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...

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...