My partner and I went to Ucluelet last weekend for the May long weekend. I found gluten free dining to be more than challenging and quite disappointing. I had assumed that there would be more gluten free options. I tried doing my research online but only found Gluten Free Girl's blog to be helpful for the Tacofino recommendation. to be helpful.
The first morning that we dined out, we went to The Blue Room Bistro, which the manager of the place that we stayed at recommended. They were accommodating in terms of making my breakfast gluten and dairy free and pan fried my potatoes, which I appreciated but there was no gluten free bread, which I thought was a little strange, given how many people nowadays would order it and it is easy to keep in a freezer, maybe I'm getting spoiled?. The breakfast was pretty bland I thought, they did give me a fruit bowl to take place of the bread. It was okay and I didn't get ill.
We drove into Tofino that day to look around, had a cider but no food. We cooked dinner that night.
The next day, we looked up information on the internet and found that the Fetch Restaurant at the Black Rock Resort had gluten free items on their menu. This was a horrible dining experience, I recommend any gluten free diners to go elsewhere!! We missed breakfast, we were told that we would have to 30 minutes until they did a switch over to lunch, I've never heard of this. We waited 45 minutes to order, the service was poor and slow the entire time. I asked out server if he had any suggestions for gluten free options, the menu only had about 4, a salad, a shellfish bucket, chicken skewers (appy but it had soy, so no good for me), blackened tuna crisps (appy), garlic prawns (another appy) and a dish called a Catalan bowl, that sounded really yummy, so I ordered it, the only real "meal" option but my server came back and said it had soy sauce in it, I cannot have soy either, like I said so I ended up with the blackened tuna crisps for lack of options, this ended up being really spicy, tasting fishy and being super small with a few strands of tortilla chips under the tuna and some cabbage. It took over an hour to get our food, so almost 2 hours in now. It was pretty terrible. My partner went up to find out server, who didn't seem to be around and ordered me gluten free bread knowing that I had such a small dish and it was so unsatisfying.
Tacofino, that is what we had for dinner, I had a chicken burrito bowl, it was quite good, a long wait in line and a while to get our food but it was quite good and they seemed gluten aware and I didn't have any issues afterwards. I do recommend this taco truck on the way to Tofino, my meal was tasty. My partner had a regular burrito and it looked huge and amazing. Make sure you have lots of time and you're not feeling impatient. I bought a big bag of nacho chips to eat while we were waiting and ate it with my salad.
On the way out of town the next day, we went to a coffee shop across the road from from The Blue Room, I had a breakfast bagel (gluten free bagel!) and it was really good, I believe it is called the Barkley Cafe.It was very busy and took a while but it was good and so was the coffee. They also had almond milk for my coffee, a bonus for me! The breakfast bagel had salsa and bacon on it, though I was concerned that the guy warmed the bacon on the panini grill (all food is made on two panini grills behind the counter). The girl who took my order was quite cautious and kept reminding the guy that I had celiac. They warmed the bagel between two pieces of parchment paper, so it would not be contaminated but as I said, I watched him warm the bacon on the dirty grill :(
Ucluelet and Tofino are both beautiful and great places to visit but ....I would recommend staying in a place with a kitchen, as we did and cooking, maybe packing a lunch and lots of snacks went out exploring.
Friday, 22 May 2015
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Difficult Dining Situations, restaurants, parties and weddings.
For all of us that cannot eat gluten, dining out can be especially difficult, although in recent years it has improved dramatically in Vancouver and Victoria, BC! We have all experienced be served by someone who seems annoyed by our requests, confused by our requests or the most scary is a language barrier because I have no idea if I've been understood or not. I have ordered from someone who did not speak English very well and I've received something with gluten in it, for example, I got a spicy tuna roll once ate two pieces only to realize there were bits of tempura in with the tuna! I did get sick from it and felt that anxiety, oh no, am I going to get sick? How bad will it be? Will I feel embarrassed at work?
Dinner Parties: If you are very close to the hosts then this is not usually a problem, they will accommodate you by leaving something out of the marinade or not putting butter (for the dairy intolerant) in the mash potatoes or vegetables. I find that it is best to try and let the host/s know ahead of time when it is possible and offer to bring a dish that I can eat. Most people want to know so that they don't feel awkward and uncomfortable that I can't eat much of the dinner. I've had people say oh, I wish I had known because it would have been easy to...(not add this to that etc.) Many times, it is a simple modification to not add the gluten or dairy to the dish, like leaving a chicken breast plain or only adding salt and pepper.
