“Who even heard of gluten till a few years ago?” American writer of the play Dinner With Friends, Donald Margulies, so wittily commented.
While it is a funny reference to society’s collective disdain toward people who claim to be trendily “gluten free”, the rise in awareness of this bowel sensitivity bodes well for people who actually do have Celiac’s disease. Gluten intolerance is becoming more tolerable.
Maybe some wheats remain uneatable, but a push toward exploration of different tastes awaits. From Cantonese to Lebanese, these places of diverse cuisines prove that being gluten-free does not have to take away from being able to have an excellent meal.
Coriander Leaf
Coriander, also known as Chinese parsley, is used in many Asian dishes around the world. Thus, this Chijmes restaurant’s name truly speaks to the variety of pan-asian dishes they serve. With authentic, modern mixed with traditional recipes, this award winning restaurant stays ahead of the curve in more ways than one, ensuring people of various tastes and meal preferences all have something waiting for them.
Their menu is segmented into fresh, familiar, spicy, umami, and sweet, with indicated gluten-free options for all of them. Some signature dishes being, Samia’s signature frontier chicken and barbequed ray fin, both sans gluten
Beirut Grill
Moving a little more west, the Beirut Grill serves Lebanese and Middle Eastern food, with their key spices and herbs imported directly from Lebanon.
If you want an experience not too familiar to the Singaporean senses, the Beirut grill has a boutique Arabic themed lounge that even features a belly dancer on the weekends.
Aside from the rich atmosphere, their food also features many gluten free options. Do note that it is not explicitly stated on the menu, so one does have to ask the wait staff. They also have healthy replacement options for dishes that require bread to be dipped in gravies and sauces, so your experience will still be complete.
Lagnaa… bare foot dining
Author Mimi Kirk said on the Washington Post said that this is “my favourite Indian restaurant in the city.” As a best-selling food author, it would be hard to disagree with her. Plus, she is corroborated by Ctrip Gourmet list 2019, Trip Advisor certificate of excellence and CNN travel.
“Lagnaa” meaning “your essence” in Tamil, truly embodies a unique, homey atmosphere, inviting guests to relieve their feet from their shoes, sit on the floor, and enjoy their authentic Indian meals; allowing guests to be comfortable and eat as their true selves.
Sometimes their “true selves” means they can’t ingest gluten, which is not a problem, as all gravy dishes are gluten free. Just don’t get the naan.
The Butcher’s Wife
One of the few wholly gluten free places in Singapore, The Butcher’s Wife delivers on innovative, locally-inspired cooking with items like a blue pea flower naan – gluten free of course – with fermented black bean falafel patty, lentil hummus, yoghurt and green mango chilli sauce. Other standouts include a moreish bite of fried pig’s ears and date chutney on wild pepper leaves; and crunchy, cheesy cubes of fried sago called dadinhos de sago, served with dragonfruit chutney.
19 Yong Siak Street. Tel: 6221-9307
Summer Palace
Here comes the “M” word every self-respecting fine dining establishment wants to hear. Summer Palace at Regent Singapore has been awarded Michelin one-star for the third year. Specialising in Cantonese cuisine, the restaurant not only has beautiful Chinese antique decor, but also delicious food. Most of their selection is reserved for the gluten-able, but they have an entire menu set aside for those who are gluten free as well.
Some chef-recommended options are the Garlic Fried Chicken served with Plum sauce and the Brown Fried Rice with Wolfberries, Pine Nuts, Mushrooms and Kai Lan.
Kitchen by Food Rebel
We must have the basics. Food Rebel offers a menu that looks like what a gluten free individual would eat. They also have many vegetarian and vegan options in their offerings, and their food is halal, ensuring that inclusivity extends to our food as well.
With a focus on leading a healthy lifestyle, Elika and Rick Mather, owners of Food Rebel, have curated a fusion menu with everything, including sauces, made in-house. Their Rendang Egg Benedict, Zoodle Beef Bolognese and Chia Seed Puddings are especially interesting choices on the list of gluten free items they have. But they also have several others, with their gluten free status indicated right on the menu itself.
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- TAGS:
- Gluten-Free
- Restaurants