Monthly Archives: March 2012

Pages Cafe – West Ryde, Sydney

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 29, 2012 None comments

‘Pages Cafe’ in West Ryde, Sydney, has an extensive gluten free menu. It also has a sheltered outdoor soft-play area (free to patrons) especially great for coeliac kids or parents – with the added benefit of a quieter section inside where kids are less likely to venture. Located near the West Ryde train station, the cafe is part of a large Christian book store, but diners from any denomination are welcome.

Matthew Eagleton, Pages Cafe Manager is very aware that many cafes and restaurants claiming to serve gluten free food are inadvertently sabotaging the gluten free status of their food through improper handling – and damaging intestines in the process.

Matthew’s wife Bec was diagnosed as a coeliac several years ago and regularly polices the gluten free pipeline at Pages. Despite not having a particularly large kitchen area, Matthew has introduced a separate gluten free toaster (+ designated gluten free butter), a wheat-free preparation area which is routinely cleaned after each use and green handled tongs only to be used with gluten free cakes. Staff are trained in what it means to be a coeliac and what ‘cross contamination’ is all about.

Pages Waitress Marlene shows off the cafe’s gluten free tongs.

Gluten free sandwich fillings have their own containers in a gluten free section of the fridge and gluten free food is prepared with designated cutlery. Gluten free mayonnaise and a gluten free alternative to vegemite are at the ready and ‘Silly Yaks’ Anzac Biscuits and individually wrapped gluten free ‘Byron Bay Cookies’ are on the counter.

Matthew keeps a comprehensive ingredient list so that vegetarians, wheat, dairy and nut-free customers can tell at a glance what is safe for them to eat.

‘My wife and I go to cafes and ask ‘Is your hot chocolate gluten free?” says Matthew – they encounter blank faces ‘You just know from the first reaction if there’s no basic knowledge’. Hot chocolate, incidentally, is often not gluten free.

Pages Cafe uses Choices (www.choicesglutenfree.com.au) three seed bread that’s already sliced – this is an example of their gluten free Turkey Toasted Sandwich – it has turkey breast, cranberry sauce, swiss cheese and avocado. If you rarely eat bread like me, a decent sandwich is a wonderful thing.

 

 

Pages Cafe
28 West Parade
West Ryde
http://www.koorong.com/info/store/westryde.jsp

 


 

Pages Cafe on Urbanspoon

Bottom of the Harbour – Gluten Free Fish and Chips!

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 28, 2012 None comments

The beach is good for the soul. It puts niggles in perspective and snaps the big picture into focus. And water is King for kids! They’re so active on the beach – running, swimming, cartwheeling – busy being happy and content and revelling in nature. I can kick back and congratulate myself on being such an effortlessly wonderful parent (NB – This is not always the case!). We’re really lucky to live in Sydney at the moment and spontaneous after-school trips to the beach are common – we often stay for dinner, dragging our sandy butts home when the sun sets.

But how do you know if what you order at the local fish and chip shop is really gluten free?

Our local beach is Balmoral in Sydney, it’s absolutely divine with an island connected by a little bridge, a rockpool and snorkelling spots. There’s a shark-netted swimming area with rumoured seahorses and circling pensioners in swimming caps. Away from the ‘drink’ there’s a playground and ginormous Moreton Bay fig trees for the kids to climb if it gets too cold to swim.

The main fish and chip shop is ‘Bottom of the Harbour’ and as far as chip shops go, it’s fancy – not the all-in-one super-portion-wrapped-in-white-paper variety. It’s not cheap but the fish is fresh and their awareness of gluten free issues will have me coming back.

Firstly – they offer grilled fish. It’s grilled on cotton seed oil and is made in a separate area to the battered and crumbed goods. There is no flour used on any of the grilled fish – the only dusting is cracked pepper.

Also – the chips are cooked separately to the battered bits so are not contaminated by flour particles in the oil. This is really important for coeliacs, where even a crumb of flour will cause internal damage. At Bottom of the Harbour, the production line is visible and the chip frying area is reassuringly separated from other frying by a work bench – the battered fish and potato scallops (that’s potato cakes to you Victorians) are fried on the other side.

So my advice is to try to plan if you’re off on a beach adventure. ‘Grill’ the chip shop on the phone before you set out – don’t wait until you’re exhausted and hungry and desperate to eat.

And once you find a good one, let them know you appreciate their awareness and care – top spots need to be nurtured!


Bottom of the Harbour
21 The Esplanade
Balmoral NSW
Australia
02 9969 7911

 


 

Bottom of the Harbour on Urbanspoon

Burnt Orange – Sydney

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 24, 2012 None comments

I learnt a new phrase while celebrating a friends birthday today. ‘Purple patch’.  It refers to an unequivocally positive period of outstanding achievement. It’s even in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose. I’m experiencing a purple patch of high teas. Today was my second one this month – how often does that happen? Definitely purple.