At an event with finger foods only: I have been in situations where I'm going to a person's house that I do not know very well, so what I have done in the past is to make something to bring and share that is gluten free and filling so I know I won't starve. If it is a more formal event, the best idea for me is to eat ahead of time. I went to a semi formal cocktail event this past December and there were lovely passed appies, none that I could have. There were also some cold items on a little buffet table, I was able to have some fruit and veggies and crab but nothing hot and filling. I had anticipated this and was not disappointed since I had eaten a decent dinner before hand.
Weddings: These are unique situations, sometimes it is an all-day affair and there isn't anywhere to go and eat. I went to a friend's wedding about 6 years ago and there was pretty much nothing I could have except for a little bit of salad. I ended up drinking too much wine that night and not feeling that great. It is a terrible feeling to go hungry and watch others eat. I went to a wedding a year before that and it wasn't quite as bad but I still mostly ate salad and ended up stopping for food late at night on the way back to the hotel. This past summer my sister got married and they were wonderfully accommodating. I had a delicious meal along with everyone else, all it took were some simple modifications. I think that this must be due to raised awareness to gluten intolerance and more people being properly diagnosed with Celiac Disease. In the event of a wedding where you may not know your hosts, I recommend being creative and bringing any kind of filling snacks that you can safely eat, like Lara Bars, fruit and nut bars, or anything else that will keep to eat during the evening, bring more than you think you might want to be sure. I know that these snacks are no alternative to a full meal, so try to fill up on salad or anything else you can safely eat.
Travelling: I started this blog because travelling to new places can be tricky. I haven't done much international travel, with the exception of Cuba. I have found that doing a Google search before I go travelling and looking a different restaurants online menus that offer gluten free items has been really helpful. The last time I was in NY City, I had a great dinner at a restaurant that served gluten free Chinese food, what a treat! It was a fusion restaurant, I will look to see if I can find the name of it.
There aren't simple solutions sometimes, when you are with someone who wants to just grab some fast food and go for example. I have worried that people will think that I'm being high maintenance on one hand but on the other I think that people should have empathy because I have a disease and it is not a personal lifestyle choice but a necessity.
Dinner Parties: If you are very close to the hosts then this is not usually a problem, they will accommodate you by leaving something out of the marinade or not putting butter (for the dairy intolerant) in the mash potatoes or vegetables. I find that it is best to try and let the host/s know ahead of time when it is possible and offer to bring a dish that I can eat. Most people want to know so that they don't feel awkward and uncomfortable that I can't eat much of the dinner. I've had people say oh, I wish I had known because it would have been easy to...(not add this to that etc.) Many times, it is a simple modification to not add the gluten or dairy to the dish, like leaving a chicken breast plain or only adding salt and pepper.
At an event with finger foods only: I have been in situations where I'm going to a person's house that I do not know very well, so what I have done in the past is to make something to bring and share that is gluten free and filling so I know I won't starve. If it is a more formal event, the best idea for me is to eat ahead of time. I went to a semi formal cocktail event this past December and there were lovely passed appies, none that I could have. There were also some cold items on a little buffet table, I was able to have some fruit and veggies and crab but nothing hot and filling. I had anticipated this and was not disappointed since I had eaten a decent dinner before hand.
Weddings: These are unique situations, sometimes it is an all-day affair and there isn't anywhere to go and eat. I went to a friend's wedding about 6 years ago and there was pretty much nothing I could have except for a little bit of salad. I ended up drinking too much wine that night and not feeling that great. It is a terrible feeling to go hungry and watch others eat. I went to a wedding a year before that and it wasn't quite as bad but I still mostly ate salad and ended up stopping for food late at night on the way back to the hotel. This past summer my sister got married and they were wonderfully accommodating. I had a delicious meal along with everyone else, all it took were some simple modifications. I think that this must be due to raised awareness to gluten intolerance and more people being properly diagnosed with Celiac Disease. In the event of a wedding where you may not know your hosts, I recommend being creative and bringing any kind of filling snacks that you can safely eat, like Lara Bars, fruit and nut bars, or anything else that will keep to eat during the evening, bring more than you think you might want to be sure. I know that these snacks are no alternative to a full meal, so try to fill up on salad or anything else you can safely eat.
Travelling: I started this blog because travelling to new places can be tricky. I haven't done much international travel, with the exception of Cuba. I have found that doing a Google search before I go travelling and looking a different restaurants online menus that offer gluten free items has been really helpful. The last time I was in NY City, I had a great dinner at a restaurant that served gluten free Chinese food, what a treat! It was a fusion restaurant, I will look to see if I can find the name of it.
There aren't simple solutions sometimes, when you are with someone who wants to just grab some fast food and go for example. I have worried that people will think that I'm being high maintenance on one hand but on the other I think that people should have empathy because I have a disease and it is not a personal lifestyle choice but a necessity.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Daiya's deliciously dairy free, gluten free frozen pizza!
