Category: Gluten-Free

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Turtle Bay – Delicious Cocktails and Kind of Gluten Free

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Some friends of mine and I booked a table at Turtle Bay in Bristol on Saturday night for some cocktails and University reminiscing.

We arranged the table for 19:30 and both the bar and restaurant were packed already. Unfortunately we just missed out on happy hour 241 cocktails which runs until 7pm every day. But, I’d hear so much about the cocktails here that we all order some anyway. I had the Jammin’ – white rum, apricot liqueur, fresh mint, ginger, lemon, apple juice and apricot jam. No complaints, we all enjoyed our choices and they went down very quickly.

Turtle bay do have an allergy menu, which at first glance has pretty much every dish marked with wheat or gluten. From what I could work out none of the starters were gluten free – but I had a good smell of everyone else’s which looked and smelt great – not awkward at all for the group! There are some main dishes on the menu that just have flour written in the gluten box. I was told that these could be GF as the flour is just for the roti and the dish can be served without this. So, that gives you pretty much all the ‘one pots’ to choose from!

Unfortunately all the jerk dishes are off limits as soy sauce seems to be used in all of the sauces.

I took my time deciding between goat curry, curry shrimp and mango or Trinidad curry chicken. I finally went for the latter; spiced chicken breast, cooked in coconut milk with spices, garlic and scotch bonnet.

Turtle Bay say “we like it hot,” and they certainly do! Proudly, I have got a lot better at eating spicy food and really enjoy a meal with more spice in now. This curry was just teetering on the side of too hot for me! Saying that, it really was delicious and I ate the whole lot.

I have to admit we all went particularly quiet while eating, sipping water, wine and milky cocktails after each mouthful – Turtle Bay is definitely not for those who can’t stand the heat.

After reading a few GF reviews before going I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the dishes I could eat on the menu. There are some posts out there telling you to avoid the restaurant completely. I probably wont return any time soon for food on my own but, if you’re going with a group wanting fun cocktails and good atmospheric music its a great Saturday night spot. They have restaurants all over the UK, have a look and I’m sure there will be one within a stones throw from you.

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx

 

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Curradine Barns -A Gluten Free Wedding Breakfast

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On the 27th May 2016 I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid for my best friends wedding as she married the perfect guy for her. They chose to be married at Curradine Barns, an insanely cute, romantic venue in Worcestershire. The red brick barns were a lovely setting for what really was a superb day.

Despite rumours of thunderstorms – the sun shone for us all day! The speeches were emotional and brilliant, the ceilidh band got the whole wedding dancing, the bride looked beautiful and most of all, the food was absolutely delicious.

We sat down after endless jugs of peach sangria and I eagerly glanced over the menu.

I have to admit my first thought was oh no, I’m going to be starving, second was I’m probably going to end up very drunk. I awkwardly pulled the events coordinator aside to just double check whether this menu was correct for me and would I definitely be able to eat something? She assured me that all the options would be made gluten free for me and the caterers were aware of any allergies – amazing!

To begin with I was given the best bread roll I have ever had. It had a perfect crust and was so light in the middle. I’ve now emailed the catering company to ask where it came from, so I will keep you updated!

The food was faultless. A huge, crispy scotch egg matched with apple puree to start. Melt in your mouth fillet of beef for main – we already know how much I love steak – and a refreshing stack of GF shortbread and raspberries for dessert. The shortbread tasted just like a regular one no grainy, crumbly texture that is often found in gluten free biscuits. I can safely say I cleared my plate on each course!

One of the best things for me, was having exactly the same menu as everyone else. No substitutes or slightly less impressive replacements just to make it gluten free.

The catering was provided by Galloping Gourmet who are in charge of the food and menus for all Curradine Barns events. They also cater for many other venues, so if you are planning the big day I would absolutely recommend having a look at where they work, whether you are gluten free or not! My boyfriend had the gluten full menu and repeatedly told me that it was the best scotch egg he has ever had!

After planning my best friends wedding at sleepovers for the last 6 years, the big day did not disappoint. I laughed a lot, cried a lot, danced a lot and ate everything – perfect!

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx

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CAU- Argentinian Restaurant, Bristol

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I spent a very nostalgic Saturday night drinking red wine, eating steak and telling Argentinian adventure stories.

February and March this year I was travelling through 4 countries in South America. One of my favourite weeks was spent in Buenos Aires – the capital of Argentina. BA is an absolutely beautiful  city with a European feeling.  My friend and I spent our time drinking, partying, taking tours around the neighbourhoods and eating steak every day, and I mean every day!

CAU aim to replicate the sense of fun and passion you can find in Buenos Aires after they also fell in love with the City. They say their vision is to capture the spirit in a restaurant that would fit right into the heart of Palermo. Palermo is the Soho of BA and just happens to be the place where I ate the best steak of my life – so they had a lot to compete with.

With my Malbec and steak levels now reaching an all time low in 2016, this was the only place I wanted to go for Saturday night date night.

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Luckily CAU caters extremely well to coeliacs and gluten free’ers! Of course the usual burgers and sandwiches are off limits but that’s not such a terrible thing when you’re choosing between steak, speciality cuts, sea bream fillet or twice cooked belly pork.

Triple cooked chunky chips, thin chips and baked sweet potato sides are all safe to eat. I was slightly disappointed that the CAUslaw was not GF friendly because I mean, steak and coleslaw is always good. But, I got by with a CAU chopped salad instead.

The decor inside is very modern with big white cushioned booths, higher level seating and tables all mixed in together. It didn’t necessarily transport me back to the streets of Buenos Aires, but it was nice all the same! The staff were lovely and we were never left waiting for anything.

I started with a ‘Where the wild things are’ cocktail which I have to admit, didn’t taste of much. It was a mix of sloe gin, portobello gin and ginger ale but tasted like sweet berry water instead. Saying this, I am not ready to write off the cocktails quite yet and would definitely give them a chance next time. Moving on swiftly, I ordered a bottle of the Trasandino Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina and sipped this happily as I remembered cycling around Mendoza vineyards and wine tasting on private balconies.

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We both went for the 220g sirloin steak medium/rare with a side of thin chips and salad. One of my favourite things here is being able to eat the steak sauces! All of them are gluten free, so we chose a pepper sauce and shared a truffle butter.

The results were beautiful.

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The steaks really were great – juicy and excellently cooked. I’m not ashamed to say I eat the fat on meat, its one of the best bits, so these sirloins were perfect. We had no complaints!

I would 100% go back to CAU, I’m eyeing up the twice cooked pork belly. But, it may still have to be a side to my sirloin, I really struggle to turn steak on a menu down.

For good quality steak and wine along with a friendly atmosphere I would really recommend checking out CAU. They have restaurants all over the UK from Glasgow to Tunbridge wells – so there’s no excuse to miss this Buenos Aires experience.

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Check out my Instagram for lots of pictures of my my Buenos Aires visit and more from Argentina!

 poppyrose__

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx