IKEA's Dinner

What do you do when you're in the Alexandra Road area and it's nearing dinner time? 

You take a bus (because you're on the other side of Alexandra near the Labrador side) and you stop at the bus stop nearest to Queensway Shopping Center and Anchorpoint. 

Because you want to go to IKEA. 

For a meatball and chicken wing dinner which you've been planning since you heard you were heading to the Alexandra Road area for a meeting.

I thought we would be heading straight up to the restaurant.

But my companion wanted to make a pit stop at the cafe downstairs. 

Turns out curry puffs were the reason.

I'd no idea that anyone could actually crave curry puffs for dinner. 

But there we were, armed with a bag of five (because that's how they make you buy them these days) at a table which, thankfully, we found immediately- there being no queue, and no crowd. 

Together we went to the counter, grabbing a trolley and a tray along the way. 

Friends who have been to IKEA will know the ordering system. It's like a canteen- you grab whatever you want from the shelves and the serving chillers, tell the lady at the counter what you'd like, and she'll place it on a plate for you. 

It's all very quick, very orderly, and not complicated at all. 

We settled back at our table with our plates, our cutlery, napkins and the waiting paper bag. 

One of the most charming meals to be had when you're at IKEA are their meatballs. 

No one knows how they did it, but meatballs (with lingonberry jam) have probably become one of the most recognized foods hailing from Scandinavia, besides salmon and herring.  

Probably it's cliche. 

Probably it's not. 

Us from this side of the world whose climate can't grow pears and lingonberries don't care. 

We just stick our meatballs into the gravy- and the jam- and dig in. 

Chicken wings are, of course, an international thing.

Anyone who isn't vegan, isn't allergic, doesn't hate meat, has access to chickens, and isn't averse to meat or poultry would likely have tried a chicken wing at some time. 

IKEA does theirs rather well, by the way.

Crisp, crunchy, deliciously seasoned and well fried, the chicken is tender, and bursting with flavors that make you feel like you're at an outdoor barbecue, surrounded by warmth. 

It's strange, but somehow this international dish has become a staple for me every time I come to IKEA. 

It's just one of the things I want to go straight for. 

I can hesitate over the salmon.

I can hesitate over the chop. 

I can hesitate even over the almond pie.

But I don't want to not have a plate of the chicken wings, even if they be but four.

This evening, we ate up our wings. 

We also ate up all the steamed carrots and the steamed broccoli that came with the meatballs.

And three of the curry puffs that we placed on the chicken wing plate and ate using our hands. 

They made a very spicy, doughy addition to our otherwise (clean-tasting) meal.