Allergy-friendly food at its most creative and contemporary - Yullis, Surry Hills

Establishment: Yullis, Surry Hills
Cuisine: Creative vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes
Allergy information: They have separate menus for vegan and gluten free diets but note they do make some vegetarian dishes with cheese and nuts so be sure to let them know if you have any allergies
Suggestions: Without a doubt, the Sticky Date and Banana Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce and Coconut Ice Cream is absolutely scrumptious while being dairy, egg, gluten and nut free. 

Oh, Yullis. For some time now, they have housed my favourite allergy-friendly desserts in Sydney. I admit that its sweet treats have recently seen some competition in the direction of Glebe, but overall, I've yet to come across another pudding that quite knocks their Sticky Date and Banana Pudding off of its ornate pedestal in my mind.

Yullis sits unobtrusively on Crown Street, right across the road from the always alive and busy Clock Hotel, and might sometimes be easy to miss till you suddenly look up and see the orange canopy and sign (here's a hint - if you're walking past the EzyMart next door, just double back a few steps and there it will be!).

It feels like years ago now that some really good friends of mine suggested we give this place a try, with the hope that I could eat some decent food there. At that stage, I'd really only tried a few vegan places, one had become a regular spot (which is sadly now gone) and the others had left me with a slight reactions to some of their dishes so I hadn't gone back. This meant that while I was hopeful, I still approached this new place with some skepticism (and to be honest, I still do in general, till I've properly tried and tested a place). Still, I was definitely looking forward to hopefully finding a new place that had safe mains and desserts I could enjoy.

When we got in, I had a look at the vegan menu and, wow, it was the most exotic possibly friendly menu I'd ever seen. Look on it now and you'll see items like Fried Zucchini wrapped in Shredded Filo Pastry, served on Wilted Spinach and Tom Yum Sauce and finished with a Tomato Salsa, or Mini Vietnamese Pancake with Chilli Radish, Crispy Tofu Skin, King Mushroom, Fresh Herbs and Blood Plum Sauce. Those super long names were actually a tad intimidating at first, particularly for someone who would prefer to keep dining to a few safe and easily identifiable ingredients, so admittedly that first time, I went for something that sounded simple and safe - Crispy Tofu with Green Papaya, Asian Herbs and Toasted Peanut Salad (pictured above, to the right).

When the food came out, the tofu turned out to be a nice choice. The salad and the herbs were light,  fresh and worked nicely with the tofu and peanuts. I did like it, though I wasn't overly excited about it but options are a nice thing so I was happy. However I then tried another savoury dish, this time the Korean Fried Broccolini with Sticky Sour Chilli Sauce, Toasted Coconut, Crushed Almonds and Fresh Coriander, and that was amazing.

I love the Korean Fried Broccolini. I love it so much that to this day, I still get it every single time I go to Yullis. It's crunchy, it's full of delicious sweet and spicy flavour and just perfect. Broccolini like I've never imagined it.

Broccolini, new and improved!

That left me with two new main dishes to eat out in the dining world, and a new favourite, always a cause for celebration. But of course the next frontier was dessert and here, I was ridiculously excited about the Sticky Date and Banana Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce.

During the era where salted caramel was pretty much everywhere, someone with allergies couldn't be blamed for feeling like they were missing out a little, particularly a sweet toother such as myself. I'd never had a sticky date pudding before in my life, but I hadn't really felt the loss because the notion of dates in dessert didn't appeal to me at all, despite people's attempts to convince me otherwise. This, however, sounded amazing. I love banana cake and I wanted to try a salted caramel something so I had to try this. To be safe, the first time I got it, I asked for it without any ice cream, however since then, I've safely had it with the coconut ice cream and so I enjoy it with that whenever I get it.

Sheer deliciousness.

Oh my gosh, I love this dessert. It's still my favourite dessert in the city. No, not just because my other dessert haunts have either closed down or changed management, removing them from my list, but because it is genuinely one of the nicest desserts I've ever eaten, ever. Sure, my frame of reference is more limited than some, but I subsequently tried another sticky date pudding at a different vegan restaurant and it was the most sickly sweet thing, I couldn't even finish it. This one, however, was perfect and the ice cream puts it over the top because those two combined are brilliant. The pudding isn't too sweet, the salted caramel brings a lovely richness and all that, balanced alongside the freshness of the coconut ice cream, is just a winner.

As a testament to how much I enjoy this dessert, my friend, Col, and I have sometimes taken to having dinner in the city, then catching the bus out to Crown St for dessert at Yullis!

Thanks to the allergies, I do often end up sticking to things I know for a good while, so the Broccolini, paired with the Sticky Date and Banana Pudding for dessert became something of a staple for a while, but in the last year, I started branching out a bit and found some new favourites, particularly the Cajun Spiced Potato and Chickpea Croquettes served with Zucchini Scrolls, Baked Red Radish and House Made Seeded Mustard. I could not recommend those more, especially topped with that mustard. They also added a Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Fresh Berries and Caramel Sauce and that is a beautiful close second to the pudding.

A happy contender for second favourite dessert in Sydney.

If you're looking for a funky little bar with dining options that are dairy, egg, seafood and gluten free, do check them out. There are also nut free options in both mains and desserts. They do prepare some vegetarian dishes that contain cheese so be aware, but the staff should be able to assist you with any queries or concerns regarding allergies.

It's also a nice place just to chill with some tea for you fellow non-drinkers.