I've been eating Daiya cheese for a few+ years now, it is the best cheese alternative that I've tried and it is soy free as well. They came out with frozen gluten free dairy free pizza a couple of years ago. There are four varieties, Cheese Lovers, Margherita, Fire Roasted Vegetable and Mushroom with Roasted Garlic. I've tried the first two, the Margherita being my favorite.
I normally add some of my own toppings to the pizza to customize it to my liking. In the photo, I've added black olives. I will often add ham and mushrooms too. It is so great to have one on hand in the freezer for those times that I don't feel like cooking. A really hungry adult could definitely eat the entire pizza but at 370 calories and 15g of fat per 1/3 of one pizza, I should probably stick to eating just half and having a salad.
I'm so happy that Daiya decided to create these pizzas, there definitely was a gap in the market. I have found other gf frozen pizzas but most have regular cheese, the one that I found with no cheese really wasn't very good.
I normally add some of my own toppings to the pizza to customize it to my liking. In the photo, I've added black olives. I will often add ham and mushrooms too. It is so great to have one on hand in the freezer for those times that I don't feel like cooking. A really hungry adult could definitely eat the entire pizza but at 370 calories and 15g of fat per 1/3 of one pizza, I should probably stick to eating just half and having a salad.
I'm so happy that Daiya decided to create these pizzas, there definitely was a gap in the market. I have found other gf frozen pizzas but most have regular cheese, the one that I found with no cheese really wasn't very good.
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| Daiya's Margherita Pizza, black olives added! |
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Sweet Tooth Cakery
I'm finally trying to catch up on so many posts that I've wanted to write and haven't had the time. The Sweet Tooth Cakery is a gluten free dedicated bakery in North Vancouver. From their website: "We are a 100% gluten-free boutique bakeshop that specializes in hand-crafted, artisan cakes. All of our products are made from scratch and we use freshest, local ingredients whenever available.We also create dairy-free, egg-free and vegan options."
The following are also dairy free because I am unable to eat dairy. We buy the basic brown rice bread, it is really good toasted or warmed in the microwave. I also like their brown rice and the cinnamon-raisin bagels. Their wild-berry scones are good but I don't think they have the same texture as the scones I remember.
In terms of treats, I like their lemon squares, carrot cake (with cinnamon icing), dark chocolate mint cookies and their cupcakes. They were very accommodating when I ordered mini cupcakes last summer.
The following are also dairy free because I am unable to eat dairy. We buy the basic brown rice bread, it is really good toasted or warmed in the microwave. I also like their brown rice and the cinnamon-raisin bagels. Their wild-berry scones are good but I don't think they have the same texture as the scones I remember.
In terms of treats, I like their lemon squares, carrot cake (with cinnamon icing), dark chocolate mint cookies and their cupcakes. They were very accommodating when I ordered mini cupcakes last summer.
Monday, 26 January 2015
Red Robin
If you're looking for a good gluten aware, moderately priced, kid friendly restaurant, then I highly recommend Red Robin. I frequent Red Robin because they have excellent chicken burgers and fries and I feel confident in terms of the staff's gluten free knowledge and menu items. Not every burger is gluten free (I've been told the turkey patty contains gluten), so make sure that you ask but they do have a gluten free bun upon request for an additional charge. I always order the simply chicken burger that comes with tomato, lettuce and onion. Fries also have their own dedicated gluten free deep fryer and I think that they're these steak fries are some of the best! I ask for mine without their seasoning salt because it contains soy (which I also can't have). Staff are all very accommodating and I have never felt sick after eating there.
Monday, 19 January 2015
Gluten Free Beer! Hooray! ...more added!....see update
Before I knew that I couldn't eat gluten, I really liked beer and I've missed it over the years!. It has only been in the past couple of years that really good gluten free beer is popping up because of the Craft Beer Revolution in B.C. and the American west coast. I really like O'Mission Pale Ale, I've also tried their lager, which is good if you like a regular lighter beer. This beer comes in 6 packs and retails for around $17-$18. The gluten is supposed to be removed, I do find that it doesn't bother my sensitive Celiac stomach but...I do worry whether this process is really legit? I wanted to update an experience that I had with this beer last weekend. It might just be me and my system but I was really sick from this beer and as a result, sadly (because it tastes so good!)won't drink it again. I am not a big drinker, I might have a beer on the weekend or a glass of wine with dinner. It was unusual that I had 3 of the O'Mission ales last Friday night. I had severe diarrhea for the next 2 days and felt horrible, everything in my system came out. It is now Wednesday and I am not back to normal yet, better but not all better. I'm not sure if it was the amount of alcohol or the small amount of gluten, either way, I'm not going to risk it again, I will stick with beers like Forager below that are not originally made out of gluten but other safer ingredients. I wanted to write this update because of my experience. I have no idea if this beer is really safe or not, as I said earlier, it is unfortunate because it really is the best "gluten free" beer that I've tried. As my fellow celiacs know, once you get sick, it is never worth the risk to try it again, no food or drink is worth it...I never eat gluten, ever.
