Tag Archives: gluten free cake

Adama – Santa Barbara, California, USA

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on July 16, 2012 4 comments

We toyed with the idea of going to Sea World in San Diego while we were in LA. It’s a big hike with terrible traffic – up to 4 hours each way. We thought about it and we love animals but I’m a bit uncomfortable with big creatures stuck in a small space. We looked at ‘Shamu’ the orca on the Sea World webcam from Sydney and jeez, there’s not of room in that tank. So I showed the girls ‘Free Willy’ and we decided that we’d rather go and see whales as they’re meant to be – put our money into a company that was promoting marine mammals in the ocean.

Excellent! We felt we’d made a noble and educated choice. But when the day came, it was a shocker – the 2 hour drive to Santa Barbara was terrible, the kids played up, we fought over directions like Mr & Mrs Incredible, took a few wrong turns and almost missed the boat. Then we set sail and the winds were stronger than forecast, the sea was choppy, the route was long and we saw nothing! Not a sausage!!! Four hours on a turbulent sea for naught. The little one stayed in the cabin, asleep on her Dad’s arm, I sat out on the bow, anxious about sea sickness which thankfully never arrived.

Back on shore in the early evening, disappointed, exhausted and hungry in an unfamiliar city, this place appeared like a vision:

Adama is in a quirky, historical building, chunky with character. It’s odd shapes, cosy booths and bench-top dining would suit any occasion. There’s local art on the walls and flowers on the tables – it’s cute!

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, depending on the day, we were here for dinner and these nachos went down well;

We also tried the gluten free, vegan pizza and the chile verde enchiladas with cashew cream – there were lots of gf options on the menu and the staff sure know what they’re talking about so you’re in good hands. As with many Californian restaurants, there’s a Mexican influence in the menu – there were flavours in the food here that I’d never experienced before.

The bakery counter has a cracking assembly of rarely-seen gluten free + vegan baked goods  – only the cookies (bottom left) in this picture weren’t gluten free;

We tried the carrot cake and it was exceptional – super carroty with a beautiful squelchy consistency. The owner wasn’t amazed when I told her how wonderful the cake was, she’s been baking for many years – but vegan + gluten free does not always guarantee fabulous cake!

Blue whales were seen the days before and the days after we were in Santa Barbara, and literally thousands of dolphins. Despite it all, I would probably make the same choice again, and I know where I’ll be going for lunch.

Adama
428 Chapala Street,
Santa Barbara
805-560-1348

http://adamavegan.com/

 


Adama Vegan Comfort Cuisine on Urbanspoon

The best Ice Cream in Sydney – Pompei’s & Messina

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on May 30, 2012 2 comments

If it’s ice cream you’re after, put two places on the radar in Sydney – Pompei’s in Bondi and Messina in Darlinghurst/Pyrmont – forget the rest.

Both have their roots in Italy. Pompei’s is handy for beach beauties, with a new kiosk section allowing ice cream hunters to swipe the goods and keep rolling with skateboard/surfboard/shopping bags. Known for their organic and fresh ingredients, the ‘organic cream and caramel’ or ‘milk chocolate’ (40% milk chocolate) ice creams are sublime. The sorbets (milk free) are also sensational – the menu changes seasonally and the ripe fruit is so tangible – you can’t miss the zing of real apple in the ‘green apple sorbet’, or the pieces of peach in the ‘white peach sorbet’.

The Messina shop is tiny for the constant charge of punters it attracts. Imaginative specials keep connoisseurs returning – offering now are ‘Mr Potato Head’, (peanut butter, gelato with potato chips dipped in white chocolate), ‘Prune and Cognac’ and ‘Muummamm.com’, (coconut custard sorbet with banana jam and fried bits). The ice cream is beautifully balanced on trays in giant ‘scoops’ – always check which are gluten free, though the majority are. Cones are obviously off the menu for gluten free types.

The Messina ‘lab’ is next door and cakes are sold there too – I’ll cover it in another post, but will tell you lucky people now that there are several gluten free cake options and they are works of art. Darlinghurst is great for colourful night time action, whether you’re there for daytime dalliance, dinner or dancing, do not go past this place – it’s the work of genius.

 

Messina
Shop 1/241 Victoria St,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

http://www.gelatomessina.com/

(there’s also a branch at Star Casino)

Pompei’s
126-130 Roscoe Street
Bondi Beach
NSW 2026

http://www.pompeis.com.au/


Pompei's on Urbanspoon

Gelato Messina Darlinghurst on Urbanspoon

Melinda’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on April 5, 2012 None comments

The night before I went gluten free, my partner and I splurged on cake in a fancy patisserie. I knew that I would miss cake the most – fabulous, life-enhancing cake. I was stoic about my new gluten free diet, but sad that cake might not feature so luminously. The waiter was almost in tears when he heard that it was my last night as a non-discriminate cake eater.

Our local cafe sold gluten free brownies but they were a bit dry and rubbish, so I was excited when I found this packet mix – and when I realised how fudgily rich and moist they were, I knew I was going to be ok with this gluten free malark. I have one rule. I will only make them if I’ve got company – otherwise I would single-handedly down an entire tray in a morning.

Make these brownies by gathering two eggs, your gluten free butter (I recently upgraded to my own gluten free butter dish, what do you think?), and Melinda’s distinctively pink Chocolate Fudge Brownie packet mix which you can pick up at Woolworths or Coles.

We crack the eggs into the same big bowl where all the mixture will end up because we’re a bit lazy and don’t want to wash too many things.

Stirring the eggs is a great job for little people.

The only part that requires any skill is melting the butter and chocolate. We don’t have a microwave so it’s the old pyrex bowl in a saucepan of water trick.

Mix everything together in the big bowl and bung it in the oven. I use a silicon tray as it’s perfect size for these little treasures. Spatulas and bowls are licked clean while the brownies are cooking – just 20 minutes will have them at their fudgiest.

We started making these at 8am and they were in my daughter’s lunch box when I dropped her to school at nine – a special gluten free treat appreciated by all.

Tea?

http://melindasgfg.com/

 


 

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

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

 


 

Gluten Free Cake in Sydney – La Renaissance

Posted by Glutenfreewheeler on March 4, 2012 None comments

When I started to live gluten free, I suspected getting by on the savouries would be ok, but I was petrified about life without cake. Nothing average – amazing, wonderful, life enhancing cake. I even had a top ten best cake moments and hoped that the good times would not be in the past.

Mercifully they’re not… La Renaissance is my favourite place for gluten free cake in Sydney. The furnishings are simple but the food is fancy!

A beautiful poetic cafe in Sydneys touristy patch, ‘La Ren’ as it’s known by it’s friends is frequented and validated by Frenchies. The coffee is good, the courtyard is cute and the cakes are to die for.

Gluten free options include creme brulee, creme caramel, the ‘Mousse Picasso’ (below) and a full spectrum of gorgeous macarons – these fellas are blood peach (the pink one) and salted caramel (yellow – definitely recommended).

 

 

It’s nice to have choices other than staple orange and almond/flourless chocolate cakes – standard gf options in many places. La Renaissance is a ‘bijou’ place and customers queue out the door on weekends with tables sprawling onto the street. Come at a quieter moment and the relaxed intimate courtyard will have you plotting aspirational life plans or penning some prose. A find for tourists and a favourite with locals.

La Renaissance
47 Argyle Street
The Rocks
Sydney NSW 2000

http://larenaissance.com.au

La Renaissance Cafe Patisserie on Urbanspoon