Nuts for Buns: Amazing Food We Forget IKEA Sells

Earlier this week, on the way back home, a friend and I passed IKEA and for some unknown reason went inside. It was already past 6pm, so we knew very well what we were getting ourselves into, but the pull of the cinnamon buns and smoked salmon was just too strong.

Inside IKEA it was the usual scene: people sleeping on broken beds in the discounted furniture section, children throwing a fit because they don't want to ketchup on their hot dogs, and grandmothers happily refilling their drinks for free, smirking because they think they've cheated the system.

Elsewhere, the food shop was relatively bearable as it wasn't particularly busy, so we made our way through, adeptly grabbing the products that we were already familiar with. These are what we left with, following an excited, if not slightly manic, 15-minutes of skipping through the store.

Probably the smoked salmon with the best price-to-quality ratio in Beijing. The blessed Najad (RMB 41.50). Choose from various packs of marinated frozen salmon, depending on your personal taste. Buy multiple and chuck them into the freezer, if you can get home before they defrost. Otherwise, just stuff them gleefully into your face in the taxi on the way home, using hot dog buns as a vessel.

Half-baked cinnamon buns (RMB 29.90), the main reason we went to IKEA in the first place. These taste incredible, and I have no problems baking them in my tiny Chinese-style oven which is a plus (even in the ones where you're not sure whether any of the dials are doing anything and the top definitely gets hotter than the bottom).

Tiny crispy onions in a pot (RMB 12.90), ready for use and perfect to give homemade salads that little boost towards becoming something fancier.

Herrings in a jar (RMB 14.90), choose from various different flavors or just get them all – they keep for a while anyway.

Milk chocolate with butterscotch (RMB 39.90): the best chocolate from the IKEA range. Crunchy but highly addictive, so be careful when you do dig into these.

The grannies may have their soda but they've missed a trick on these.

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Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
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Photos: Margaux Schreurs, Heather Mowbray, IKEA