Flat Iron: 99% gluten free menu, 100% carniverous delight

Soho's Flat Iron serves one thing: Flat iron steak.

This is great if you like steak. If you don't, go elsewhere, because it only serves steak (see above). And what is magnificent for us gluten free folks? The limited menu means that there isn't any gluten in this place (apart from one dish but let's pretend it doesn't exist for the sake of that sentence).

The menu (hanging on the wall, of course)

I've been speaking about the trend for restaurants that only serve one or two things (See: Burger and Lobster) and how helpful they can be for gluten free diets. The limited range of menu items means that normal cross contamination issues such as shared friers and flour in the kitchen disappear.

I had a good chat with the chef at Flat Iron. They have unintentionally created an almost entirely gluten free restaurant. Only one dish on the menu - the aubergine side - has gluten in it. And that is from a pre-bought bechamel sauce which is poured on the top, which isn't made in their kitchen and goes straight from packet onto the aubergines and nowhere else. Hence, this is a kitchen where you don't have to worry about cross contamination. In fact the chef told me that when they first opened (just a couple of months ago) they had a bag of flour in the kitchen along with other pantry staples. They just assumed they would need it at some point. They soon realised that they weren't using it for anything so it went in the bin.

Now that the boring bit is out of the way, let's talk about the food.

Steak - awesome. Soft like a filet, cooked just the way you like it, perfect every time (I've been four times now, you know, just to check for consistency and stuff for you guys. The hardships I go through for you readers... ) It's served on a wooden board with an inlaid piece of warm iron that keeps the steak at a good temperature the whole time you take to eat it. It's served with a dainty little salad on the side.

Fries - homemade, fried in beef dripping. Naughty, but oh so nice.

Sauces - all gluten free and homemade, I am a horseradish fan so the freshly grated horseradish cream was the winner for me. The béarnaise and peppercorn I have yet to try, but I eavesdropped on the people next to me and they seemed very happy with theirs. Fred's sauce - also yet to try this but one of you can do the honours, right?

Sides - creamed spinach, yum. Market greens, moorish with just the right teasing of butter and salt. The Sophie's salad sounds great too - blue cheese, candied pecans and lemon dressing.

Perfect medium rare for me

The venue itself is stripped-back minimalist-loft cool. Is that a thing? Let's go with it, it's a fairly accurate description. Wine is in carafes and is poured into beakers. Free beef dripping popcorn is served when you arrive with a metal jug of tap water. The miniature steak-axe (did I make that up too? Okay, fine I guess it is a cleaver. So boring. I'm sticking with steak-axe) is ace, though you don't really need it, as the steak is pre-cut.

Steak-axe 

It's another Soho no-reservations place so get ready for a little queuing or to eat like an early bird or a night owl. It's worth it though. If you can't be bothered with queuing but really want to try it I would suggest Sunday lunchtime - there's no queue as all the Londoners are near their houses having a roast and the tourists don't know about it.

Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing. How much will this amazing steak set you back? £10. Yup, that's right, £10. Now you see why I keep going back?

Happy steak munching everyone.

Gluten Free Knowledge: ★★★★
Gluten Free Range: ★★★★★
Taste: ★★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★

Verdict: a perfect steak in a gf restaurant? For £10? The only place to be getting a steak right now. 

Burger and Lobster: Feels naughty, but isn't so naughty

Now I have to be honest with you. I may have first gone to Burger and Lobster back in... May? Well since then I have found several excuses as to why I couldn't review it and would have to go back again. Mainly my rubbish photography. "These pictures are too dark", I'd declare. "I guess I have to go back another time." "I look too silly in this photo, one more trip can't hurt." This has since happened on no less than four occasions.


Excuses:

THE ANGLE ISN'T RIGHT!!!!

Unhelpful comedy photograph.

Smiling in too much of an idiotic way

This is the time I forgot to take the photo until after I'd eaten it. DOH!

The truth is I love burger and lobster. Namely the lobster. And perhaps it just feels too indulgent on a Tuesday lunchtime to say "I want to go eat a lobster for lunch,"whereas, "I have to get that review of Burger and Lobster done" sounds better. But at £20 for a whole lobster, this is the best value not-so-little crustacean you are going to get pretty much anywhere.

I mean this is just silly. *Shakes head*

Burger and Lobster is a restaurant that serves solely those two items, with sides of salad and fries, in stylish, dimly lit and somewhat sexy interiors and will charge you £20 whatever you choose (making you a winner for choosing the lobster, and a loser for choosing the burger, but hey, that's just my opinion!). That's because with B&L's sheer volume buying power they are able to pass on the discount to you. Also, and I'm not an expert here, but there is a silent equation going on - at any given table of four people at least one is having the burger, having been dragged there by lobster loving friends and having no desire to wrestle the sweet succulent oceanic beasts themselves. Or perhaps they fear looking like a fool trying to handle the claw crackers while wearing a bib. I have no such qualms and find the process delightfully fun and messy, and I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Well I didn't, I'm getting much better at it with practice. And don't you need to keep practising to make perfect (yes, yes you do!!!! Hooray!)?

