Swedish Veggie Balls at IKEA, free coffee and tea at Bed Bath Beyond

At IKEA in Paramus, 8 Veggie Balls are served with stewed lentils and steamed vegetables for $4.49.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

You can always eat cheaply in the family restaurant at the IKEA home-furnishings store in Paramus.

Eating well is another matter, as I found out the other day when I ordered an 8-piece Veggie Ball platter for lunch ($4.49). 

Instead of the mashed potatoes and beef gravy that come with the pork-and-beef Swedish Meatballs, the Veggie Ball lunch comes with a tasty lentil stew and steamed vegetables, which retained some crunch,

The Veggie Balls themselves were filling, but hard, dry and not particularly tasty; maybe they were on the steam table too long.

They are supposed to contain carrot, corn and kale.

I did better on my visit to the IKEA Restaurant last month, when I was bowled over by the Smoked Salmon Sandwich.

At the Bed, Bath & Beyond across the parking garage from IKEA, you'll find an entire wall of free Keurig samples and machines for brewing 10-ounce cups of coffee or tea. And there are a couple of tables with high stools for relaxing with your favorite beverage.

Details

IKEA is at 100 Ikea Drive, and Bed Bath & Beyond is at 300 Ikea Drive in Paramus. Both are closed on Sundays.