Allergy Eating in Sydney

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: 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...

Vale! T o those allergy-friendly places that will soon leave us or are no longer with us. Post #2 - 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘎𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘦 🙌 Another sad farewell in Glebe, this time for the first ever place I posted about here on the blog. The folks at Gathered Kitchen   recently announced that their last day of service would be Monday, August 5, inviting us all to enjoy their last weekend open so my friend and I headed over there today to do just that. After usually heading for the amazing dairy and egg free (and often nut free!) pastries and sweet treats on offer at the front counter, I finally tried the famous Gathered Bowl. All day breakfast at its best! Such a beautiful bowl! Basil crumbed organic tempeh, jalepeno hummus, herb roasted pumpkin, organic black rice, beetroot ribbons, broccoli, sprouts, ginger tahini dressing and tamari almond crunch. . It was the perfect fresh and savoury counter to the Buttermylk pancakes with cococarpone, raspberry com...

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...

Wonderful surprise discoveries while travelling with allergies! Find #4 - Roly's Fudge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK I cannot thank the UK enough for the lovely foods I was able to eat while I was over there last year. I was genuinely bowled over by the sheer variety of options. Honestly, in terms of food, it really does feel like a whole other world for someone like me and quite frankly, it was a good thing all I did was walk because I would have easily come home a good few kilos heavier! On our second day in London, we went on a bus tour that would take us to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle then finish up at Oxford and as a happy literary geek, I was very excited to visit the hometown of the Bard himself. Our first glimpses of the birthplace of Shakespeare. Now, as my brain was filled with Shakespeare while we walked through the house in which he was born, then were able to enjoy a wonderful outdoor performance and lastly visit his schoolhouse and exp...

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: 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 ...

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...