Travelling on a restricted diet can be a pain in the backside ... literally. But, in truth, our digital world means it's never been easier.
My wife Marie is coeliac and lactose intolerant. This has caused considerable inconvenience when travelling at times.
I remember wandering the streets of Salerno in Italy tired and hungry trying to find a "safe" eatery, where we knew my wife could have a tasty meal without the risk of the dramatic consequences of eating the wrong food. It seemed like forever, before we settled on a rather expensive seafood restaurant, which would normally not be our choice.
So, as we planned our recent trip to Europe we were determined to nail down options before we left Australia, and this simple plan worked a treat.
For each town/city we were staying in we tried to identify, with the help of the world wide web, three dining options that offered decent gluten-free and lactose-free menu choices.
And, it wasn't as hard as you might think. There are loads of websites dedicated to gluten-free eating (though lactose-free ups the ante) in cities and towns across Europe. We used www.findmeglutenfree.com as our starting point, but even run of the mill Google searches and travel sites such as www.tripadvisor.com can be helpful.
Once you have chosen some eateries, it's a matter of checking their websites for allergen lists and reviews.
And, even if you're out and about and your long-term plan fails (restaurant closed/holidays/further than you thought etc), do not wander the streets in hope. Consult Professor Google - she will no doubt have somewhere "coeliac friendly" up her sleeve. "Gluten free near me" is a good starting point in your hunt.
Here's just a few places across Europe that helped us survive and thrive with tasty gluten-free/lactose free options.
STARTER PACK
The first snack when you arrive at a destination has become important for us, and we try to make it somewhere we are confident can provide GF and LF delicacies. So, an hour or so after dropping our baggage off at out Prague residence, we were off to Bassotto, an all gluten free café and wine bar. After two delicious cakes, and great coffee and tea, we could head out to explore knowing there was a safe GF café nearby. The Bassotto pizzas looked terrific, by the way, but we never got back to try them, despite our good intentions.
A TOAST TO BRUGES
Another example of our first snack plan came in the lovely Belgian town of Bruges. That's Toast is essentially a brunch bar, but gets great reviews on various gluten-free websites. It was five minutes from our hotel, so we went there soon after arriving. It was perfect. Delightful toasted sandwiches! Their 'no gluten, no dairy' assistance was outstanding. With food in the belly we were ready for the sights!
SWEET CENTRE
Belgium is famous for waffles, so why should Marie miss out. She didn't, thanks to a little café, less than 50m from Brussels' famous Grand Place, right in the centre of town. The Sister Brussels Café offers vegan, organic and locally sourced delights, but most importantly GF waffles! They were so good, we went back and gave them another shot while passing through Brussels later on our trip. The GF waffles were a bit heavier than regular Belgian waffles, but just as tasty. Our favourite was called Peanut Foster. The waffles were deliciously topped with banana, vegan vanilla ice cream, and peanut butter.
HISTORIC HELPINGS
Haus Hiltl in Zurich, Switzerland claims to be the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world, founded in 1898. For us, it was a life saver. We had three reasonably-priced meals there (not easy to find in Switzerland) in six days.
It is a buffet set-up with a wide variety of gluten-free and vegan (lactose free by default) dishes clearly marked. You pay by weight, get free rolls and papadams, can quench your thirst with an alcoholic beverage ... and it is close to the centre of town. For people watchers, it appears to always be busy with anyone from high-end businessmen to hungry tourists.
TRIUMPH OF THE SAUSAGE
It's nice to eat local specialities when travelling, though this might seem a bridge too far for those on a restricted diet. So, it was a pleasant surprise to discover in our research phase that traditional bratwursts in Germany's sausage capital Nuremberg are generally gluten free (always check). So, off we headed to the Bratwurst Roeslein restaurant in the heart of Nuremberg's old city. Founded in 1431, and "the largest bratwurst restaurant in the world", this beerhall-styled eatery says all of its bratwursts are GF (but there was a complete allergen list available just to reassure us). We loved the atmosphere, service and especially the food (bratwurst, sauerkraut and salad).
GALLETE GAMES
We've now got a favourite go-to food in France - the Breton galette (or galette bretonne in French, although most places just call them galettes). These flat pancakes should be made from buckwheat, a gluten free flour, but as always it's best to check. And, the good news is, that sweet or savoury- and we tried both - they are fabulous. We consider the French city of Amiens very coeliac friendly thanks to galettes at the riverside restaurant Le Dos d’Ane (Donkey’s Back) and Crêperie La Mangeoire and a great little gluten free café called Snack'in.
FLAT-PACK FABULOUS
Our love affair with flat food was renewed again in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. Pancakes Amsterdam, just around the corner from Anne Frank's House, was a complete surprise. The gluten free pancake was delicious, according to my coeliac spouse, but a tad large. I helped her finish it, and can confirm the 'delicious' verdict.
WHEN IN PRAGUE ... GO SPANISH
Doing the pre-trip research unearthed a popular GF spot in the Czech capital, Prague. It was Spanish food, but hey, we're all internationalists, right? So off we trotted to El Centro, just across the other side of the Charles Bridge from our digs in the Old Town of Prague. And, thank goodness we did. The staff understood the demands of coeliacs, partly because the owner of the establishment is a coeliac. You have no idea how much confidence that instils in a gluten intolerant human being! Anyway, plenty of GF choices (tacos, paella, tapas etc) and so good we returned a few days later.
LOLLY LOVELIES
Look, this ain't cordon bleu, I know, but my wife loves lollies (sweets in the UK, candy in the US), and is always on the hunt for gluten free treats. This is harder than you might think, but not in Prague. Lolly shops are everywhere, and most of their products seemed to be GF. Our favourite was Candy Miners, which is quite a weird shop. Inside it looks like an underground tunnel, complete with faux steam train and carriages full of - you guessed it - lollies (sweets, candy). My wife's verdict on a variety of jelly-like, overly sweet concoctions ... yummy!
While, on the subject, Belgium has a famous traditional candy treat called les cuberdons. Here's the advertised description: "Traditionally made with raspberries, the cuberdon is a Belgian confection made with sugar and fruity flavour. The candy is baked for a week so that it is crunchy on the outside and runny on the inside." The important thing is the ones we tried were GF and LF ... and tasty.
CHAIN GANG
Well, not all gluten free delights are born in one-off boutique venues. After a busy sightseeing afternoon in Cologne, we were saved by great coffee and cakes at Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie. We are told there are now nine Isabella cafés in Germany. We also went to two Au Bureau brasseries/pubs - in Arras and Amiens - and will be seeking this chain out next time in France. The food was great, but more importantly the allergen lists were excellent. Finally, it's worth checking if Macca's has gluten free in the locations you visit. We only found one example - in Prague - but Marie's delight at being able to order a gluten free McDonald's burger (self-serve, thank you very much!) after 30-odd years of missing out was obvious.
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