Olive garden - Italian restaurant in Southfields with many gluten free options

As a gluten-free food lover, I enjoy finding new places to try, specially if they are easy for me to get to, and I cannot remember how, but as I was doing some research on Google, I came across Olive Garden, an Italian restaurant in Southfields with plenty of gluten-free options and just a short walk from the station.

Well, I had to check their online menu, and I found out that very much all their pasta and pizza dishes can be ordered gluten-free.

I really wanted to try their pizzas, as the base looks quite thin, just how I like it, and the ingredients on their Caprino pizza were calling me (Mozzarella, spicy sausage, smoked chicken, goats cheese & sundried tomato).
I don't know why, but lately I am obsessed with Goats cheese, hopefully this phase will not last too long, as I'm trying to stay away from dairy too.

So I asked as many questions I could think of about how they prepare their pizzas, about any risk of cross contamination, and they happily explained it all to me.

It seems that they get the gluten-free pizza bases externally and they are cooked separately in the kitchen to avoid cross contamination.
I didn't feel unwell at all after eating here, so, one to come back to.

The restaurant was very welcoming, the staff friendly and attentive and the pizza was very nice too. I was happy with their understanding of gluten and cross contamination, and I'd be happy to recommend it.

Olive Garden
http://southfields.theolivegardenrestaurant.co.uk/

Tube: Southfields

Address: 42 Replingham Road, Southfields, London SW18 5LR

Tel: 020 8877 0411 

Pasta from Elena gluten free




Pappardelle with tomato, asparagus and chorizo

I bought some pasta from Elena's gluten free way at the Allergy Show.
When I can, I always try to find Italian pasta, specially Pappardelle or Tagliatelle nests, they are my favourites.
There are two brands available from Elena's, Dialsi and Piaceri Mediterranei.

I got a packet of each and recently tried the Piacery Mediterranei Pappardelle.
These pasta ribbons are lovely and I really enjoyed my dinner.
I added a sauce made with tomato sauce (one tin of chopped tomatoes, one tsp of olive oil, half tsp of salt, half tsp of sugar and some ground pepper, cooked slowly for 30 mins or so), asparagus and chorizo.
Fantastic dinner, now looking forward to the  Tagliatelle ;)
My only concern is that the ribbons tend to break after cooking, I guess that is the corn.

Mediterranei Pappardelle Ingredients: Yellow maize flour (49,8%), white maize flour (49,8%), emulsifier: mono and diglycerides of fatty acids)
Dialsi Taglieatelle Ingredients: Rice flour, corn flour
Both ingredients lists are quite short, which I like, no nasty E numbers around.

They are available to buy on her website:
http://www.elenasgfway.co.uk/

Le Veneziane Tagliatelle, Molino di Ferro

I bought this tagliatelle at the Allergy Show in London last June. I always like to buy Italian pasta when I can, the flavour is much nicer. I was a bit doubtful as they are made from 100 corn and I was looking for more of a mix of flours but I didn't need to worry.
The flavour is awesome, eating this kind of pasta makes you forget about the gluten one. I'm just sorry I've now finished the packet, I'll have to wait for the next Allergy Show to get some more, more, more ...