Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro was founded by Singaporean entrepreneur Tasneem Noor and her Swedish husband, Joakim Smidhagen. It specialises in Swedish food made using halal ingredients, and is well-loved for its signature meatballs.
In a previous interview with CNA Luxury, Tasneem said that the cafe was born out of her husband’s homesickness.
“We soon realised that there was no authentic Swedish food here and on top of that, no halal Swedish food,” she said at the time. “So we thought that it would be a great idea to introduce Singaporeans to the cuisine.”
The news of Fika’s closure comes amid a string of shutdowns in the vicinity, including Warong Nasi Pariaman, which closed in January this year.
A report by CNA noted that rent prices have surged in the Kampong Glam area, with several tenants in Haji Lane reporting that their rents jumped from around S$3,000 (US$2,340) to close to S$10,000 over the past few years.