Finally, a perfect shot. Dammit. 

You can choose how you want the lobster cooked (steamed, grilled) and what sauce you would like with it (garlic butter, naturally). Just mention being gluten free and the salad will come without pesky croutons. If you do want to have the burger I have it on good authority that it is excellent, being made with the highest quality Waygu beef and the patty is 100% gluten free and you can have it "Californian style" with lettuce instead of a bun (I mean, that's practically health food right there, so screw you January detox!).

These new restaurants that boast just one or two things on the menu can work really very well for coeliacs. For example, no other fried foods on the menu (such as onion rings), means that there is no cross-contamination in the deep fat frier - so you can guarantee the chips are gluten free.

Next week, I'm going to tell you all about the latest "one (ordinarily expensive) item on the menu at a great price" restaurant, Flatiron. But, you know what? My pictures from the last two trips just weren't good enough, so I think I owe it to you, dear readers, to have another visit first.


Gluten Free Knowledge: ★★★★
Gluten Free Range: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★★

Verdict: A bit of crustacean heaven for lobster lovers. And your mate eating the burger will be happy too. 

Wahaca: Drool worthy GF Mexican street food

Oh Wahaca, you're such a cutie. You're so smart but still friendly, funky and chic but still a bit rebellious. You're like the bad boy boyfriend that I really wanted at 18, that my mother would actually let me go out with.

Welcome to a fresh, lime and zesty, even zexty interior of the Wahaca chain - all bright turquoises reminding us of those Cancun beaches we couldn't be further away from, and with a menu that takes right there.

In a casual cantina style, albeit a very stylish and minimalist one, the menu is on your paper placemat. In the three times I have been to various Wahaca's the same excellent customer service has prevailed. Namely, when I mention being gluten free the waiter or waitress has promptly leaned over and with their pen crossed out what I can't have (the quesadilla section) and crossed out the salad, with the caveat that if I wanted it they could make it gluten free on request.

This is great for two reasons. Firstly, it's so easy to see what you can actually have! Basically, everything they haven't physically crossed out in front of you. Secondly, because this has consistently happened every time I have eaten there it means, and this is the ABSOLUTE golden rule for a chain establishment, that the staff have been well trained. There has been a moment, a directive, part of the training, where gluten free/ coeliacs has been discussed and they have taught every member of wait staff what is gluten free and what isn't. The peace of mind that that gives you is in valuable.

Now, enough boring you senseless with restaurant staff training practices and on to the food, which after all is why we are here in the first place.


Fabulous, fresh, modern Mexican. And that comes from me, someone who was born in Texas and has spent their life eating copious amounts of Tex-Mex and has, up until the last few years, been genuinely upset about the foods called "mexican" in this otherwise fast improving, most excellent foodtropolis.

The food is made for sharing, served up in small tapas style plates. The tacos are soft corn tortillas with flavour packed protein morsels on top  - whether that's the Chicken Tinga or the grilled steak - it's all clean, fresh and awesomely flavourful. I'm talking lime, coriander, chillis. The Mexican good stuff.

The tostadas are crunchy, sexy little roundels, topped with the perfectly balanced sharp but still creamy seafood shrimp and scallop ceviche. All ethically sourced as well.

And don't forget the corn side dish. Heaven is a sour cream,  chilli-sugar-salt covered corn on the cob, with a squeeze on lime on top. You heard it here first. Don't forget the toothpick.

Gluten Free Knowledge: ★★★★
Gluten Free Range: ★★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★

Verdict: Modern light Mexican, perfect for most any occasion. Did  I mention the margarita? Get the margarita. 

Your Olympic London gluten free cheat sheet: Part 3 - Fish and Chips

What could be more quintessentially British than Fish and Chips?

Well folks, get ready for some fried food because several London restaurants are offering gluten free batter and dedicated friers on certain days of the week.

And do try the mushy peas.

Oliver's Fish and Chips

Oliver's is a great fish and chip shop, serving classic food but in modern environment with class. I love this place. 

They do gluten free fish and chips every Wednesday - so be sure to put it in your diary. 

This place is really worth it making a special trip out to. (Plus Belsize Park is a pretty area!)

Here are three more that I haven't tried, but have been recommended by my most excellent readers: 

Olley's Fish Experience - Herne Hill - Gluten free Tuesdays: http://www.olleys.info/

Mam's Fish and Chips - South End Green Hampstead - Gluten Free Tuesdays http://www.tipped.co.uk/listings/7719/mam-s-fish-restaurant

Belmont Bay Fish and Chips - Harrow - Gluten Free Wednesdays: http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/map/1507931/restaurant/London/Belmont-Bay-Harrow

Looking for gluten free fish and chips in other parts of the UK? This guidebook to the best UK chippies shows which ones have gluten free! 

Your Olympic London gluten free cheat sheet: Part 2: Sandwiches

As a coeliac we are denied many things but one that gets me surprisingly often is this: we can't have foods that you can eat at the same time as walking.

