Friday, December 17, 2010

Privé

Once again I was able to safely eat out by checking in advance, this time at my work place end of year office party at Privé. With three weeks advanced notice of my allergy to gluten, the staff at Privé took every care to make sure I was okay throughout the night. A buffet style dinner was organised for our function. This is an area where Singapore has gained points in the gluten free game over Sydney, where you usually have to battle through 6 levels of staff before you can bypass the obstacles of ‘gluten free,’ (contamination guaranteed), buffet options. Without drawing too much attention to my special needs, the wait staff served me straight from the kitchen: a light and refreshing Apple, Walnut & Brie Salad, followed by Pan Roasted White Cod with Haricot Verts, Virgin Cherry Tomatoes, Almond Flakes & Herbs Beurre Blan.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Brewerkz Indoor Stadium

Eating out with an allergy in Singapore is not impossible - it just takes a bit of planning. On Saturday I was able to enjoy a relaxing meal on the waterfront at Indoor Stadium with some friends from work and their lovely families. The secret was checking ahead. The staff at Brewerkz Indoor Stadium responded to my email about my need for gluten free food with a phone call to double check what I could and couldn't eat. They took my order in advance to ensure that all of the parts that went into my meal remained uncontaminated. Offered several delicious sounding options, I chose Sea Bass cooked in home-made stock with vegetables, (no powder of any kind included in the stock), with fresh fruit to finish.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Hawker Breakfast

While I can't freely wander the Hawker stalls adventurously trying new things, I am definitely sorted for breakfast. Kopi, the local coffee, is amazing. Just be sure to close your eyes while they make it. It is gluten free, but it tastes better if you don't know how much condensed milk goes in. Maybe it's just a weekend treat!

Most hawker centers and food courts have a 'breakfast set' that seems to be available all day.

The gluten free option is 'hard boiled eggs' with no toast. You are given a bucket with hot water and your eggs and told to wait while they cook to your desired consistency. Then you crack them into a bowl and eat like a soup, (unless you have left them in so long that they are solid). The locals add pepper and soy sauce for flavor. BYO gluten free soy and bread to dip if you like, but the eggs are still delicious with pepper only.

Kopi and eggs comes to about S$1.90.

The Splurge

Singapore is just full of 'Western style' cafe's. Fluffy, spongy bread rolls and baguettes stuffed with ham, cheese and grilled mushrooms are in abundance. I was feeling sorry for myself after walking past a dozen of these on the way out of Suntec City this evening, so have splurged on some yummy gluten free goods to make my own version. Dropping by Jason's Market Place in the basement of Raffles City, I picked up Food for Life Brown Rice Bread, Hormel Ham  from the pre-packaged meats section and completed the splurge with some Dutch Gouda. At home I had half a punnet of baby tomatoes to make into a 2 minute DIY tomato sauce to round off the toasted sandwiches - crush the tomatoes, add some finely chopped onion, fry with a bit of oil on high add salt and white pepper. Not cheap, but incredibly satisfying and I have enough leftovers to enjoy this treat for several meals to come.

To get to Jason's in Raffles City, simply take the MRT to City Hall and make your way to the basement level.