. 

These plain and bland wholegrain crackers really complement the strong-tasting cream cheese layer that's sandwiched in between. I totally LOVE it! Especially the one with French-Herbs. 

Was dismayed to see that the green packs were absent. Enquired with the lady manning the cashier and she snickered upon hearing my query. Half-giggling, she told me that they're out of stock. 

"That one very nice right?" she asked. I prodded further, wanting to know when the next batch will be arriving. Seeing how serious I was about knowing, she let me in on this open secret: The staff love it so much that they bought it by the cartons!

She personally bought 2 cartons herself… O____o

Why you so popular???!

2nd option

Another option

I like that the chocolate flavour is strong yet we can still taste a hint of the cream cheese. 

Upon checking out later on, I was so thirsty that I queued up, despite the heavy load on my shoulder. Paid $1 for an empty cup and filled it with the cool Lingonberry juice. I really love the help-yourself to free-flow soft-drinks concept because that way, I can get my favourite mix: Sprite with other non-carbonated beverage. 

Usually it's Sprite + Lemon tea. Only at IKEA do I attempt: Sprite + Lingonberry juice…

…Awesome stuff!

Anyway, I went up to the restaurant and was glad to see many empty seats/tables. With around 10mins to breaking fast, I was gleeful about the prospect of getting to eat on time… Until I came upon the queue at the Halal food corner… 

OMG. 

I was curious to see some non-Muslims in the queue. I mean, they have the non-Halal food section with a much wider array of food choices; so why are they adding on to the line?

Only when I overheard the phone conversation that the lady behind me had, do I know why… They want to get the Nasi Biryani. That dish was apparently pretty popular. Either that it was really delicious or that it was more 'substantial' as compared to the other Westernised fare. 

I ended up queuing for another 1/2hour. Even managed to tweet this:

That was when I was still midway through the queue…

Got so hungry that I almost planned on getting the min. order of 4 chicken wings for myself, plus the cheese bites from the kids menu. That'll be ON TOP of the meatballs. 

Oh, hunger sure can mess with your thoughts!

Thankfully, I regained my rationale upon reaching the counter. The server ended up dispensing the last 2 plates of Nasi Biryani right before me. And there's still a snaking queue behind!

Meatballs! - $8 (15pc)

Ok, I planned to get only 10pcs but somehow I didn't see that option on the menu board. So I settled for 15. I thought that, "Hey. I'm very hungry, remember?"

Truth to be told, I almost gave up at the 10th piece… All that meat!

Someone asked me on IG, "Nice, meh?" 

Honestly, dude. I have no idea. One thing, I was very hungry so I don't care much for tastes. Although I have to admit that the generic brown sauce was a tad salty but when paired with the lingonberry jam… 

…Seriously, I can eat anything with that Lingonberry jam. It's just so nice! I'm a sucker for sweet things that works with savoury foods. Or vice versa. That's why I'm a big fan of salted caramel. 

Now I'm wondering if they'll ever include the 'Poached Salmon with Dill and Butter Sauce' into the Halal menu. I mean, what's so hard about that? I checked the recipe from the SwedeCook Class organised by IKEA, and there's nothing to worry about the ingredients. 

Can someone in IKEA please consider it? Pretty pleasee…?