Two coeliacs and a lactose intolerant walk into ... Nandos

Avocado and sweet bean salad with chicken

Nandos is such a simple option when you are coeliac/gluten-intolerant.
I've been here many times and never had a problem being ill afterwards, which is great!

I was with two friends around Vauxhall recently, not known for the best place to cater for gluten-free eaters, and decided to pop into the new Nandos by the station.

The restaurant is very nice, it looks newly refurbished, and it's located just under the railway arches. They have kept the shape on the ceiling, which gives it a very spacious feel.

You always know what you get at Nandos, and although I forgot to take a picture of my chicken with chips and salad, I managed to get one from the avocado and green bean salad that one of my friends was having.
We just asked at the till to double check that our order was gluten-free and they mentioned it to the manager.

I've always had excellent service at Nandos, and it was the same on this occasion, very attentive staff and uncomplicated food. Not bad at all.

Nandos
http://www.nandos.co.uk/
Various branches around London and the UK

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

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 

Château Dessert Chiswick

Happy New Year everyone!

It has been a while since my last post, as life sometimes gets in the way, but fear not, I've been out and about enjoying many gluten free meals, so it will all be revealed soon!

Bottom left: Choc and orange, top: mango, right fresh fruit tart

For my last gluten free outing of 2014, I visited Chateau Dessert in Chiswick.

I had been quietly stalking them on twitter for a while, looking at all those cake marvels and dreaming of starting at one end of the counter to finish at the other (all in the name of research of course!).

You will be glad to hear I managed to control myself and only ordered one cake, although my friends were kind enough to let me try theirs.

Chateau Desserts looks from the outside like an upmarket patisserie, with lots of gorgeous little morsels to tempt you, and when you go in, you discover two counters, one for all the gluten-free cakes, one for the others.

Within the gluten-free cakes, at least 3 were dairy free too when I visited, which is brilliant, as so many coeliacs also have trouble with dairy.

I have to say one of my companions was dairy-free but not gluten-free, so it might be an idea to have some cakes for others like her.

There are also some lunch options available, and for us gluten-free eaters you can have one of their savoury tarts. They are served with a side salad, and I loved my goats cheese and onion tart.

Once you have ordered, you can make your way to the upstairs room and they'll bring it to you (there is also a basement that I did not visit). We had some coffee and tea as well and it was a fantastic afternoon.

gluten-free goats cheese tart & salad

So, what did I ordered? As I've mentioned earlier, I had the goats cheese tart for lunch which was great and then the chocolate and orange cake, which I really loved.

The texture was quite creamy, very close to a mousse once you get through the chocolate coating.

I also tried the mango pudding and the tart with fresh fruit that my friends were having, and, although they were both nice, I would still stick with my first choice.

The price for the gluten-free cakes was £3.75 to take away or £4.75 to eat in.

Overall, I would be happy to recommend Chateau Dessert, there are plenty of delicious gluten-free choices and their seating area upstairs is very welcoming, airy and nicely decorated.



Chateau Dessert

http://www.chateaudessert.com/

Tube: Turnham Green
213 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DW

Tel: 020 8742 2344

Naturally Chinese new Gluten Free menu

smoked shredded chicken

I had been to Naturally Chinese a couple of times already, and I'd loved the food on both occasions, so I was really happy when Amie invited me over last Monday to try their new gluten-free menu.

It was lovely to come in from the cold into a warm and welcoming restaurant, and share a few hours with Amie and a few fellow bloggers. Who could say no to an evening like that?

We started with steamed dumplings (crystal prawn, prawn and chive, spicy mixed vegetables and salmon) which were fresh and melted in your mouth.Then spring rolls, which were very crispy.
Unfortunately we were so relaxed talking and enjoying the evening  that I forgot to take a photo of both dishes.

We also had shredded chicken smoked with beechwood which was amazing! I had never tried it before, but it's now going to be up there in my favourites list together with their soft shell crab.

 I enjoyed talking with Amie. It was clear how important it is for her to keep all her food as natural as possible, avoiding the use of msg (mono sodium glutamate) or any artificial colourings and flavours. Yes, all the ingredients that go into every dish are natural.

sizzling lamb

This is not something I had realized in my previous visits, as I was just happy to have all this lovely gluten free Chinese food at my disposal.

