Hakkasan: Stunning GF modern Chinese cuisine

I'm not sure about you, but I've avoided Chinese food completely since becoming gluten free. There's always the fear of soy sauce lurking around every corner, and indeed, in every dish.

A solution - and an absolutely fabulous, Michelin-starred solution at that - the exquisite, delicious, and gluten-free friendly Hakkasan.

Yes, this is not one for a weekly visit, it's pricey, but oh my oh my is it worth it.

The staff are so knowledgeable that the fear of being poisoned, the need to ask annoying questions and to be on guard at all times completely disappears and I was happy to be coddled in their safe GF arms.

They have a separate gluten free menu which neatly outlines what you can have (and to keep as many options as possible some are with slight modifications - e.g. "without sauce". Which in my opinion is the best way to do it. There's nothing more frustrating than no one considering that yes, you can have that salad, just without the breadstick? Duh? )

I went for fried. Golden fried soft shell crab with red chilli and curry leaf, to be precise. I mean, we all know that the opportunities for us to get our gluten free mits on something fried are few and far between, and I thoroughly intended on taking full advantage of the situation. Not least because it was my birthday, and my dear sister was treating me. Ahem.

Needless to say, it was utterly stunning and my jaw near dropped to the floor, before moving back up again to hastily munch down the rest of the dish. It was full of flavour and overall simply divine.

At this point the lovely waitress put down three sauces and kindly pointed out which ones were gluten free, and which ones off limits. Also worth a mention, for my sister who is vegetarian, the waitress pointed out that one sauce had a small amount of shrimp paste in so wouldn't be suitable for her. Thoughtful, no?

My main course was the spicy prawn with lily bulb and almond (never tried lily bulb before! It's somewhere between a water chestnut and a bamboo shoot. Tasty). Hubbada hubbada. Giant juicy butterflied prawns on an almost curry like sauce. With some simple rice and baby pak choi, it was heavenly. Sweet, tangy and rich all at the same time. Drool.

Oh, and apologies for not setting the scene earlier - the dining room is stunning with its carved black partitions and perfectly dim lighting and soft air conditioning with some sort of delicious smell wafting from somewhere at all times. Tranquil and elegant.

With all of this being washed down with a Saketini or two, well I must say, I was a thoroughly happy, stuffed, birthday girl.

A Tale of Two GF Teas: Part 1: The Ritz

We all know there are many many places that don't treat us well, and I would be here all day if I listed them. Besides - who wants to know where not to go?

I'm going to make one particular exception here as I have been asked about gluten free afternoon teas a fair bit recently, and I've had two very different experiences, and one helps shed light upon the other.

Let's start with the negative. Do not go to the gluten free tea at the Ritz. Unless you like being really disappointed. And being treated like a second class citizen. And feeling nauseous afterwards. Well, it was more greasy-mouthed. Either way. It was unpleasant. Don't go.

The "sandwiches" were not the delicate sandwiches of ye olde afternoon teas past; more tiny bits of gf bread with great lumps of (low quality) ingredients plopped on top, the ratio entirely off and quite frankly, bizarre. Who on earth wants to eat six slices of cheddar on top of one little piece of buttered bread? Or indeed, what seemed like an entire cucumber? Or several pieces of dry chicken on top, with no other ingredients to speak of?



It was appalling stuff - you would make far far better in your own home. In fact, after trying each one, odd dissapointment after odd disappointment, I stopped eating them. Not because I wasn't hungry, but because it was actively unpleasant to eat. Especially the plain (low quality) mound of smoked salmon on top of that poor defenseless scrap of bread. Please sir, may I have a lemon? A tiny bit of dill? A daub of cream cheese for the lady? Anything more than three measely ingredients?

There was the distinct air of "Aren't you lucky that we even have anything to feed you". Dreadful. My sister's vegetarian option contained lovely little sandwiches. And when she was presented with a selection of cakes I received...... A fruit plate! Oh yes, a fruit plate! Lucky me. How delightful to watch my sister stuffing scones with clotted cream into her mouth (sorry sis, just jealous) while I poke at my drab (unripe, tasteless) melon slices. Hey, I did get a macaroon (medicocre) and a cake (dry and tasteless). Again, lucky me.

It really is the epitome of what I detest in the restaurant world, when dealing with us gluten free folk. I was paying the £50 like everyone else, but I'm supposed to put up with merely "something I can eat". Yeah, that's fine on a plane. But not at the Ritz. I mean come on guys, seriously? Buck up.

And on another note; the service had the outward appearance of being smart, but was actually flawed - I was interrupted as I greeted my sister, and when I gave her her birthday gift. And they loitered. And were often confused about what food was mine and what was hers . In case you didn't have enough reasons not to go. It was a special occasion, thoroughly disappointing, and I hope that all of you avoid this fate.

Instead - may I suggest you go to Claridges!

A Tale of Two GF Teas: Part 2: Claridge's

I was invited to the new gluten free tea at Claridge's, using the delicious fresh baked Genius gluten free bread.

It couldn't have been more different than the truly dire Ritz situation.

Delicious, lovingly prepared sandwiches that were beautifully presented - chicken with lemon remoulade, smoked salmon with horseradish and dill, Dorrington ham, egg and watercress. Light and fluffy bread, with high end, well prepared and tasty fillings. Gluten-free delights.

Genius, the breadmakers who make the gluten free bread that Claridge's uses, have the motto "yummy.... hooray!" - the idea being that your first thought when eating something should be that it is scrumptious. The hooray bit comes because it's also gluten free. But the yum should always come first. I entirely agree with this principle.

