Photo courtesy of BBC Good Food
OK, so this wasn’t the healthiest start to the week, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to try Carluccios’ gluten free chocolate fondant to round off the meal tonight. It was gooey, sticky, and chocolatey, as promised, and I needed the peppermint tea afterwards just to render me able to walk (as opposed to roll) home. I was definitely more impressed by the pudding than the mushroom risotto, which was such a huge portion I felt overfaced, and was definitely too salty, but I can’t fault Carluccio’s for trying – their gluten free menu is extensive and they make a massive effort in the kitchen to avoid any sort of cross contamination, using separate pans, utensils and a gluten free preparation area. They seem to know what they’re talking about, and it’s a good thing as a coeliac when you can go out and eat a meal without feeling like you’re being the fussy one. And knowing that your soup won’t arrive with a massive crostini on top of it, like my experience last weekend in Birmingham. OK, so the crostini wasn’t actually IN the soup, it was balanced artfully across the bowl, but I had to then explain to a waitress who looked at me like a lunatic that I couldn’t risk eating it because some crumbs may have fallen off it into my soup.
I kind of want to tell people sometimes, look, I wouldn’t willingly be this awkward if it wasn’t necessary, OK, so just spare me the looks of death and get me a bowl of soup without the baked decor and let’s pretend it’s all normal.
Thankfully, I have a few days to metabolise the chocolate-fest before my first proper ride of the year this weekend, and a good supply of peppermint tea to ensure I’m not crippled for the rest of the night!
Panda's Kitchen 