She was also talking about how they always try to accommodate any dietary needs. Their food is freshly prepared when ordered, so that gives them the chance to do so.

We moved on to the main courses: sizzling lamb with ginger and spring onions, beef and beans (we started calling it Amie's dish, as it's off the menu, but she always has it prepared for her by one of the chefs), mixed vegetables, rice and vermicelli rice noodles.

I loved the main dishes as you could taste the ingredients. I've noticed sometimes in Chinese restaurants the sauces overpower the dish. Here the sauce was delicate enough to let you taste everything else.

mango pudding

And to finish off the meal, we had a mango pudding. Now, I was a bit doubtful about it, as I've had a similar dessert in the past and I didn't enjoy it, but in this pudding you could really taste the fresh mango coming though.
If you are in doubt like me, I'd tempt you to try it, I know it's going to be a must for my future visits.

Overall, I was very impressed with the meal.
I enjoyed all the dishes we tried and was happy to see that Amie has addressed her growing demand for gluten-free dishes thoroughly.
Not only she has created a separate gluten-free menu to make it easier for customers and staff, she is also working with Coeliac UK to ensure her food is safe and is awaiting accreditation.

There is plenty of variety on the gluten free menu to keep your interest on several visits, and I was glad to meet her and see how determined she is to create a new style of Chinese restaurant, where every dish is made naturally and is healthy for you.
I would be happy to recommend Naturally Chinese to any gluten and non gluten eaters, and I know it's going to be one of those places I go to time and time again.

Naturally Chinese
http://www.naturallychineserestaurant.co.uk​
59-63 Brighton Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 5LW
Tel: 0208 3995533
Getting there: Surbiton rail (20 mins from London Waterloo)

Pearl and Grove Bakery

A friend got me these gorgeous cakes after a day out around Marylebone, where she spotted them in a shop with a cafe (I think it might have been Hunter Gather).  They were both fantastic, the one on the left was salted caramel and the one on the right had marshmallow, yum! 

My favourite was the salted caramel one, but just by a hair, both were really nice and I'd be quite happy to recommend them.

I had not heard of Pearl&Groove before so I was clearly interested in finding out more.

They are a bakery started by Serena and all their cakes are gluten-free. 

Although they do not have a shop per se, they sell their cakes at several venues listed below & also are on Fridays (11.30am to 2.30pm) at Granary Square, Kings Cross (Kerb Food).

You can also order online or join their cake club, and receive a new flavour every month.

Find out more on their website:

http://www.pearlandgroove.com/

Current stocklist:

Harvey Nichols, Daylesford Organic, 108 Marylebone Lane Hotel, Hunter Gather, Kerb Food, The De Beauvoir Deli, Angie's Little Food shop, Peardrop London, Sofa.com, The Doodle Bar.

Coming soon to Selfridges.

Torrijas

 This is one of those treats that I've grown up with.

My dad used to make torrijas for us occasionally and they hardly ever lasted a day.
They are made using bread that is a day or two old, and it was a fine art to casually leave enough bread around ready for Sunday morning, when he could be gently persuaded to make them.

There are as many recipes out there as people making them, some of them use syrup instead of the final coating in sugar, but this is the way I like them and I've eaten them all my life.
Thinking about it, I'd say I've only ever had them at home.



Milk dip

I've tried making them with a gluten-free baguette and it works quite well. I would recommend the one from Sainsbury's or Marks and Spencer's, both have the right consistency.


Ingredients:
* Gluten-Free baguette, one or two days old
* 125ml milk (I used soya) & 2 tbsp of sugar, mixed
* Gluten free flour
* 1 beaten Egg mixed with a couple of tbsp of milk
* Oil to deep fry it. I use a mix of olive and sunflower oil and a small pan
* Mix of sugar (3tbsp) and ground cinamon (1 tsp)

Method:


flour away

* Cut the bread into slices 1 inch thick
* Dip them in the milk&sugar mix, turning around and making sure they are well soaked. If your bread is really hard, you might need to keep it in there a bit longer.
* Coat them in the GF flour both sides
* Coat them in the egg mixture
* Deep fry until a golden brown colour. The oil should be on medium heat, too hot and they'll burn, too cold and they'll absorb too much oil


eggy

* Leave to rest on kitchen paper to absorb some oil for a few minutes

* Coat them in the sugar and cinamon mixture while still warm

Enjoy!