Today’s high tea was on the sparkling headlands of Mosman overlooking Sydney Harbour at Burnt Orange. It’s a goodie. Having sampled The Tearoom at the QVB (http://glutenfreewheeling.com/?p=416), and the Gunners Barracks a while back (possibly pre-gf days), this one is the best value at $30 and for gluten free peeps, it’s a winner.

Above is the triple-stack gluten-free High Tea ( this fed two gf ladies). The menu changes but today’s gluten free options were (from the bottom up), oyster mushroom frittata, chicken and tarragon sandwiches, pumpkin tart with carrot jam and goats cheese, salmon and dill with chives on a crouton, and the top level had grapefruit sorbet, chocolate mousse with honeycomb sprinkles and orange and almond cakes with cream cheese icing.

My highlight was the pumpkin tart (above) – goats cheese is always a treat and it’s one of those ingredients that  ‘Gluten Free Girl’ in her fantastic book of the same title (http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Girl-Found-Loves-Back/dp/0470137304) talks about when she discusses how cutting out gluten has made her determined to eat the best quality foods she can afford – especially those that vary so much in quality like chocolate and cheese!

Burnt Orange also does gluten free lunch and breakfast (they’re not open in the evenings). It’s a spacious two-storey place with a gorgeous shop selling sumptuous goods from the likes of avoca (http://www.avoca.ie), colourful clothes and quirky homewares. There are also knock-out harbour views through the tree tops, kookaburras cackling and fluffy bunnies bouncing through the grass.
Definitely somewhere to take your mum.

Burnt Orange
1108/1109 Middle Head Road
Mosman NSW 2088
Australia
02 9969 1020

http://www.burntorange.com.au


 


 

Burnt Orange on Urbanspoon

The Cupcake Bakery – Sydney & Melbourne

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 21, 2012 None comments

Picture this – you’re in the city… you’ve been bedazzled by meetings, maybe you’re hitting the sales…. maybe not. And then it strikes. You’re hungry! Snacktime. What is a poor coeliac to do in the whirlwind of crowds and cafes? Here’s your fix – it’s the Cupcake Bakery. There’s a few around the CBD in Sydney and Melbourne (and some in the suburbs!), and they always have one (yes, just the one) type of gluten free cupcake for the likes of us.

Sometimes it’s my favourite, Red Velvet (above), with cream cheese buttercream and a red sugar heart. Today it was the Chocolate Vanilla (below). Either way, it’ll crank up the blood sugar and get you through another few hours.

Go ahead… they’re gluten free!

NB – I wasn’t hungry when I bought this cupcake today. I got it to photograph. Of course I don’t like to waste food so I did eat it. I’m sure you’ll appreciate the extreme measures I’ve gone to for the greater good!

Check out their locations here:

http://www.thecupcakebakery.com.au

 


 

The Cupcake Bakery on Urbanspoon

Gluten free in the Central West – NSW

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 19, 2012 None comments

It grieves me to put up a post without pictures and never again will I leave home without the snapping gear…. I’ll make it quick cause it’s not pretty but those travelling in the Central West of NSW need to know this:

The Hub in Bathurst has many gluten free options – though coeliacs (that’s celiac to you US peeps), need to remind them about cross-contamination. I asked if the toast for my steak sandwich could be toasted on foil as they said that the grill was used for non-gf foods too. It’s an excellent place to eat, an airy wooden floored cafe with a vine-covered terrace. I was a waitress there many years ago (before I knew what gluten was!) It was great then and it still is, artsy and bustling with fabulous food. Don’t drive through Bathurst without stopping here.

21/3 Update! My lovely friend Holly has sent me a photo of ‘The Hub’, thanks Hol!

The Hub
52 Keppel Street
Bathurst NSW 2795
Australia
(02) 6332 1565

It was raining sideways last night, we were only half way through a five hour drive (with kids!) when we stopped in the industrial town of Lithgow. Hungry for dinner and hoping to find somewhere open at all in a small town on a Sunday night let alone with gluten free options, we stopped at Wonder Thai. Is it generalising to say that Asian restaurants are usually more spacious, undeliberately kitschy and often less flavoursome than their urban counterparts? My expectations were not high so I nearly fell off my chair when the waitress said that almost their entire menu was gluten free. ‘We have a lot of people with that problem’ she said. I asked about soy sauce and she said they use a gluten free version. Hooray! The chicken satay was sweet and tasty, the kids loved it, and the pad thai wasn’t bad either. They have a lunch special too if you’re so timed. What an unexpected port in a storm.

