Busaba Eathai - part 2

Chicken Satay and Fishcakes, both GF

I had visited Busaba Eathai earlier in the year, and, although I loved the food, and I had a brilliant service from the staff, there was a bit of confusion regarding what was gluten free.

So, as I was around Kingston recently, I decided to go back, dreaming of their lovely Pad Thai...

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that they have improved their menu, and now all the gluten-free and vegetarian options are marked clearly on it. That was fantastic! I still thought it would be wise to highlight it with our server, just to ensure the kitchen were aware of it, but overall, I thought it was a brilliant improvement and one that will encourage me to visit more often ;)

Pad Thai GF

What did I have?
Well, the Pad Thai obviously, and I shared with my friend the two starters that are gluten-free, chicken satay and fishcakes, and I thought they were both good.

Also I checked the sauces on the table. Obviously the soy sauce is out of bounds,but the chilli sauce and fish sauce have no gluten containing ingredients.

There are several gluten free options on this menu: two starters, two wok noodle dishes, four curries, and four sides (menu available online).

Overall, I love the location in Kingston riverside, great to go for a walk along the river afterwards. I enjoyed the food and I was not unwell at all.
I would be very happy to recommend Busaba Eathai to any gluten-free eaters.

Busaba Eathai
http://www.busaba.com/
Kingston branch: 4 Riverside Walk, London KT1 1QN
12 locations around London: Shoreditch, The O2, Hoxton Square, Soho, Bloomsbury, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Stratford, Chelsea

Busaba Eathai

Pad Thai

Busaba Eathai was one of my favourite restaurants before my gluten-free days, in particular the duck with tamarind sauce was a must-have on all my visits.
As there is no allergy information on their website, I've been avoiding it for a few years, but recently I called one of their restaurants and they reassured me they had gluten-free options.
So there I was on a quiet lunchtime at their restaurant on Kingston Riverside.

This location is lovely, as the windows from the restaurant open onto the river and the riverside walk, and you forget that you are in the middle of a busy shopping area.

The staff were very friendly and when I mentioned my gluten-free requirements, I got a quick run through the menu of what I could have.
Having forgotten half of it 5 minutes later, I asked again and another waiter came along with a folder containing their allergy information.

Chinese broccoli

I was happy to hear that their Pad Thai noodles were gluten-free and surprised but happy to hear that the spring rolls were too, which we planned to share as a starter. Unfortunately my excitement was short lived.

When our food came along and I asked again about it all being gluten-free, and was told the spring rolls were actually NOT gluten-free.

It was a bit of a disappointment, but they offered me another starter for free, and I got some Chinese broccoli.

I have to say the food was very very nice, and I'm likely to go again, as both dishes were fantastic.
It seems to me that the error was in the folder containing the allergy information, as our waiter checked it twice and was convinced it was gluten-free.

So a suggestion for Busaba Eathai would be to double check the information on their folders and to have it available online.
Many of us with food intolerances and allergies love to eat out, but also need to plan in advance where to go so that we can eat safely too.
Having allergy information available online would make our life so much easier, as we could clear out any concerns before we go to the restaurant and it would make the whole experience of eating out with family and friends a much happier one.

January offer: Busaba Eathai have launched a new app (you have to set up your card details), and you get 50% of your bill if you use it during January. The app gives you a 4 digit code that you give to your server and voila! you get 50% of your bill. It can be used as many times as you want.

Busaba Eathai
http://www.busaba.com/
Address: 4 Riverside Walk, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1QN
Many other locations across London