Wrapping things up at Centennial Park - The Greenhouse

Establishment: The Greenhouse at Centennial Park

Cuisine: Middle Eastern inspired
Allergy: they have some nice options which are dairy, egg, seafood and sesame free
Suggestions: the shredded chicken wrap sans the aioli and with some fries makes for a lovely lunch in the park

Unless you are a frequent visitor to the beautiful grounds at Centennial Park, or perhaps a local from the area, you might not know about this small but popular spot just past the Ash Paddock and next to the Fearnley grounds.

While often being comfortable little spots to catch up with friends with a tea and enjoy something light to munch on, cafes can still prove difficult places to find allergy safe food. Smaller and simpler menus can mean a tad less variety, leaving little room for those people who are badly allergic to a lot of common food staples, such as milk, eggs, butter and wheat.

Perhaps you get lucky and spy some gluten free cookies at the counter, or maybe even one of those raw, vegan balls that are getting more popular. But more often than not, your pastries are buttery, cheesy and contain egg or seafood and you end up settling for a tea and grab a seat.

Happily, what I found at The Greenhouse was a brilliant option for lunch that happens to be safe, closer to work and that my colleagues and I really enjoy. Cheers to my old workmate, Colleen, for suggesting it for lunch!

That is one lovely lunch!

The wraps are all served with hummus, tomato, lettuce, red cabbage, carrots and aioli but after a quick check with the server, they were absolutely ok to leave out the aioli on my wrap to ensure it was dairy and egg free, no worries at all (hurrah!). 

It was delicious - filling and really tasty with some lovely fresh and crispy veg to go with the tender chicken and that gorgeous hummus. I was especially delighted when I had my first test bites to find not even a single bit of discomfort or a reaction, always a huge relief! I also have to say, as someone who always appreciates her french fried potato, they do have some nice chips at Greenhouse too. 

For those with dairy, egg and seafood allergies, it's a thankfully easy request to remove ingredients from some dishes but for those with nut or wheat and gluten allergies, it would definitely be best to check with the staff. There is only one item on the menu with any nuts so you'd hope that cross contamination could likely be contained on that front but it's always best to check. As to wheat and gluten, many of the items do have bread however I believe this is what the Lunch Box items are for. 

Centennial Park is one of the loveliest places to visit in Sydney so if ever you're out there and looking for a spot of lunch both in or out of the sun, I do recommend giving The Greenhouse a try!

Looking out over the Duck Pond on a Summer day.

The park is a lovely picnic spot too so bring your allergy friendly lunch along and just enjoy!