Wonder Thai Restaurant
202 Main Street
Lithgow NSW 2790
Australia
(02) 6351 3346

 


 

The Hub on Urbanspoon

Nourishing Quarter – Sydney

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 14, 2012 None comments

I have pangs of guilt writing this entry because this place is so delicious, so wholesome and so unlike anywhere I’ve been before that it’s like I’m bragging about being able to eat there when other people can’t.

Ah well, sorry about that. Onwards…

First visit to the Nourishing Quarter in Redfern last Friday night.
It was recommended by a lovely vegan lady I met in the ‘special dietry requirements’ area of at a conference lunch. She described it as ‘Vietnamese style with South American ingredients’, and noted that a lot of the food was gluten free and vegan.

So. I booked a table for Friday night (bookings essential, it’s not a big place), with my vegetarian/coeliac cousin, who also has a name and a personality I promise., Onwards…

The restaurant is on Cleveland Street in Redfern, a ‘gentrifying’ area of Sydney with a thick mix of urban chaos, charming architecture, creative sweat, underemployment and boxy uninspired social housing. It is, as always, these areas where original thought thrives and the Nourishing Quarter is a shining testament to this. Unimposingly sign-posted and never advertised (it’s been flourishing on it’s own steam since it was opened 18 months ago), the place was packed at the 6pm sitting on Friday night.

Get to the food already? OK; we ordered the mixed rolls as a starter – check them out at the top there! Inside each roll was a different combination with the likes of royal quinoa, chia seeds, sweet kumara noodles, pickled carrots, Vietnamese mustard mint, marinated tofu strips, sprouts and herbs. The density of the nutrients are so obvious to the eye and to the palate, the textures so gentle and alive, it’s quite overwhelming. Nourishing? Absolutely.

 

Before I get started with the next course – I have to
tell you about the decor at this place. It’s super cute. The 5 owners wanted it to have a ‘home away from home’ ambiance, the kitsch antiques (a big portrait of her Majesty and various other royal regalia), home-made items and mis-matched crockery complete this place. There’s even a record turntable out the back crackling away with sultry tunes. This was my plate for the night: precious.

The San Choy Bao style ‘Ancient Pearls’ dish was fabulous – red quinoa, wild mushroom, bean curd, vegetables, sprouts, sesame and chia seeds, with chilli and lime dressing.

 

Below is their Asian-style noodle salad made with a quinoa/amaranth and rice flour base, mixed with Vietnamese spearmint, coriander, mungbean noodles, sprouts and marinated bean curd, lime and chilli.

It’s such an intimate place, I asked the table next door if they would mind if I photographed their food – not sure which dish this is, but it looks good!

To top it all off, there were three choices of cake – which were all gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, very creamy and delicious.

Lemon and blueberry, strawberry and chocolate and chocolate.

Nourishing Quarter will soon be starting a new Yum Cha range which will be gluten free and dairy free – Hooray to that as each meal at this place extends your lifespan by at least a month**.

Nourishing Quarter
315 Cleveland Street
Redfern NSW 2016
02 8399 0888

** Not scientifically proven – could be two months, or even a year…

Nourishing Quarter on Urbanspoon

 


 

Poolside Cafe – The Domain, Sydney

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 13, 2012 2 comments

Saunter down from the NSW Art Gallery and you will find one of Sydney’s most fabulous pockets.
The Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, is located between the spectacularly located Royal Botanic Gardens and the sparkle of Woolloomooloo Bay. The Poolside Cafe is perched above the 50m salt water pool, which is  suspended dramatically over the bay. Diners can watch Sydney locals trawling the water in their lunch break in the very pool where the ‘Australian Crawl’ freestyle was allegedly first developed.

The cafe has an outdoor terrace (equipped with sombreros for sunny days) and a more protected, shady area. Gluten free diners can relax knowing that many of the dishes are gluten free and staff are educated in their mysterious ways.

Breakfast options include a dried fruit, hazelnut, yoghurt and honey gluten free muesli, gf bread is also available for the many cooked breakfast combinations. The ‘very vegan’ version has roast tomato, spinach, mushroom, caramelised onion, avocado and marinated capsicum. Yum!

On this visit however, it was lunch for me and my gluten-free pals, I had the buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, grilled peach and vincotto. Tasty and fresh, with a great mix of milky, sharp and salty textures.

My gluten free/vegetarian cousin (yes, it would seem there is a strong coeliac gene in the family!) ordered the quinoa chickpea salad with hazelnuts, goats cheese and sweet potato.

The special of the day was a gorgonzola and beetroot risotto, also gluten free.

Glorious in colour and flavour, it was a little lacking in the portion stakes., this is the one complaint I ever hear from the Poolside Cafe – I find it wonderfully adequate for lunch but those (possibly of the male variety) accustomed to a larger feed might feel a tad underwhelmed.