They are all bread based - people stroll between meetings munching sandwiches, wraps, panini's, even a slice of pizza or a croissant. And when you are a busy person running around town, having to stop to eat a salad can be quite frustrating. Especially when you are with a group of people who are all happy to grab a sandwich and get going.

Perhaps more accurately it's foods that you can eat without cutlery: hand held food stuffs that you can pop in your handbag and eat whenever you want.

Without further ado - places to get handheld food stuffs for all of you busy busy folk (namely Sandwiches):

Starbucks

Spot the tiny gluten free label! 

Thank goodness for the gluten free sandwich at Starbucks. It's saved me at airports, in train stations, and just rushing around town. 

It's subtly labeled gluten free on the packet so you have to look closely. The flavours are on rotation every three months or so. I curse it when it's the cheese and coleslaw one. But the rest - tuna, chicken and pesto and the very tasty (and quite healthy) ham and mustard are delicious. And I'm sure someone likes the cheese and coleslaw one. Anyone, anyone?  

And, obviously, there are Starbucks EVERYWHERE.

p.s. there's also a gf brownie, cake, and salad box.

Marks and Spencers 

Marks and Spencers, for those visiting from foreign climes, is a department store that has a supermarket division called "M&S Simply food". It's bigger stores have food halls within them also. 

They offer great gf sandwiches in distinct lime green packets in their sandwich section. Annoyingly the brand is called "made without wheat" but it's all gluten free. ( I mean, it's like launching a line of fruit-free drinks and calling them "made without pineapple". Would a fructose intolerant person go near that?!?!).

I like the ham salad one, and there's also an egg salad variety. 

Not all locations stock them, but I've found most London ones do. The full list is here. They also stock them in loads of train stations. Conveniency food slam dunk! 

Waitrose

Another british supermarket. Waitrose have plenty of london stores, and sell a prawn mayo and an egg mayo sandwich. Basically if you don't like mayo then you're screwed. But if you love mayo, then you're in heaven!

As you can see the packaging colours are different but the "gluten free" is easy to spot. 

Wasabi

Wasabi is a japanese chain that offers sushi and japanese curries and noodles. They do have an allergen sheet; basically the currys and noodles are a no go, the majority of the sushi is fine. BUT the BEST thing about wasabi are the ingenious Onigiri - one of which (see warning below!) is gluten free: the tuna and mustard. 

These little triangles are balls rice with a filling in the middle,  surrounded by seaweed nori that only comes into contact with the rice as you unwrap it. Thus there is the most satisfying crunch when you bite into it. Easy to hold in one hand and munch on, so even when it's pouring with rain and you have an umbrella in the other hand you can rejoice at eating on the go (I've been doing that a lot this rainy summer!)

Warning!!!! 

For some reason that I cannot fathom, on the allergen sheet they have a tick saying contains gluten next to the tuna and mustard onigiri.  Now, I know that the seaweed, chicken and salmon have soy sauce in the fillings (it says so in their descriptions) , but the tuna and mustard - well, I have no idea what would have gluten in. I've asked at the counter and none of the ingredients are glutenous. Even on the allergy sheet you can see it's not soy sauce (soyabean isn't ticked, unlike the others) I've been eating them for about five years now without a reaction, but if you are very very sensitive best to avoid. 

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. 

Nopi: Ottolenghi I'm in love!

Having recently experienced the seasonal deli delights of Ottolenghi's in Islington, I was very excited to hear about the opening of his more formal restaurant, though they call it a brassiere, Nopi.

What a beautiful place. It reminded me of a greek toga. All white with little gold trimmings. So peaceful, calming and luxurious, this would come pretty close to what a brasserie in heaven would look like.

I was presented with a gluten free menu (white with a touch of gold, naturally), with that day's menu on. The menu changes with some frequency, as the the food is fresh seasonal fare. It's fantastic that somewhere that changes their menu regularly makes the effort to have a gluten free one that is up to date.

We had a delicious Gruner to drink from Austria, don't knock Austrian Wine, the gruner is an excellent alternative to a sauvigon blanc, crisy and citrusy.

I pretty much wanted to order every single thing on the menu.

When you are bored with all of the french and modern european fare, Nopi is a breath of fresh air. Totally inspired food. Asian and middle eastern influences, with fantastic ingredients and ingenious combinations. The silver mullet could not have been happier than beside a salad of green papaya, mint, mango and peanuts.

The Presa iberica carpaccio with manouri and pine nuts was so pretty and colourful, and didn't need to be chewed, it melted in your mouth that easily. Clean and simple.

Seared prawns with fennel, white oregano and feta blew my mind - hearty yet delicate, such an exciting and addictive mix of flavours I could have licked the pan they were served in.

I'm not a big dessert fan but was tempted by my companion to share a palate cleansing sorbet - Melon and Elderflower. It positively sang and danced in my mouth making me shriek a little in delight. Totally my sort of dessert. Like all the food at Nopi, it was all about clear interesting flavours at their best.

I am now totally addicted and in love, and am plotting on how I can eat Ottolenghi's delights weekly without going broke. If you fancy taking me out to dinner there, let me know. That is, if I ever find my way out of the marvelous mirrored bathroom.