Category Archives: Restaurants

Banana Tree: Review.

Posted by alicemwilkinson in Restaurants, Review and tagged with , , , , ,

Banana Tree is somewhat reminiscent of a canteen.  Perhaps it is the slightly distant staff, the minimal decor or the closely packed grey tables.  Nonetheless, walking into this small chain restaurant, one feels immediately as if one is at the centre of something.  The atmosphere is buzzy and vibrant and the air is filled with the sound of chatter and laughter: there are people on first dates, groups of girls giggling, trendy looking men in pork pie hats, discussing beards.

It’s a Thursday and we are seated immediately under a bizarre phallic looking light bulb dangling over our table.  It takes some time before anyone comes to take our drink orders: a lychee mojito, light on the rum, and a glass of underwhelming pinot grigio.

The menu, however, is promising.  As a coeliac, it is good to see that about half of the menu is gluten-free.  After much consideration of all the options, a real luxury, I settle on the sticky Thai chicken wings with chili and basil, to share between us, and the “Legendary” beef rendang with the palm leaf sticky rice.

The starter arrives fairly promptly.  I’m glad we decided to split the starter because there are loads of wings, piled high and looking spectacular in their glazed glory.  They do not disappoint: they’re sweet and tangy and the chili packs a punch but you can still taste the basil.  Chicken wings are always messy but I found myself swallowing these down with such wild abandon that I ended up covered, face and fingers, in sticky sauce.  Thankfully, we had been given wet wipes.

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My curry came in an individually sized frying pan with lots of coriander and crispy coconut on top, adding some much needed lift to an otherwise dull looking dish.  The taste, however, was fantastic.  The meat fell apart, a clear sign that it had been slow cooked, and it was beautifully tender to eat.  Although it was rich and, after a while, quite heavy, the meat was so well spiced, savoury and satisfying, that I just kept on eating.

The sticky rice was good too but, because my curry was quite dry, I wish I’d had one of the fried or steamed rice sides.  The sticky rice went far better with the stir-fried dish ordered by my partner.  The rice came in eight little parcels, which were cute but really annoying after a while: you had to unwrap the pandan leaf from around each parcel every time you wanted one, so we ended up with a ridiculous pile of curly leaves on the table.  And we had to order more because, though we were told one portion would be enough, it wasn’t.

sticky rice

My partner’s meal was lovely too, he said, although I couldn’t taste it because he had thoughtlessly not ordered something gluten-free.  However, he reported that the sautéed beef with Karl Patta (whatever that is) and cashew nuts was fresh and zingy, with lots of different textures and plenty of heat; he also said it went really well with the sticky rice.

Overall, I think Banana Tree is a great place to go for a no-frills meal: there’s lots of choice if you’re eating gluten-free and the food is definitely exciting but don’t expect to be blown away.  You’re unlikely to have a lingering romantic meal there, but if you’re into spice and something a little exotic, this is a great place to grab a quick dinner.

“Safe” restaurants.

Posted by alicemwilkinson in Restaurants, Tips and tagged with , ,

Me and Sebastian have decided to go out to the cinema this afternoon and then for supper.  Obviously, I had to do some restaurant research.  What I’ve found, perhaps not surprisingly, is that chain restaurants are most likely (aside from, obviously dedicated gluten-free restaurants) to offer either gluten-free menus, options or allergy information pertaining to a wide variety of allergens.  The latter may sometimes be less useful than it sounds, especially when one is allergic to gluten: Byron, for example, lists almost all its dishes, from burgers to chips to dips , as containing gluten, except the “skinny burger”, which has no bun, and so has no gluten.  This begs the question, would all the burgers be gluten-free if I just asked for no bun? Or would the condiments, etc that come with the chicken burger or the chilli burger make it not gluten-free? Tricky.  I’d have to ask.  But the waiters may not know since it’s up to me, the customer and the coeliac, to check the allergy information online.  It is rather frustrating.

But, still, the fact that the information is there is reassuring.  Bill’s also has an allergens list; I am sadly restricted to about two things on the menu, but two is better than none I guess, and they’re both pretty yummy sounding things (grilled lamb with potato gratin or mushroom risotto).  The best are places like Carluccio’s, and Wahaca and Jamie’s Italian (if you can get the website to work properly) which all offer designated gluten-free menus, often as well as allergy information.

All this is very helpful and reassuring.  Obviously you can’t guarantee that, even if you ordered off the gluten-free menu, what you’re eating is completely gluten-free, but it’s probably as close to certain as you can get without cooking your food yourself.  And, as I don’t intend to become a hermit, bound to my kitchen forever for fear of wheat molecules, this will have to do!