Gluten Free Fish & Chips

Over the weekend we had beautiful sunny weather so my friends & I grabbed our towels & headed for the beach. The water was a beautiful temperature and we spent the best part of the morning swimming, sun-baking & chatting. After a few hours we were getting hungry & so made our way to the local fish & chip shop “Off the Hook”. I had been dreaming of this ever since I found out we were coming home to Australia.

I spoke with the lady at the counter & advised her that I required Gluten Free fish & chips. I was extremely impressed when our food arrived. My grilled fish had been cooked separately & was wrapped in it’s own paper away from all the floured products. Delighted by the great service we recieved, we walked down to the town green & set up a picnic by the water.

A great day!

 

Gluten Free Service

Yesterday I received the worst service ever in my 6 years of being Gluten Free.

We had been at Bilgola beach for a few hours & decided it was time for a snack. We went to the local kiosk where the others bought some meat pies & I bought a packet of Gluten Free potato chips. I was thinking of also getting an ice cream so my husband asked the server if we could check the ingredients of a Magnum Ice Cream. The man replied that that once it was taken out of the freezer it had to be purchased! It was the most ridiculous comment we had ever heard and at first we just thought he was joking, but then he continued getting the meat pies with no sign of getting the ice cream we had requested. When he came back with the pies I again asked if he could please pass me the Magnum ice cream so I can read the ingredients label & check for Gluten. He went on to say that “No” he could not & if I had a problem I should “take it up with the health department!” I was totally floored, I could not believe what I was hearing. He also said that with all the chemicals that are in these processed foods you would never know whats in there & Gluten is sure to be one of them. Well that just set me off because this person clearly knew nothing of Australia’s Food Labeling Laws (which state that all Gluten must be identified on the packaging) which then made me certain he knew nothing of Australia’s Health Regulations.

We left absolutely disgusted & will certainly make sure we never return to that little kiosk on Bilgola Beach. After all the positive experiences I have had as a Coeliac, this was by far the worst service & the worst reaction to my Gluten Free requirements that I have ever received.

 

Dinner with Family

The other night we went for dinner at my husbands brothers house. It was our last chance to catch up before their wedding & to see the new apartment they have recently bought. It was such a great night & our Gluten Free dinner was delicious.

To help you with planning a Gluten Free night here is a copy of the menu. Enjoy!

Nibbles
Gluten Free Rice Crackers
Camembert Cheese
Patte
Beetroot Dip

Main
BBQ Chicken Skewers marinated in Lemon, Thyme & Olive Oil
Thai Chili Cucumber Salad
Green Salad
Potato Salad

Dessert
Eton Mess ~ Raspberry Yoghurt, Strawberries & Meringues

Check out the recipe for Gluten Free Eton Mess at Gluten-Free-Living.net

 

San Francisco – The City Tour

We began the morning with a stroll through China Town & North Beach (little Italy) before making our way down to Fisherman’s Wharf. We had planned to have lunch down there on the water, but could not find the right sort of cafe. Everything was either a diner or a coffee shop serving bagels. Obviously for me a bagel was not going to work for breakfast plus I really wanted egg’s benedict. We toured the sights around Fisherman’s Wharf & then decided to head on over to the Ferry Terminal Building & try our luck. We had heard that they have some very nice markets/food shops (even though it was almost lunch time & we were still looking for breakfast).

The Ferry Terminal did have nice food stores but still no nice little breakfast cafe. Time was getting on & by this stage we were starving. We searched the surrounding streets but everything was geared to fast food, coffee & bagels. Eventually I went into the 7-11 & bought an orange juice & some mixed nuts just to get me through. Looking back I guess we at least we were seeing some of the city in our quest for Gluten Free food.

We decided to catch the ferry to Sausalito & try our luck over there. We had heard that they had lots of nice little cafe’s overlooking the harbor plus it would give us a chance to view the Golden Gate Bridge & Alcatraz. With a fresh latte in hand we settled ourselves on the outside deck & relaxed in for the picturesque ferry ride.

To our delight 5 mins after arriving in Sausalito we found a lovely little cafe with home style food and an all day breakfast. I was past my craving for egg’s benny buy this stage & decided on a 3 egg omelette. I explained to the server about my Gluten Free needs & it was no problem accommodating me. Very satisfied we strolled around the harbour for a few hours before returning to the city.