Oh and boy was it a "yummy... hooray" situation with the gluten free scones. Scones! Pour moi? Oh, Claridge's, wiz all ze's gluten free treats you are really spoiling us (note to the Ritz: this is how you should feel). I haven't had a scone in 14 years. It was delightful. With strawberry jam and a delicate cornell of Devon's finest clotted cream. I very nearly melted at the taste.

The raspberry and rosewater macaroon was, ah, heavenly! Light, a deep raspberry flavour, with some sort of custard cream in the middle, and fresh raspberries around the edges. Weep. I finished my feast with a delicate fruit tart, and some devilish chocolate cake concoction.

Most of all I just felt delighted. And like it was really special. Everything was beautiful to look at, and beautiful to eat. You could tell it had been lovingly prepared. Someone cared.

When it comes to an occasion like Afternoon Tea, I want to be made to feel really special, and to have something any non-celiac would be jealous of.

Mission accomplished Claridge's.

Next time it's my sister's birthday I know exactly where I'm going to go to rub her gluten-eating face in it.

The Stag: Gluten free beer in a tasty pub! Need I say more!!!

Gluten Free Beer! At a pub! Did you get that?

I repeat - GLUTEN FREE BEER, at a PUB! Wooohooo! Bit overexcited here. Hey, it's been a long time coming.

So for all you ceoliacs who are looking for somewhere to sit outside and kick back in the sunshine on a summer's day and sip on a cool brew - The Stag is for you.

And what's better is their menu is great too. High quality gastropub fare, very reasonably priced, with many gluten free options.

I love their roasts (complete with GF gravy). Especially the whole roast chicken that you carve yourself (£22 with with sides you dish up yourself - serves as many as you like!). Like eating a roast at home - except you have to neither cook, nor clean up afterwards. Now that's my kind of roast.

The interior is cosy and a little dark, but in a way I like for winter (with plenty of board games to keep you entertained if you're having a post lunch slump and no longer have enough energy to converse with your friends). It would probably feel a little stiffled in summer..... so good job they have a MASSIVE amazing garden in the back! That's where I'll be most of the summer I can guarantee.

I'll be the one smiling with a gluten free beer in my hand. Sweeeeet.


(For those of you who want to know: It's a German beer, very tasty. And they have over 50 other beers that can keep your friends happy too. The manager is looking to get in the St.Peters GF ale also - so then you'll have a choice!)

UPDATE: As you can see from his comment below, Alex has now gotten the St.Peter's GF ale in! Like I need another excuse to visit the pub.... Ahem....

Barrafina: Exquisite Tapas, naturally GF

So I know this is the second tapas post in as many posts, but man, how could I not write about the marvelousness that is Barrafina?

There are no reservations at Barrafina - it's very much a traditional tapas style restaurant where you perch at the bar. A lovely L-shaped marble bar at that.

I loved the menu. Almost everything, 85%, was naturally gluten free. The tuna tartar was worth weeping over, the jamon and spinach tortilla was the best I've ever had. I could go there just for that. After all there is a prawn and piquillo pepper (now that's the sort of alliteration I like) tortilla I have yet to try. There was something delicious involving a quail's egg that is escaping my memory - check out the menu to see everything on offer.

The fresh seafood is of a high quality and is on display for you to choose what you will - and everything I tried was cooked perfectly. The same goes for the excellent selection of spanish cold meats, which are in front of you and often carved by the waiters/barmen (a very friendly bunch).

Obiviously, this high quality tapas in a central location and at great prices (£4-8 a plate) does attract a queue, and as there are no reservations, I would advise getting there early. Hmmm... now I'm hungry just thinking about it.

Hell Pizza: Gluten Free Pizza Heaven!

We all know one of the things us poor coeliacs miss the most is the most delicious of the gluten based guilty pleasures - pizza (along with bread, beer, and well, fried things!).

I'd known of Hell Pizza for a while, but as I live on the other side of town to all three of their restaurants ( Clapham, Fulham, Shepherd's Bush), I had yet to find the time to make the trek over ('tis a little bit of a trek).

But boy am I glad I did. It was FANTASTIC. Even my non-gf companion had a gluten free base, and said although it did taste slightly different from a conventional one, it was delicious none the less, and scoffed the whole thing.

As I hadn't had a pizza in a long time I played it safe with my pre-celiac days favourite - pepperoni and mushroom. Goodness - just thinking about it now is making me salivate! The base was really thin and crispy, a great texture and a perfect platform for a generous helping of toppings and a great tomato sauce.

My friend went more adventureous, with the "Mayhem" pizza- peanut satay, sweet chilli, chicken, green peppers and onions. Now I understand that that sounds slightly disgusting (it was what I was thinking when she chose it) - but, you know what, it worked! All of the many ingredients are chopped into small pieces so that each mouthful you get the full range of flavours. I was really very impressed and think I ought to put more trust into the hands of the hell pizza genii and their crazy menu ideas next time!

I really wished I lived within their delivery zone - can you imagine? Being able to get a pizza delivery whenever you wanted! Actually, it's probably a very good thing they don't deliver to me, I would gain large quantities of weight very quickly.

The interior is very much like the design of their website - a kind of chic goth look, which I could take or leave. The pizza, however, I'm definitely taking! And at just £5.50 for the smaller snack size, it's terrific value.

Please, all you other pizza places out there - take a lesson from Hell and start making some heavenly gluten free pizzas. (sorry for the pun folks!

The Gluten Free Foodie wants your input!

Is there anywhere you really want me to review?

Are you hunting for something specific that I can cover? GF tea at the Ritz perhaps?

Post a comment and I'll do my best to make it happen.

Thanks!