Best Halal Restaurants in Singapore

Fika Swedish Cafe & Bistro

Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a coffee with one’s colleagues, friends, date, or family.

When I got wind of Fika Café, I knew we had to give it a shot. How often do you come across a Swedish café (No, IKEA’s not counted) that is halal? Located right at the junction of Beach road and Arab street, a place that is popular with Middle Eastern tourists and Persian carpet merchants in the Kampong Glam area, it naturally made sense.

(Looking for a good Halal café is always a part of our agenda to ensure we have an inclusive diversity of makan places in Singapore on our site!)

We went to the branch at Beach Road at about 6.30pm on a Saturday; sadly, by then all the inside air-conditioned seats were already taken or reserved so we had to settle for the seats outside. Quite a pity too that we didn’t get to check out the second storey as we heard that the interior of the café there was rather cosy.

Kopparberg Pear Cider ($7.90)

Specially imported from Sweden, this is one hell of a premium pear cider you’re paying for. Thankfully it’s not too sweet and not overly gassy.

Korvstroganoff ($17.90)

Basically creamy chicken sausage stew; this was very creamy and cheesy – a little like cheese fries, but replace those fries with strips of chicken sausage instead. Paired with some grainy white rice, the sauce went well with everything, we loved it!

Mushroom and leek pasta ($15.90) + Additional Meatballs ($7.50)

The sauce was very creamy and cheesy like the previous dish, which might not be for everyone. (Father said it was too rich.) Even so, it wasn’t cloying after multiple mouthfuls. The bits of mushroom were juicy too, quoted by my brother, “the juice will ooze out in your mouth!”

Meatballs ($19.50)

The meatballs were soft and loosely held together, just the way we liked it, with a handmade feel. Huge pieces too.

Apple crumble ($9.90)

The apple was cooked till it’s so soft it melts in your mouth, and it was tangy, not too sweet. There wasn’t a very prominent caramel flavour so those who aren’t fans of it need not worry. It was thus a pity that the ice cream spoilt the whole dessert as it made the apple crumble extremely soggy. The vanilla ice cream was mediocre too. Would have been better if the ice cream wasn’t there.

From the flag dangling inside the restaurant, you would know that this is a Swedish cafe.  I am no food expert and the only thing I know about Swedish food are Swedish meat balls from IKEA.  But one can get bored of the usual Chinese / Western fare that is so ubiquitous. So why not try some Swedish food for a change?

Fika Swedish Cafe has been on my radar for quite some time as I wanted to try Swedish cuisine in places other than Ikea. Traditional dishes like the Inlagd Sill, pickled herring platter ($12.90) , usually served in Christmas, Easter with vodka can be spotted on the menu. 

However, that platter was not sharing-friendly because the work of splitting the tough hard rye bread can be messy. The marinated fish was as savoury as smoked salmon, but did not bind well with other ingredients (eggs, sour cream,onions and chives). Would it be better if they were served in canapés style?

Since we wanted the Fika Swedish Meatballs and a dessert, the kids meal that came with a drink with the above at $15.90 sounded more economical. Portion might be smaller but sufficient. Similar to Ikea, in place of tomato gravy was creamy brown mushroom sauce that was not overly rich. The sweet lingonberry compote took the dish up a notch by balancing the meaty flavours. The meatballs have a slightly charred crust that trapped moisture within.

Fika Swedish Cafe & Bistro

Add: 258 Beach Rd, Singapore 199539 (on the corner of Beach Road and Arab Street)

Tel: 6396 9096

Hrs:

Sun-Wed 11am-10pm, last order 9pm   • (9.30pm for beverages and desserts)

Thu-Sat 11am-11pm, last order 10pm   • (10:30 for beverages & desserts)