Interesting cupcake options

100% gluten free bakery!

Last week I spent a day in Fresno, California as part of a little road trip. I didn’t see as much of the city as I would have liked but in the short time I had there I discovered a couple of good gluten free spots.

It was my 29th birthday and we decided to have dinner at PF Changs. I discovered quite a while back that this chain has a gluten free menu and on speaking to the restaurant’s staff at a couple of different locations throughout the States (the first being on our trip to Vegas) they appeared to have good awareness of celiac disease and the importance of avoiding cross contamination. I’m not a fan of restaurant chains in general, usually opting for somewhere a little more interesting and family run instead, but PF Changs and their tasty sounding menu intrigued me and I had to try it.

The menu includes information on gluten free dishes including  the fact that gluten free dishes are served on a special plate with the PF Changs logo. It also lists the ingredients used in their gluten free sauces which I thought was great. Our server was confident that the kitchen staff are well educated on cooking for those with special dietary needs and that I need not worry. I didn’t and my meal was delicious. I ordered the Norwegian Salmon steamed with ginger. It came on a bed of mushrooms, bok choy, tomatoes and asparagus and with a side of brown rice. Pretty healthy and extremely tasty. I would definitely eat at PF Changs again even if many of the dishes they serve are similar to the type of things John and I cook at home.

The other place I found in Fresno is Sweet Tomatoes, a chain soup and salad place. I didn’t have time to eat here on this trip but some of their soups and deli salads are gluten free and labelled as so on their menu. This is somewhere I’d check out at lunch time. Let me know if you’ve eaten here and what your thoughts were….

Delicious cupcakes!

Birthday dinner at PF Changs

The best find of the day had to be Gluten Free Please, a 100% gluten free, family run, bakery in Clovis, just north of Fresno. They sell cupcakes, cookies, muffins, breads and various other gluten free goodies. I had the pleasure of meeting the Bakery’s lovely owner and fellow celiac, Janet when I stopped by. The bakery opened in November, 2011 and so far seems to be a bit hit with gluten free locals. I can see why. Their cupcakes are amazing!! I tried their carrot cake cupcake with coconut frosting. Seriously..this may be the best cupcake I’ve ever had!  They also do some really unique flavours of muffins and cupcakes such as corn dog, pizza, rootbeer and chocolate marshmallow. This is awesome.

Tasty sushi!

I found myself in Bakersfield earlier this week when my friend and I took a little road trip heading south for a few days. Bakersfield probably isn’t a town I would have chosen to visit without a reason but I was glad I got the chance to as we met some very friendly locals who helped me celebrate my 29th birthday!

Bakersfield is a five hour drive from San Francisco so by the time we arrived we were hungry for dinner (even after all the garlic ice cream in Gilroy!) We both felt like sushi and so we checked out Ichiban Sushi on 2641 Oswell Street, a place I’d found online which got some good reviews. I brought my own gluten free soy sauce as usual and our server seemed to think this was pretty cute. I explained to her that I was celiac and couldn’t eat anything with wheat or gluten. I asked if the sushi chef could change his gloves and prepare my meal separately to avoid cross contamination. The chef looked over and nodded at me as he changed his gloves to show that he was doing as I asked.

The sushi here was tender and delicious and had the perfect rice to fish ratio. The best sushi to me is that which melts in your mouth and this did. I ordered six pieces of nigiri  and one tuna roll. We were served some complimentary edamame on the side. Yum! I would definitely eat here again.

Gluten free shopping wise, I wandered into Nature’s Food Market and Juice Bar, located on 1918 G Street in the city. It’s a small market which sells various juices and a variety of groceries, a large number of which are gluten free. I noticed gluten free sauces, gluten free pastas and noodles, gluten free flours and oatmeal, gluten free bars and some gluten free ready meals. If I was a celiac living in Bakersfield I would definitely frequent this place.

