We went to IKEA Damansara last month to buy a new desk— and hopefully have The Hubs try their famous meatballs — but the food court was so packed we just got the furniture and had lunch somewhere else. Which was a shame, as I was looking forward to enjoying the food again (the last time I had their meatballs was in 2016!)

Last weekend, we thought of trying our luck again over lunch. It’s the Ramadhan month and our Muslim friends are fasting, so we presumed that the crowd would be less.

WRONG.

Despite being early (we got there around 11.30am), the queue at the food court was exactly the same as it would have been prior to Ramadhan; only filled with people of other races. I guess the appeal of IKEA food transcends all. To be fair, the line moved pretty fast, so we only had to wait for about 20 minutes to get to the ordering counter.

If you haven’t been to IKEA Damansara, here’s how the system works: you grab a trolley for your trays and wheel it down the line, where there are ‘self service’ stations. If you’d like a free-flow drink, you can grab one of the cups or glasses (you can choose between coffee/tea or cold juices/carbonated beverages). Further along are shelves with lighter meals such as salads and cakes. You then come to the ‘mains’ counter, where you place an order with the staff (all of the food is ready so they’ll just load it up for you). Before coming to the cashier, there are more light snacks to choose from: bread rolls, pastries, hot dogs, fried items, mushroom soup, etc. Finally, past the cashiers are the cutlery and drink stations.

The food court has a huge capacity and operates semi-self service style: you’re expected to return your trays and trolleys to a designated area once you’re done—which keeps the place clean and reduces the need for a lot of staff.

As usual, when you’re hungry, you tend to order more than you need—which was what happened to us lol. In retrospect, I think one plate of meatballs would have been enough between us, and we could have gotten a wider variety of lighter items to try.

The meatballs (RM16.50) came in a generous portion; each plate had 17 pieces, a dollop of lingonberry jam, creamy mashed potatoes, and buttered vegetables, all drenched in a brown sauce. The sauce didn’t have that much of a taste, but what elevated the meatballs was the sour/sweet lingonberry sauce, which went surprisingly well with the meat. I also enjoyed the mashed potatoes, which was creamy and flavourful.

Another winner for me was the mushroom soup. It was creamy but not cloying, had generous amounts of mushrooms in it (none of that watery shit you get from some restos), and was overall just warm and comforting, especially when enjoyed with the bread roll.

As for extras, I grabbed a bit of everything to try—so there was fried popiah, chicken sausage, fried wontons, and a chocolate roll. Hubs didn’t like the popiah and the chicken sausage, as he said the former was too sweet, and the latter had a plasticky feel, but I felt both were decent enough lol. The chicken wontons were bit hard on the outside, but there was a lot of filling.

While many people come here for the meatballs, their other items like the fried/grilled chicken wings, salmon, and plant-based dishes such as the rendang burger, are also popular. And if you haven’t had your fill of the food here, you can also buy frozen versions to enjoy at home!

What do you usually order at IKEA?

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