Tale of two cities - IKEA

My trip to Ikea at Alexandra reminded me about my trip to Ikea in Stockholm. As you may know, Sweden is the hometown of Ikea. I realised I have not blogged about my visit at all so here it goes.

Ikea, Alexandra, Singapore


Although Ikea at Alexandra, Singapore, is much smaller than the one in Stockholm, there are some similarities in the building. Guess all Ikea stores look alike :)

 

Spotted something new - pandas soft toy! Ever since pandas Jia Jia and Kai Kai came to the Singapore Zoo, there has been this craze about the endangered black/while sweeties :) And no, I don't think I spotted them in Stockholm :P I am going to see them this weekend. So excited! :)

 

Spotted another new thing - the food trolley! I must say this is a great invention, given Singaporeans love their food and order a lot of food. Ikea is quite popular with us. Don't think I saw them in Stockholm too.

 

Kind of cute to see people pushing the food trolley around. Some people said that Ikea food taste like plane food and this scene reminds me of the air stewards/stewardesses! :P

 

I would usually go for baked salmon and potatoes but I wanted something more Swedish that day I visited :P So I went for a salmon roll and clam chowder soup. Hmmm... what's so Swedish? Well, I tasted bits/chunks of shrimps and salmon in the soup. So good! :)

 Ikea, Stockholm, Sweden

 

Free bus to Ikea, which you can take at the bus stop opposite Stockholm Main Station. Was amazed by the free wifi on board the bus!  

Hey Ikea in Stockholm!

 

Must take a picture at the hometown of Ikea, right? :P

Don't think this is available in Singapore. Nice idea to have a flower pot built into a table!

Christmas was in the air when I was in Stockholm from Oct to Nov 2012.



More stuff spotted! Books in Ikea!! :)

Ikea has always been a happy place to visit, whether in Singapore or Sweden :) It is one place that always makes you feel at home. Don't you agree? :)

Highlander Coffee, I need ice latte/cappuccino please!

It is really very hot today and I badly need a fika (ice latte/cappuccino please!). Unfortunately, I have no plans of getting out of the house today and hence, quenching the heat with a home-made ice super 3-in-1 coffee and blogging about my visit to Highlander Coffee (which I recall took place on a day like today - HOT!).

Highlander Coffee is at Kampong Bahru, about 2 bus stops from my house. In terms of proximity, I have taken a loooong time to visit it. Sometimes it's funny how we don't really cherish/desire things that are within reach that much :)

The location is charming, given it is nested in a shop house. Quite a few cafes/restaurants have popped up in this area in the last few years.

I ordered a carrot cake to go with the ice latte. Solid and simple, recommended by the service staff when I asked if it is good :) also value for money, compared to a few other cafes I have been to... was a bit surprised when the cake and coffee came in plastic plate/cup - guess no frills so no passing on of 'extra' cost to customers.

 

Not very packed on a weekday. Overheard that they follow working hours and closes at 6pm. Café looks small from outside but is actually quite big because of the length of the shop house (see area behind the ladies?). Reminds me of the story I heard in Malacca about why the shop houses are so long - well, it was said that the local government will only tax for width and not length hence created a loophole for the locals to build longer houses that stretch into backyards :) I love travel stories :)

 

Café décor was very coffee-related. Solid and simple, I say again. Heh.

Coffee machines can be seen all round the café. Heard they conduct lessons too, so do visit their website if your dream is to be a barista or you just want to know more about your favourite drink of the time! :)

 

Was reading a magazine Coffee t&i and this article about how to sustain coffee trend in Singapore caught my eye. I do agree with the article that cafes, coffee roasters and consumers must adopt a genuine and honest approach to it if this is for the long run...Fad or fact is really up to the community.

 

 

Food For Thought@Botanic Gardens

Food for thought: sometimes, the company is more important than the café :P 

For me, the last time this happened was on Good Friday when I met up with KW (+baby) and GT for brunch at Food For Thought at Botanic Gardens. Funny how it was a last minute date - really at the eleventh hour and decided the night before! If not for the fact that I have not seen KW for a while, I will probably not agree to turn up. Haha.

KW suggested meeting at Botanic Gardens so I suggested Food For Thought. I have been wanting to visit the café for a while but laziness emerged victorious over gluttony (haha) - it is a bit out of the way for me as I don't drive and there is no direct bus. There is a branch at the Singapore Art Museum if you want to visit the café in a more centralised location.

I took Bus 132 from Bukit Merah Interchange, dropped at British Embassy and walked about 10 minutes to Tanglin Gate. Really hot day! Phew!

It was really crowded! Lucky KW was there early to get seats :)

G was late as usual ( I was guilty of the same charge that day :P). KW and I decided to get some cold drinks while waiting for her arrival. The poor gal dropped off at the wrong gate and had to take a taxi (again!) to Tanglin Gate. Lesson learnt: if you are taking cab, do ask taxi uncle to drop you at the right gate...

Ice Latte on a hot day! It was OK only. My expectations were higher, perhaps because I have been drinking lots of coffee these days. KW ordered Ice Chocolate but I did not get the chance to ask him if it was good....

 

Knowing G, I also ordered the fries with blue cheese to munch while we waited. Quite yummy! Unfortunately KW's baby also thought so and refused to eat his porridge after seeing this and started making noise. OMG! Had I knew he will be so affected, I would not have ordered it :(

 

And before we knew it, brunch turned to lunch. Was really hungry and ordered the dark chocolate and raspberries pancakes which came with fresh cream and gula melaka syrup. Was ok but too big a portion for me. Thanks for the pancakes treat, GT! :)

KW and GT ordered the basic breakfast set: scrambled eggs, bacon and buttered toast. Can also order the house or full set or add on other items for a price. Poor KW never did get to see his breakfast as he was out pacifying the baby the entire time :P and we got the cafe to pack it for him to bring home. If you are reading this, KW, this was how it looked like. Quite delicious looking :) Bet it would have tasted better if you had it with us :P Till the next time!

 

Food For Thought at Botanic Gardens was ok. Could have been better if it was not so hot and the baby cry not. Well, if you follow some food for thought from the café, it was not too bad: 1) Savour every minute 2) Enjoy every bite 3) Love your family 4) Hug the trees 5) Spread the word.

So savour every minute, enjoy every bite, love your family, hug the trees and spread the word! :)