I've recently tried FORAGER gluten free lager, it won the Bronze medal at the "World Beer Championships", it comes in a 6 pack also, usually around $18. I like the fact that it is Canadian. I think that my favorite is Harvester beer from Oregon *they have changed their name to" Ground Breaker Brewing", it comes in larger single bottles, which retail in Canada for about $8.
More....
One of the first gluten free beers that I tried was New Grist, I bought it from Whole Foods in California in the fall of 2008. It is made with sorghum, rice, hops, water and yeast. It is crisp and refreshing and tastes like a nice light lager. It is now available in 6 packs in Canada in many liquor stores.
Bard's is a gluten free beer made with malted sorghum, yeast, hops and water. The creators of this beer say that their taste difference is due to the special care that they take malting the sorghum.I do like it a little bit more than the New Grist but it is likely a matter of personal taste preference. It comes in 6 packs and is sold widely in Canada. It is also a lager but it has more of a deep richer flavour.
Greens gluten free beers come in single serve bottles, I've only seen the blond, amber and dark varieties on the shelf in the odd liquor store in Canada but I do notice that there are many types on their website. They are difficult to find and often a store will carry only one type. I have tried all three and I like the amber the best. Some of the types are naturally gluten free while others have de- glutenised barley. Again, I wonder about the gluten removal process but I know that these beers do not bother my stomach.
Daura Damm: I have tried this Spanish gluten free beer but it was a long time ago, so I think I need to give it another try sometime soon... It really has won a lot of awards! It is a lager and boasts a less than 3 ppm (parts per million) gluten content. Visit their website for more information.
Glutenberg: My friend and her husband own an award winning popular craft brewery on Powell Street in Vancouver, BC. I went to visit her one day and she brought in a gluten free beer for us to share, it was a can of Glutenberg's American Pale Ale in the red can. I was really impressed by the flavour and she told me that it has won awards. This Montreal based company started brewing in 2011 and is really popular in Quebec.
*Note, if you live in B.C. Canada, you can often get liquor stores to order in beer for you.
What the heck is sorghum? Click on the word to go to the Wikipedia link if you're curious.
I've recently tried FORAGER gluten free lager, it won the Bronze medal at the "World Beer Championships", it comes in a 6 pack also, usually around $18. I like the fact that it is Canadian. I think that my favorite is Harvester beer from Oregon *they have changed their name to" Ground Breaker Brewing", it comes in larger single bottles, which retail in Canada for about $8.
More....
One of the first gluten free beers that I tried was New Grist, I bought it from Whole Foods in California in the fall of 2008. It is made with sorghum, rice, hops, water and yeast. It is crisp and refreshing and tastes like a nice light lager. It is now available in 6 packs in Canada in many liquor stores.
Bard's is a gluten free beer made with malted sorghum, yeast, hops and water. The creators of this beer say that their taste difference is due to the special care that they take malting the sorghum.I do like it a little bit more than the New Grist but it is likely a matter of personal taste preference. It comes in 6 packs and is sold widely in Canada. It is also a lager but it has more of a deep richer flavour.
Greens gluten free beers come in single serve bottles, I've only seen the blond, amber and dark varieties on the shelf in the odd liquor store in Canada but I do notice that there are many types on their website. They are difficult to find and often a store will carry only one type. I have tried all three and I like the amber the best. Some of the types are naturally gluten free while others have de- glutenised barley. Again, I wonder about the gluten removal process but I know that these beers do not bother my stomach.
Daura Damm: I have tried this Spanish gluten free beer but it was a long time ago, so I think I need to give it another try sometime soon... It really has won a lot of awards! It is a lager and boasts a less than 3 ppm (parts per million) gluten content. Visit their website for more information.
Glutenberg: My friend and her husband own an award winning popular craft brewery on Powell Street in Vancouver, BC. I went to visit her one day and she brought in a gluten free beer for us to share, it was a can of Glutenberg's American Pale Ale in the red can. I was really impressed by the flavour and she told me that it has won awards. This Montreal based company started brewing in 2011 and is really popular in Quebec.
*Note, if you live in B.C. Canada, you can often get liquor stores to order in beer for you.
What the heck is sorghum? Click on the word to go to the Wikipedia link if you're curious.
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