The lychee, strawberry and cloudy apple frappe is perfect for a hot day. The cafe is also licensed if it’s a sparkling wine or a poolside pimms you’re after. Truly spectacular and uniquely Sydney.
Breakfast or lunch from the wholesome menu, then test out your strokes in the pool over the bay.

Poolside Cafe
@ Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool
1C Mrs Macquarie’s Road
The Domain NSW 2000
www.poolsidecafe.com.au

Open 7 Days 7.30am – 4pm
Booking recommended.

 


 

Poolside Cafe @ Andrew 'Boy' Charlton Pool on Urbanspoon

The Tea Room – Afternoon Tea in Sydney QVB

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 12, 2012 None comments

The Tea Room in the QVB in Sydney is a very civilised place for morning or afternoon tea.

For the gluten free amongst us, it’s an absolute treat – you don’t have to miss out on anything.

Behold the tri-level cake stand for morning tea, (apparently the same as the afternoon tea) – everything you see here is gluten free. The menu outlines that the gluten free option consists of finger sandwiches, petit fours, sweet and savoury pastries made with buckwheat, quinoa, chickpea flour and that ubiquitous gf cake ingredient, almond meal.

 

 

The bread at the Tea Room is one of the best gluten free breads I’ve tasted, it holds it’s texture well, not crumbling to pieces like a lot of gf breads.

The few stray watercress were forgiveable…

 

 

These are the ‘savoury pastries’, spinach and cheese muffins and a scone – all gf of course.

The muffins were lovely and the scone, like the bread, held together well, with a smooth, springy texture. I have really missed scones with jam and cream in my gluten free life – there were no toppings for the scone here (they did offer to bring jam when asked) but it really didn’t need any, it was delicious on its own.

The little brown cupcake here is a mini-brownie, with a distinctive almond meal texture, very fudgey and chocolatey. The glass was a mini vanilla bean panna cotta with berries and the macaron was a delicate crispy perfect mango flavoured mouthful.

The top tier was a lemon cupcake, a jam cake and a coffee/chocolate layered number that I saved for last. Exquisite. It’s a sea of Royal Albert china with the clientele dominated by discerning ladies who love to lunch, including one or two solo adventurers dressed to the nines in their finery.

Packed on weekends, bookings essential.

The Tea Room
Level 3
QVB
455 George Street
Sydney 2000
www.thetearoom.com.au

The Tea Room also has a sister tea venue on the Mosman headlands – The Gunners Barracks – also worth a visit.

 


 

The Tea Room, Queen Victoria Building on Urbanspoon

Gluten free at the Sydney QVB

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 8, 2012 None comments

While we’re on the central Sydney theme, if you’re shopping in the city you can dodge packed food halls and head to the QVB.

It’s a sumptuous place to shop and there are a couple of relaxed options for gf explorers in this spectacular building.

Completed in 1898, the QVB kept out-of-work craftspeople afloat during an economic downturn. Shops veer towards quality chains and boutiques, with Town Hall train station and a busy mall underneath.

Shopping-fatigued coeliacs can choose from the lunch menu at Cellinis Bar/Restaurant.
Hooray for gf menus!

 

 

At the other end, the Old Vienna Coffee House has a gluten free cake menu (the photo at the top is from one of their pavlovas). The Hazelnut Meringue (below) is my favourite, the chocolate was a bit dry (there were four of us, I wasn’t eating them all myself!).


We didn’t try the Orange and almond,
but the waiter did kindly hold it up for
me to photograph – very obliging…

And then of course there’s
The Tea Room on the top
- I’ll tell you all about that one on Monday.

Queen Victoria Building
455 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000


Old Vienna Coffee House on Urbanspoon

Cellini's Bar Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Dare – ‘Delicious and Responsible Eating’ at The Rocks

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 6, 2012 None comments

How unsettling is that blank look when you ask about gluten free options?
Especially when you’re starving and ratty.

If you’re exploring Sydney you will probably end up at The Rocks at some point (possibly starving and ratty) and lucky for you, there’s an easy option for a quick outdoor lunch. ‘Dare’ are well schooled in gluten free options and cross-contamination. You can order straight off the board – no need to feel like such a special needs kid.

There are a bunch of salads and soups and kebab options, and even these lovely gluten free coconut pancakes to keep the blood sugar up to get you climbing the Harbour Bridge or whatever’s on your agenda. Fancy a beverage? There’s even gluten free beer.

Dare
12/20 Playfair Street
Sydney 2000

The Rocks markets are alive on Friday (food only), Saturday and Sunday – you’ll find creative sun hats and retro dresses here. If your schedule is too speedy for even a cafe stop, check out the corn and lemonade stalls on the weekends at the tail end of the markets – junction of Hickson Road and George Street.


Dare--Delicious and Responsible Eating on Urbanspoon