went to ikea for dinner tonight. hehe.. where else do people go to a furniture store for the food?

tried their daily special for tuesdays - fish with belado sauce: steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables and 2 pieces of chunky fried fish topped with orange-colored, spicy belado sauce. yum!


also tried this swedish delicacy called 'semla'..

a shortened description from the brochure (provided by the restaurant):

the delicious swedish semla is pure delight in practical packaging. a wheat bun, lightly cardamom-spiced and partially filled with smooth almond paste. the bun is crowned with fresh fluffy whipped cream and almost floating on top of the creation is the triangular cut-off bun lid, sprinkled seductively with fine powdery icing sugar. the name semla comes from the latin word simila which means the most finely ground wheat flour, which is the base of the bun.

in sweden, the semla was originally eaten as dessert topping off the festive meals that was taken in preparation for the easter fasting. the semla dates back as far as the 16th century, when the swedes indulged in rich food on the last day before fasting which could last as long as 40 days and nights. this last tuesday before the fasting became known as fettisdagen - literally means fat tuesday.

today the swedes are no longer fasting and the semla has evolved to become a traditional dessert every tuesday between fat tuesday and easter. semlor are available in all shops and bakeries in sweden every day from shortly after christmas until easter.