Your Olympics guide to gluten free London: Part 1

With everyone rolling into town for the Olympics, I thought it would be a good time to share a quick London eating on the go guide for you all.

Fellow Londoners will no doubt already know the places that are friendly for us when we are on the go looking to grab a bite to eat. I don't usually write about chain restaurants, but there are quite a few that are trying to make great gluten free strides forward, and in times of desperation can seem like gleaming beacons on the horizon, saving us all from a hungry stomach and having to make do with a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar (man how much do those moments suck?)

Without further ado, the London chain restaurant cheat sheet:

Leon 

A firm lunch time favourite. A wide range of "healthy fast food", organic and locally sourced and more importantly, damned tasty. Everything is labeled on the menu with "GF" so it's easy to see what's gluten free. They have a wide range of items to choose from.

They have 11 London outlets all over the city - find them here: http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/restaurants/

Go for: a healthy lunchtime treat

Top dishes: Sweet potato falafel, Chicken superfood salad, Pecan pie!

Carluccios

I've posted about them before, but they deserve mentioning again as they deserve praise for all of the hard work they have put in to train their staff to understand gluten, making them a chain where you don't have to worry. Great, fresh and delicious Italian food. A gluten free menu is available.

There are 18 branches London wide, so you should never be far away: http://www.carluccios.com/restaurants

Go for: a long lunch or an informal dinner

Top dishes: Any of the gluten free pasta dishes!

Wagamamas

Wagamamas is a japanese asin fusion noodle bar, essentially. They have a sheet detailing what is gluten free. The options are somewhat limited but all delicious. The chicken itame is a coconut based noodle soup with thick flat rice noodles. Tasty every time. It's a casual dining environment; you share long bench like tables and the dishes are delivered whenever they are ready.

There are 10 London branches: http://wagamama.com/locations/search/

Go for: a quick lunch or dinner pit stop.

Top dishes: I love the chicken itame!


That's it for this post, more to come tomorrow. 

Carluccio's: Close but no dice

The poor folks at Carluccio's. They want to be friends of celiacs, but alas, have missed the point. Allow me to elaborate.

Imagine my excitement at seeing, underneath the pasta list, "Gluten Free Pasta on Request". Yippee! Then looking at all of the above pasta choices, my heart sank. Almost none of the sauces were gluten free! Redundant much? Bechamel sauce (the devil), Fried spinach balls (non gf), pre-prepared Lasagna, Italian sausage (flour in the sausage meat), Tortellini, gnocci, and ravioli!

I then ordered the grilled seabass with salsa verde and new potatoes, and when it arrived it had that distinctly golden crispy outer layer that comes from dusting it with flour prior to pan frying. One conversation with a grumpy waitress later, and it was confirmed to be wheat. I chowed down on the safe parma ham plate while another order was made. Put it on the menu people, put it on the menu. That's all I'm asking.

Speaking of, I did discover that their website has a gf menu (see, they are at least trying to be friends). As you can see the pasta section is limited- although not as much as on the normal menu, where pesto and tomato and basil sauces don't feature. Huh. I'll have to try to see if they can do that next time I'm there.

For the most part I stick with Carluccio's risottos, which are always gluten free. Definitely a place where you are forced to be the dreaded "pain-in-the-ass-celiac" (PITAC, as I call it). Always check in with the kitchen before ordering, despite the grumpy stares of the staff.

Gluten Friendliness: 5/10