Tag Archives: gluten-free dining

Honest Burger.

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

Honest Burger is a growing chain of burger joints with restaurants scattered over London. The other night I went to the one in Camden, which is half a restaurant, half a street food stall. We were sat at the bar/seats-looking-directly-into-the-kitchen and told that we could order, etc. and would be reseated in the restaurant proper once seats became available. This did eventually happen, though it took some time, but we were happy: there is something fascinating about watching chefs cook, though it rather puts a damper on the conversation.

The menu is small, but covers all bases – beef, chicken, veg. All burgers come with rosemary salted chips and you have the option of making all the burgers gluten-free by opting for the gluten-free bun. Also, the onion rings are gluten-free. I love onion rings.

I had the cheese burger, gluten-free of course, and a side of onion rings to “share”. The burgers are not huge, but they are ample and you get loads of chips, too many to finish actually. The burger was juicy and cooked, as promised, pink. I would have liked a little more cheese on my cheeseburger, but I’m a cheese fiend. And the bun was pretty tasty; it didn’t have that sponge quality gluten-free bread so often has. The onion rings were crunchy and sweet, delicious, especially when doused in a plentiful amount of mayo.

Finally, the cocktails, of which there aren’t many, are…OK. They are mostly gin based and very strong. I had the “Honest Cocktail” which had cucumber and lemon and was very fresh tasting, almost salad-ey. Good though, perfect for summer. My boyfriend had the “Gin Special” which apparently had orange and elderflower in it but just tasted like straight up gin to me. But they came in sweet, mini tankards with those pink and white striped paper straws that are so trendy now. It was cute. It was fine.

Fresh and zingy cocktails that pack a punch.

Fresh and zingy cocktails that pack a punch.

We will definately be going to Honest Burger again, and not just because they make gluten-free food but because the burgers, honestly, are awesome.

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!

Travelling.

Posted by alicemwilkinson in Thoughts and Musings and tagged with , ,

Me and my boyfriend, Seb, are planning a trip to Paris in January; it has occurred to me that this trip will no longer be the carefree, eat-where-we-may affair that it was when we went last year.  Last year we found a lovely cafe which served fresh croissants and baguettes for breakfast: well, that’s out.  And lunch could be whatever we fancied, sandwiches, pizza, whatever, just something quick.  Now I’m going to have to be much more organised.  The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became.  But I have just done a quick internet search, “gluten-free cafes Paris” and loads of stuff came up! One page had a printable gluten-free dining card explaining, in French, what Coeliac disease is (so you can ensure the waiter understands what you can and can’t eat) along with listings of restaurants and bakeries which have gluten-free food.  The dining card may be a bit lame and embarrassing, but still, it’s reassuring to have such a thing with you, just in case. Yelp also has plenty of listings and Google has a map plotting all (or some of) the gluten-free cafes in Paris.  Brilliant.  Panic over!

And actually, now I think about it, although maybe this trip won’t be quite as relaxed as last year’s, we’ll probably eat really, really well because I’ll have had to research everywhere we eat, not just the restaurants we go to for dinner.  I have never been able to select a good place to have lunch without first researching it; I just don’t have the instinct.  And so inevitably I end up picking the worst possible place which, in turn, results in much disappointment and anger and the exchange of bitter, snippy comments as Seb and I contemplate our grim-looking meals.  But, if I’ve got all the restaurants and cafes planned out in advance (boring though this planning process will be, admittedly; although it may require the purchasing of new stationary, the thought of which fills me with untold joy), lunchtime will be a much smoother operation.  Perhaps the holiday will be greatly improved.

Good, I feel much better now.  Better start browsing Muji for coloured pens…