Well done to the folks running La Porchetta- they have gluten free pasta on the menu, and, more astonishingly - it actually tastes good!
I was absolutely delighted upon reading the menu at this cheap and cheerful restaurant in Camden to see that I wasn't limited to the usual Italian restaurant "I-can-only-eat-a-salad" scenario (salads can be so tedious, can't they? I'll just munch away gratefully on some leaves whilst watching melted cheese from your fresh baked pepperoni pizza dribble down your chin. Lucky me!).
That great big honking pasta section that is usually an irritating waste of space? Add in a gf pasta option and it's transformed like magic into a thing of beauty! The amount of gf pasta sauce options were excellent, unlike the unfortunate Carluccio's situation. I had the Rigatoni Sofia - spinach, ricotta and tomato sauce. Scrumptious! The pasta didn't taste gluten free at all, in fact, it was so good that I couldn't believe it was true and asked the waiter to check that it was actually gluten free (making a bit of a PITAC fool out of myself!).
I'm looking forward to going back to try out some of their other sauces - there's a salmon and cream one, and another that has chorizo and prawns. And at under £7 a dish, it's a place you can eat at on a regular basis.
And for those of you not in the Camden area there are four other branches; Islington, Clerkenwell, Holborn and Finsbury Park.
Next stop - gf pizza bases? If I ask nicely? Pretty please?
For now, go and enjoy the world of gluten free pasta in a restaurant, my coeliac friends!
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Monday, 27 July 2009
Monday, 13 July 2009
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
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
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