That night we decided to eat at the mexican restaurant next to our hotel – Colibri Mexican Bistro. It had a great atmosphere & excellent service. I explained to our waiter that I required a Gluten Free meal & he instantly advised me which dishes would be suitable. After taking our order, the usual complimentary bread & dips were brought to the table. My husband tried one & said I think this is actually a corn tortilla not a flour tortilla. We called our waiter & who advised that it was corn & gluten free. Actually his comment was, “I would not bring something to your table that you could not have”. I was impressed. It is very rare that you find a waiter so attentive to your needs. Our meals were delicious, like no other Mexican food I had tasted. I was beginning to believe our friend from the airport’s comment that ‘San Francisco is an eater’s city’.

Our next day began with a trip on San Francisco’s infamous cable cars. Again we thought we would just get breakfast whilst we were out and again it was 3pm before we ate. We toured from Union Square, to Lombard St, to Fishermans Wharf, to Golden Gate Park, to the Beach and back to the city before finding somewhere suitable to eat. It was a great day out & thank goodness for mixed nuts and water because our first meal of the day was Gluten Free Penang Thai Curry at 3pm.

My impression of San Francisco is that it is a great city & that has excellent Gluten Free food once you find it!

 

Gluten Free in San Francisco

Well it is almost Christmas & the time of year to be with family & friends. My husbands brother is getting married so we decided to come home to Australia for a 5 week holiday.
Our Gluten Free stories begin at Vancouver Airport….

After missing our flight to San Francisco we had a couple of hours to spare at the airport & decided to go for lunch. There was not too much to choose from so we settled on the little cafeteria near our departure gate. Another friend was also flying out that afternoon and he came & joined us for a drink. Now as we had been in a hurry to get to our flight I was carrying absolutely no gluten free food (against even my own advice) so I stood there at the counter scanning the menu at the limited options. The breakfast meals were looking good but they had stopped serving at 10am (if only the all day breakfast could be standard) and a salad was no going to cure my hunger so I decided fries was the solution. I advised the cashier that I was allergic to gluten (i.e wheat, barley & rye) and would it be alright if I read the ingredients label from the fries box. She was a little unsure at the request but even still went & got me the box from which the fries came. Now in Canada for some reason they feel it necessary to coat their fries in flour, so it is generally a hit & miss exercise trying to have them. To my surprise when I read the label they were actually coated in Rice Flour!!!! This totally improved my mood from missing our flight & I immediately ordered a great big tray of fries, a peach cider & some beers for my husband & friends.

Once arriving in San Francisco caught the shuttle ride into the city were I got chatting to another passenger about what to do & see over our couple of days. San Francisco was her home town & she gave us the in’s & out’s of what to do & where to go. One thing that stood out was her comment that San Francisco was ‘eaters city’ and that there were endless fabulous restaurants to be enjoyed. She was not wrong!

Our first experience was at a local indian restaurant about 2 blocks from Union Square called “Chutneys”. It is a ‘cheap & cheerful’ kind of place with incredible food. I checked with the server before ordering my meal that there was no Gluten in the dishes & I was assured all was fine. I could not help but order the Butter Chicken & my husband ordered a Curried Vegetable & Lamb dish. Both dishes were Gluten Free & really tasty. I would even say some of the best indian food we have ever had.

We strolled back to our hotel (Hotel Diva) and were very impressed with our first culinary experience in San Francisco.

 

Fifty Two 80 Bistro

Fifty Two 80 Bistro
Four Seasons Hotel
Whistler, Canada

Last night we went out for a beautiful dinner at one of Whistler’s best restuarants. I was extremely impressed! The staff were exceptional in arranging a gluten free meal for myself and a gluten free & dairy free meal for my friend. I did not even need to explain what the gluten free diet involved, our server was totally aware of our needs and able to offer instant advice on what foods would be suitable.

An excellent restaurant with exceptional service & an inviting atmosphere .

Fifty Two 80 Bistro specialize in seafood with oysters, crab, lobster and prawns offered daily. They also featured lamb & pork spit-roasted specialties and Canadian prime beef off the grill.