Fika Swedish Cafe and Bistro (Halal) @ Arab Street (Beach Road)

Located at a corner shop where Beach road meets Arab street is a Swedish eatery that might look out of place in an area filled with many Middle Eastern bistros/cafes/restaurants.

Thankfully, it has Halal certification and would therefore, be able to attract the Muslim clientele that forms the majority of visitors to Arab street.

The Gang of Four Three (as Alex was sailing that day) specially made a trip to Fika when Ms SaNeVa had a sudden craving for Swedish food. She was in fact egging for the IKEA restaurant but well, majority wins!

Swedish Lingonberry Cheesecake

Diners who frequent IKEA and have their signature Swedish meatballs would know what lingonberry is - a sweet-sour jam that goes very well with the balls and the cream sauce. And a bit of chilli.

I would not comment much on the impact this bloody red jam had on the cheesecake (which i found to be really negligible). However, the cheesecake itself was a marvel on its own.

Rich, creamy, cheesy; three criterions that make a cheesecake irresistibly delicious!

Swedish Meatballs

Having been exposed to this must-order dish from IKEA and never had a chance to try it in other eateries, i am glad to be able to have some kind of comparison finally.

We had a good suspicion that the balls were handmade although such labourious effort would usually be published proudly on the menu - which was not the case for fika.

The charred bits and meaty pieces of these balls worked terribly well with my taste buds; giving bursts of flavour that differed much from those at IKEA. And i love the soft cackling scream as my teeth bit onto their crunchy surface. So much for a multiple-senses experience.

For a slight moment, we thought these actually tasted quite similarly to the deep fried meat balls (served with a sweet sauce dip) offered in some Chinese restaurants.

Swedish Hash

For a moment, i thought this is the same as Macdonald's hash browns - not exactly something i would like to order unless it comes with maple syrup and some chilli sauce.

According to the helpful menu, this has diced potatoes, pan-fried onions and beef, topped with a sunny side up and sliced beetroot on the side - an absolutely accurate description as promised when it appeared on our table.

I enjoyed the soft, tender beef and relished the beetroots but it did not make a deep impression for me (except for the price). Nonetheless, i found no dire complaint for this dish.

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Would i be back? Maybe; to try its cheesecake again or other dessert offerings.

Location

257 Beach Road

(Where Arab Street meets Beach Road)

Price

Swedish Lingonberry Cheesecake - S$7.50

Swedish Meatballs - S$16.90

Swedish Hash - S$17.90

Subject to GST and Service Charge

Additional Information

Kon bought this can of pear cider for S$6.90! Supposedly imported, we were under the impression (no fault of Fika) that it was uniquely different from those sold in IKEA!

For a more updated price list, please visit their official website at http://www.fikacafe.com/.

If you don't mind the heat and the polluted smog from motor vehicles, please feel free to sit outside! Ceiling fans are available to cool you down while you do your people-watching.