Tag: eating out

The Hanoi Bike Shop – Glasgow

Another weekend away last weekend and I stumbled across a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant full of yummy food which meets all my many dietary requirements – I was in gluten free, lactose free heaven.

The Hanoi Bike shop is tucked away just off Byres Road in the West side of Glasgow close to the beautiful Gothic buildings of the university. Full of character, warm and friendly this is a great place I would really highly recommend to everyone – coeliac or not!

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Before booking a table my sister and I popped in to explain dietary requirements (coeliac, lactose intolerant, nut and mushroom allergies and no meat or fish can be tricky even for the best!) In addition to providing us a full menu they gave me a Gluten free and Vegan menu so we cross reference dishes which featured on both, I was really surprised to hear there were quite a few I could choose from. They then jotted down all my requirements, made a note against the booking and made the chef aware in advance. Brilliant service equals happy Nat.

When we arrived to eat the staff double checked dietary requirements and sat me close to the kitchen – it’s quite a small place but it’s full of life and near the busy vibrant pass is a lovely place to be. As well as gluten free and vegan menu’s they have gluten free and vegan drinks and cocktails highlighted too. I tucked into an amazing spiced gin cocktail; gin, chilli, lemon, coriander – wicked combination and made the difficult decision of what exactly I wanted to eat.

As it was hard to decide my sister and I shared a few dishes. The Hanoi Bike Shop actually make all tofu on site meaning it is beautifully fresh and creamy, I loved the sweet potato, tofu and coconut hotpot – I could have eaten it forever. On the side was a minty vermicelli rice noodle salad, a stunning flavour combination that was so fresh which I’m definitely going to try to replicate, though I don’t imagine I could get it anything like so perfect. I also had braised Vietnamese greens with a gluten free tamari . The sides are huge and definitely good sharers.

Throughout the helpful Hanoi Bike Shop staff checked the food was great and I was happy, I was so busy eating I could hardly answer as my mouth was so full all the time.

The Hanoi Bike Shop is an absolute must for any coeliac, vegan or in fact anyone in Glasgow to check out, I had such an amazing time, probably worth the trip just for an amazing meal.

http://hanoibikeshop.co.uk/

Gluten Free Cafe, Norwich

Visiting my sister in law last weekend I popped across a lovely surprise in the heart of Norwich when I found The Gluten Free Cafe just around the corner from Norwich Castle.

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Caramel Soya Latte and Gluten Free Ginger Cake – so naughty

All the food and drinks sold are 100% gluten free and they have a great shop upstairs with a variety of gluten free products available.

Being quite a frosty morning I was ready for a warm coffee and was really pleased to see that although the primary focus is gluten free the cafe offered a wide choice of milk and milk alternatives including soya and coconut as well as lactofree milk and milk products as well. It’s really great to find so many options available for allergy, intolerance and ethically limited diets. Caramel soya latte all the way for me.

They also served a range of different meals, cakes and take away lunches as well. I’m actually lactose intolerant and have a couple of allergies as well as coeliac disease so I still needed to check the ingredients but the owner had a file with all the products served in and their full ingredients. The ginger cake is perfect and went nicely with my coffee whilst my husband and sister in law did tuck into some chocolatey delights.

In the shop there were a range of gluten free alternative and naturally gluten free products. Quite a few are items you can find in the supermarket free from aisle but others are harder to find or more unusual, gluten and dairy free Worcester sauce is something I’m hoping to get stuck into soon. The edamame spaghetti is lovely too.

Speaking to the owner I learnt that she and many members of her family have coeliacs disease which is what inspired her to set up, she started with just a shop and the cafe is a new venture opened in January 2016.

It’s definitely well worth the visit any time you are in Norwich and great to support them in their venture, hopefully one day it will lead to many more gluten free cafe’s around the UK in the future.

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Eating out free from – Prezzo

Continuing to adapt after diagnosis with allergies, Coeliac’s disease or lactose intolerance is really hard and this past year has been quite a struggle. It can also be hard not to run to safety foods and to actually try to push your own boundaries. Since I was ill and following diagnosis I’ve rarely eaten out but I’m trying to push myself and in doing so have found a brilliant Coeliac UK approved solution in the form of Prezzo.

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When we ordered drinks I chatted to the manager about my dietary requirements (Coeliac, lactose intolerant, vegetarian, allergic to nuts, allergic to mushrooms – phew!) and they were really helpful straight away. I was amazed when they brought over a copy of their gluten free menu for me to have a look at. Seriously impressive – there was a real selection with many of the pizzas available on a gluten free base , gluten free pasta options as well as grill options.

As well as the gluten free menu the manager printed me a full and up to date allergy menu for both the gluten free menu, the full menu and the January 2016 specials menu which details all the common allergens including gluten, lactose, soya, nuts and more. I opted for the gluten free Penne Arrabiata, the only allergen in this is celery – which I really love and can eat without problems.

It’s fairly straight forward food but having access to all the info is so useful and makes you feel in control of your dining experience regardless of dietary requirements.

A big thumbs up for Prezzo on the free from front, will see you again for more Italian food soon.

http://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/main-menu/ – gluten and lactose free options can be searched on their menu online too!!

 

My favourite spot for a bowl of (rice) noodles

Before diagnosis as a lactose intolerant Coeliac I tended to eat most frequently at small and independent cafes and restaurants. I still like too but it can be a lot harder however one of the most amazing places I have found I can eat is at Wagamama’s.

A few weeks after diagnosis I had quite an exhaustive internet search for restaurants I could eat at safely. I found it really difficult because balancing Coeliacs’s disease, lactose intolerance, vegetarianism and an allergy to nuts and mushrooms makes it really difficult to find options. What I love about the Wagamama website is you can select multiple filters and allergies to do a really thorough search.

Since diagnosis in April 2015 I have eaten at Wagamama’s quite a number of times and discovered that Wagamama’s managers attend training on allergy and dietary requirements to allow them to advise carefully and accurately on what dishes could be suitable and what could be substituted. Always ask for the manager when they sort you a seat and explain you could do with a glance at the allergy menu

I personally love the Yasai Itame (which I have without mushrooms, it is a rice noodle soup (good for the Coeliac’s and full of veggies and tofu to pack me full of protein and vitamins. Tasty and perfect.

Living in Sheffield I’ve been quite a few times to the Meadowhall branch where Hayley the manager is amazing for dietary requirements and allergies, even brining me a free pudding to try after checking it was OK for me!

Tasty, easy to find in most towns and a total treat for Coeliacs, Vegans and anyone really with any dietary needs.Post 27 photo