Ikea Singapore

I know I’ve been talking about Ikea alot lately, but I love that place!  Ray and I always try to go really early in the morning so we can beat the rush and make it in time for their breakfast.  We paid $7 for two plates of eggs, sausage, home-fries, and french toast plus coffee and a pear soda.  

Amazing, I know, but I was looking at the breakfast offerings at the Singapore Ikea and I’m afraid they have us beat.  Below are the dishes I thought looked especially yummy.  

Pancake set ($1.80) 2 pieces of Swedish pancakes topped with maple syrup, and a hard boiled egg.

Mee Rebus ($1.80) Yellow noodles, tau pok and hardboiled egg in a spicy peanut-based thick gravy.

Loh Mai Kai ($1.00) Steamed glutinous rice with chicken.

Mini Lotus Leaf Rice ($0.90) 
Steamed glutinous rice with chicken and dried mushrooms, wrapped in lotus leaf.

Fried Chicken Char Siew Bun ($1.20/2pcs)
Fried bun filled with chicken char siew and topped with sesame seeds.

Char Siew Sou ($1.20/2pcs)
Fried pastry filled with chicken char siew and topped with sesame seeds.

Mini Leng Yong Bun ($0.70/2pcs) 
Steamed mini buns with lotus paste filling.

Chicken Porridge with Stuffed You Tiao ($1.80) 
Chicken porridge garnished with spring onions and served with 2 pieces of fried doughstick stuffed with sotong paste.

Glutinous Rice with Peanut Filling ($1.00/3pcs)
Fried glutinous rice ball filled with peanut paste and topped with sesame seeds.

Mee Siam ($1.80) 
Bee hoon served with hardboiled egg and tau pok, covered in a sweet and spicy broth.

Ikea Singapore offers several more bee hoon dishes, but their Mee Siam is the closest to Palabok, a Filipino dish, and therefore, also the closest to my heart Anyway, I’m not surprised at their eclectic menu because Singapore is a crossroads for, seemingly, every Asian culture and they take their food really seriously.  I learned quite a bit from Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode on Singapore including that their national dish is boiled chicken and garlic rice.  It may seem like a boring dish for a country Bourdain describes as ”one of the most food-centric, food-obsessed, food-crazy cultures on earth,” but it’s really a testament to their technique and skill.  In fact, Bourdain stayed at the Grand Hyatt Singapore and actually  came very close to gushing about their hotel food.  A country that can make Bourdain gush about boiled chicken and hotel food? I’m seriously considering saving up for a trip to Singapore instead of Tokyo…