IKEA is famous for the clean and modern design of their reasonably priced home furnishings and accessories. Their stores are “family friendly” which means there is a room filled with balls for kids to play in (one of my favorite places to go when I was a kid), and a bunch of kid-friendly items such as hotdogs and meatballs on the menu at their restaurant.

I went on a visit to Ikea on a Sunday afternoon, mainly to try their restaurant. The food at the restaurant is fairly inexpensive, because they know if people feel comforted by good food, they might be more inclined to spend hundreds of dollars on that new couch, table, or desk. It sure worked for me – I really only intended to visit the restaurant and then have a quick look around the store, and I ended up spending over $300 on various items. Yikes!

Being a Swedish company, Ikea features some Swedish items on their menu including the meatballs (pictured below) which cost around $7 for 15 meatballs with potatoes or fries (or $6.49 for 10 meatballs, potatoes, fries, and a soft drink). They also have some really tasty cold smoked salmon dishes such as the Gravlax with mustard and dill (also pictured below, around $5.00). For dessert they offer some nice pastries and cakes, such as the one pictured below (around $2.00).

If you like pasta, you can get a plate of Organic Pasta for $1.99. Their menu describes this dish as, “organic pasta with organic vegetarian tomato sauce” and says the pasta is available after 11am. But if you go before 11am you can get a $1.00 (yes, that’s one dollar) breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages, and home fries. Their hope is that you’ll spend much more on the home furnishings and accessories. After all, you are already there, so why not pick up a TV stand, lamp, and chaise lounge or two?

Ikea Swedish Meatballs from Ikea in Coquitlam (a suburb of Vancouver BC Canada). Around $7.00.

Ikea Swedish Gravlax with Mustard and Dill (smoked salmon, delicious!). Around $5.00. From Ikea in Coquitlam BC Canada, a suburb of Vancouver.

Swedish Dessert pastry from Ikea restaurant in Coquitlam BC Canada (a suburb of Vancouver). Around $2.00.

Patatas, a reviewer on DineHere.ca (read review), writes:

Diamond in the Rough
Really awkward to get to, but totally worth the trip in the end. It’s a beautiful place (as you may be able to see from the website) and the food is amazing. Great Chinese food, awesome list of teas, try everything!

It may seem strange when you step in and there’s only one or two other tables in the restaurant, but then, depending when you go, it generally fills up. I’ve gone on a Saturday for lunch, and a weeknight for dinner, and both times it was empty at first, but filled up later. So go a little later for the atmosphere, I guess.

Pictured below are some of the creative contemporary Chinese dishes that the restaurant serves (thanks to Yvonne for the great photos).

So if you’re up for a little adventure and are looking for a taste above the ordinary, consider checking out Hakkasan Chinese Restaurant. Afterwards, be sure to let everyone know your experience by leaving a comment below.

Update, June 14th 2008: Christina has posted an excellent review of the food with photos on her web site (click here).