Allergy Eating in Sydney

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...

Establishment: Gardener's Lodge, Victoria Park Cuisine: Plant based cafe and vegan cheese deli Allergy information: they offer an amazing range of dairy, egg, seafood and some nut free dishes, though do note that their vegan cheeses are either almond or cashew based so unsafe for people with those nut allergies and they do use soy Suggestions: Absolutely recommend the lasagne - amazing!! If any of you have walked around Victoria Park without actually stopping to look at the Lodge that sits at the edge along City Road then, like me, you would be forgiven for not realising that within its sandstone walls resides Gardener's Lodge , a cafe serving some delicious vegan food. They're also the reason I've now been able to enjoy the lovely lasagne pictured below.  I haven't yet had the chance to post about many Italian foods on here, aside from some of the vegan pizzas I've been lucky enough to enjoy. While there are many beautiful tomato based or olive oil bas...

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: Hog's Breath Cafe, Westpoint Blacktown Cuisine: Aussie Steakhouse Allergy information: Their menu has a number of options that are dairy, egg, seafood, nut and gluten free. Staff are very helpful in dealing with allergy queries Suggestions: My personal favourite is the Natural Prime Rib with fries and steamed vegies which is dairy, egg, seafood, nut and sesame free. Classic, simple and delicious! Eschewing the usual chocolates and hot cross buns, I send Easter's greetings with some good ol' steak! A happy family tradition each year and a particularly happy one for those in the family who decided to give up meat for the whole 40 days prior. This year, we decided to grab some old family favourites at  Hog's Breath Cafe Hog's has been a personal favourite for a very long time now. Along with both family and friends, I have been going there for years, most particularly to their restaurant at On Four in Westpoint. Easy Sunday lunches, big oc...

Establishment: The Marsden Brewhouse Cuisine: Modern Bistro Allergy information: Their menu has a number of options that are dairy, egg, seafood, nut and gluten free. Staff are very helpful in dealing with allergy queries Suggestions: The vegan pizza with  roasted capsicum, garlic, parsley, notzarella, kale & potato wafers Western Sydney continues to grow and one of the most recently rapidly growing suburbs is Marsden Park. Over the last few years, Marsden Park has become one of the fastest growing areas out west with new roads, expanding property developments and the construction of the new industrial park. Now us greater western Sydneysiders have our own Ikea, Costco and Lindt factory - clear signs we're catching up! And of course another clear sign of progress is growing food options. Some of my favourite places near where I live are the pubs and breweries which have grown up with the changes in the area. Places like the Fiddler and Ettamogah have reb...

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: Chong Co Thai, Stanhope Gardens Cuisine: Authentic Thai Allergy information: Their menu has a number of options that are dairy, egg, seafood and nut free   Suggestions: I love the BBQ Wagyu which is dairy, egg and seafood free, but I'm now also a new fan of their Satay Chicken Skewers which is similarly safe for those allergies but not safe for peanut allergies As I've mentioned before, safely eating out at Asian places has been more of a recent phenomenon for me and one of the nicest cuisines I've been able to add to my growing list of options is Thai. It took me a while to finally try it but that was largely because after years of avoidance, it takes time before you feel safe enough to wade into a new place and a new type of food and Asian had always been quite the minefield. Thankfully, by the time  Chong Co Thai  had opened up in Stanhope, I had tried enough to feel confident enough to see what I could try.  I first went there wi...

Establishment: Del Punto, Randwick Cuisine: Spanish Tapas  Allergy information: Their menu has a number of options that are dairy, egg, seafood and nut free Suggestions: Absolutely try the Tumbet which is dairy, egg and seafood free The Spot in Randwick is known for its variety of places to eat and drink as well as the added option of topping off your night with a movie at the Heritage listed Ritz Cinema, making it a brilliant place to find some good eats or knock together a great night out. What makes it even better is that there are some surprisingly allergy-friendly options hidden in among the restaurants, one place in particular being Del Punto , where they like to give people 'a little taste of Barcelona' with their dishes.  It had been years since I'd tried Spanish food and my workmates and I wanted to find a spot for a team lunch so someone suggested Del Punto. The others had been before but I'd been away at the time so I'd never tried the ...

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 ...