When someone mentions IKEA you automatically think about furniture with funky names; The Malm, Foto and Poang spring to mind! But what if I told you that you could get surprisingly tasty food - at that oh so famous IKEA price range.
Last Wednesday I was invited to the relaunch of their new restaurant to take part in their Annual Swedish Crayfish Party! A Swedish tradition originating in the 1500's Crayfish was usually a delicacy for the rich and famous but now IKEA give us all the chance to dine like a Nordic King.
So the main focus was crayfish - which is kind of like a mix between a prawn and a mini lobster - sort of like a prawn wearing heavy duty armour! It tasted like crab meat but I struggled with the whole 'crack me open and eat me tradition', I guess I'm more traditional in the fact I like my grub on a plate and ready to eat, so I was happy that there were other treats on offer including peppered meatballs (these were tasty), chicken nuggets, mini cheese and onion pies and a selection of sides - pastas, salads and chips etc...
The best part for me was the food trolly used to transport your food from the kitchen to your seat - It was quirky, fun and allowed me to transport dinner, dessert and drinks all at once.
(click the image to see the full use of that wee trolly)
So as well as offering mains there were also 4 drinks stations set up (beers, cider, wine and cocktails) also scattered around the restaurant were the dessert stations, this is why the wee trolly was so useful - I just strolled about at my own leisure adding whatever I wanted! The desserts were definitely the best part - these alone would warrant a trip to IKEA - there were 3 on offer, a white chocolate and cream mouse, a raspberry cheesecake and Dime bar cake (yummy)
Gimme, Gimme Gimme
IKEA also put on some quality entertainment in the form of The Bjorn Identity - Ireland's top ABBA tribute act! So while we were eating our meatballs and cracking open some crayfish we also had some classic tunes like Dancing Queen and Waterloo to sing along to - there was even a wee song book to help get us in the spirit! In other news - Lauren pointed out that I dance like a happy Swedish man!
So next time you're in need of a new lamp, a side table or some cool storage remember that there's food on hand, tasty food at that and that it won't break the bank - and definitely get a dessert, they're well worth it!
Overall a great wee Swedish inspired night - thanks to JPR for the lovely invite and continued support throughout my blogging journey.