Allergy Eating in Sydney

Friday Night Feasting! Establishment: Akira Sushi, District Dining, Chatswood Cuisine: Japanese Allergy information: they have a number of options which are or can be made dairy, egg and seafood free and their menu clearly lists vegetarian and gluten free dishes.  Suggestions:  The Teriyaki Chicken Set which is dairy and egg free and can be made seafood free if you take out the Miso Soup When going out to to eat, particularly if you know you're heading out for Asian food with a lot of allergies to seafood and egg, it's hard not to carry that little bit of skepticism about whether you're going to find something safe or end up just munching on some rice or edamame. To be fair, having now eaten at so many places, the fact that this hesitation still lingers might seem a bit silly, but considering the worry has been built over decades of experience, the feeling is fairly automatic and still requires a bit of reassurance to pat down. Of course, what that also mea...

Establishment: Fratelli Fresh, various locations Cuisine: Italian Allergy information: they have a number of options which are or can be made dairy, egg, nut and seafood free and their menu clearly lists vegetarian and gluten free dishes. They have also recently added dairy free cheese to their menu Suggestions: The linguine with chili, lemon, rocket, sundried tomato and pangrattato, along with the rosemary focaccia are dairy, egg and nut free and make for a delicious dinner I've previously mentioned that I don't really eat at a lot of Italian restaurants, and I've actually had some pretty patchy experiences at them too, due to cross contamination. This has inevitably meant that when I've found safe spots in the past, they've become frequently visited favourites.  There was Nirello's at the end of Westpoint Blacktown, next to the Library, with their delicious (and completely dairy and egg free) Penne Napolitana. Sadly, they closed not long after some...

Establishment: El-Phoenician, Parramatta Cuisine: Fine Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Dining Allergy information: their delicious menu offers an incredible range of dairy, egg, seafood, nut, gluten and soy free dishes Suggestions: So many - my personal favourites?  Batata b-kizibra (Potato Coriander), Jawaneh (Chicken wings), Fatoush (Garden salad? - yeah, trust me, the bowl is amazing!) and the beautiful dips, particularly the Homous which goes beautifully with the complimentary fresh and crisp breads that continuously appear on the table The Fatoush overflowing from a crispy bread shell. How's that for a salad bowl?  El-Phoenician  is absolutely one of my favourite restaurants, not least because fine dining and I don't often get to cross paths and yet here I continue to be amazed by just how many of their sumptuous dishes I can actually eat safely and enjoy.  I remember trying them for the first time with a few friends some years back. Admittedly...

Our allergy-friendly section - how's that for choice? Establishment: Clem's Chicken Shop, Newtown Cuisine: Chicken takeaway and catering Allergy information: they offer an amazing range of dairy, egg, nut, gluten free dishes and are very helpful with any requests (thank you, Spiro!) Suggestions: their gluten-free bbq chicken is fantastic but I'm especially a fan of their baked mushrooms which are also gluten free and their vegan ratatouille Requesting catering for a variety of allergies and dietary requirements is always a challenge. This year, when we were looking to cater our Christmas in July celebrations at work, we had more people with specific needs than in previous years so we wanted to be sure everyone had some good options.  Thankfully, we've now been turning to the awesome folks at Clem's Chicken Shop for our wintery feasts for the last few years and every year, they've delivered amazing food and service. This year was no exception....

Establishment: Pure Gelato, Croydon Park Cuisine: Gelato and sorbet Allergy information: they offer an amazing range of dairy, egg, nut, gluten and sugar free gelato and sorbet Suggestions: the Passionfruit Sorbet is so smooth and absolutely gorgeous, so much so that even my friends without allergies wiped it out because they all loved it too! Ok, so I'd have to really enjoy something if I'm going to recommend a Gelato place in the dead of Winter, but it can't be helped, this place is amazing! Like most kids growing up with a dairy or egg allergy, the idea of eating ice cream was often something of a dream. My first ever ice cream came from a health food store in Macquarie Shopping Centre back in the 80s. Sadly, I no longer remember what the store was called, but they had a banana soy ice cream, in a tray just like the other regular flavours. Looking back on that now, I remember that making the whole experience even better. It was like getting to go to the store l...

Establishment: San Churro Chocolateria, various locations Cuisine: Spanish Chocolateria Allergy information: Their growing vegan options are all dairy and egg free and also include some nut free options as well. They also have wheat/gluten free options Suggestions: Anything cookie butter! The filled churros are delightful and I also enjoy the insanely decadent Happy Vegan (though I only recommend if you've not had any sugar for a week!) I do love my churros! For the longest time, San Churro was the only place I could go to with my friends to have something of a safe dessert when eating out in the city. It was also only one of two places in all of Sydney where I knew safe desserts were on offer (and sadly, the other place, Fountain Vegetarian, is now gone. I do miss their lovely vegan Chocolate and vegan Orange cakes).  The classic churros with the dark chocolate dip were a nice option to have after years of going to dessert places with the others where I usually...

Establishment: Hurricanes Grill Cuisine: Modern Steakhouse and Ribs Allergy information: Their menu has a number of options that are dairy, egg, seafood and gluten free. Staff are happy to assist with any allergies Suggestions: Full. Rack. Pork. Dairy, egg, seafood and nut free and amazingly good. Their basting is delicious.  Another favourite with my family and we tried it after some rave reviews from my brother about the ribs. We've been coming to Hurricanes for years and before they finally opened up some locations closer to home, we would willingly trek out to Darling Harbour from the west so that we could get chowing down on some quality meat. It was another one of the earliest places that became a safe regular spot for me to eat and thankfully, my family love it just as much as I do so each return has been a happy one! From our very first time there, things went really smoothly allergy-wise. Our server was so helpful and as soon as I queried the ingredient...

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 ...

Wonderful surprise discoveries while travelling with allergies! Find #3 - Cinnamon Works, Pike Place, Seattle, US I was fortunate enough to get to visit Seattle in September of 2016 and I have to say, travelling along the west coast of the US was so much fun and full of amazing allergy-safe finds.  Living in Australia with allergies is certainly getting easier as each day passes. However, after visiting places like the US, Canada and the UK, you do get a real sense of how different it is in countries with genuinely larger populations and therefore larger populations dealing with dietary restrictions. Just walking through markets, supermarkets and stores presented me with so many more options than I'd ever seen back home and while some of those were clearly catered to specific diets, being 'vegan' or 'free from', often you'd find those allergens not getting included at all in regular items, which is great.  One of the places I did stumble upon whi...