Nature's Food Market

Gluten free products

I didn’t have time to eat here but Red Brick Pizzain Bakersfield does gluten free options. I’d never heard of them before but in looking at their site it appears they have locations across six states, including California. I called the Bakersfield location for further information on how they prepare their gluten free pizza and the guy I spoke with was really helpful. The gluten free pizza bases aren’t made in store but are shipped in. Whilst they use the same stove for cooking gluten free pizza, they use a separate container in which to cook it, separate cutters and utensils and a separate preparation area.  ’We do a good job of preventing cross contamination.’ the dude on the phone told me.  They have a bunch of locations in California so I’m sure I’ll find myself here at some point but if you have eaten here, I’d love to hear about your experience!

Taco Del Mar and PF Changs are two other chains I found in Bakersfield which offer gluten free options. If you know of any more gluten free eateries in the area please share!

Liverpool

Lunch with family

Liverpool (To be read with a scouser accent!) is a UK city I hadn’t yet had the chance to explore. The drive is only three hours and change from Glasgow but I guess until now I never really had a reason to visit. My brother and his lovely family recently moved to that area of the country so when we were home for the holidays it was the perfect time to visit and explore Liverpool for the day.

Liverpool is of course famous for the Beatles so we had to drive down Penny Lane. It was also pretty impossible not to find a way of getting Beatles lyrics into the conversation at every possible opportunity through the day. A hugely famous band isn’t all Liverpool has to offer though. It’s a pretty town filled with a bunch of friendly people who have what is probably my favourite English accent.

So back to the gluten free eating part of the trip. My brother came across Leaf and noticed that they do gluten free options. Leaf (on Bold Street in the centre of town) is primarily a tea house but they have a good menu which indicates a few dishes as being gluten free (G) and those which have a gluten free alternative (GA).

I went for the Vegetable Thai Curry. It was served with rice and was very tasty and coconutty, not too different from the thai curry I make at home but it was nice to have someone else make it for me. Everyone else choose something gluten filled so no point in going into further detail there but they all found their meals to be really tasty. One thing I would say about this place is that some of the staff need to be a little better training on dealing with people ordering gluten free dishes. Whilst the woman who served us gave me confidence that my meal was prepared safely, the woman taking my order didn’t instill as much confidence. There are places at which I eat where I feel 100% comfortable that my meal is being prepared and cooked with the caution it deserves. Leaf was not one of these places but I still felt safe enough eating here and I had a lovely meal.

Liverpool must have many other gluten free goodies to offer but unfortunately on this trip we only had time to sample one of them. If you’ve had a delicious, safe meal here please let us know. Gluten free travellers are always on the lookout for more options!

Yummy gluten free curry

L tea house and bar

NIbbling truffles in Edinburgh

The Harvest Garden

John and I spent a fun day in Edinburgh over the festive period. Being a Glasgow girl myself I don’t find that I go to Edinburgh too much. It is of course a gorgeous city and very popular with visitors to bonnie Scotland. I should probably visit more often. When I lived here I would head to Edinburgh when it was Fringe Festival time (not to be missed!), when I found a good gig there or we had visitors in town who were desperate to explore Scotland’s capital city. When I do go simply for the sake of wandering and soaking up the city it’s always a really good time. Edinburgh is beautiful, it’s full of culture and there is lots to see and do. Gluten free travellers to the area will be happy to hear that there are also plenty of celiac friendly options to keep you satisfied whist exploring.

When we arrived in the city our first stop was Morningside to check out The Harvest Garden, a chocolate store I’d heard about on Twitter. It’s part florist/part chocolate shop and they stock a large and interesting selection of different chocolates and other sweet treats. I spoke with the owners of the store who are lovely and they told me that they have lots of gluten free options due to the fact that the husband and their daughter are both celiac. I got to try a few of their fancy chocolates which are delicious!

A little research helped me find a number of eateries in Edinburgh with gluten free options. Mamma’s Pizza in the Grassmarket area of the city does gluten free pizza and Roseleaf on Sandport Place is an allergy friendly place that sounds really quirky and interesting. When I first came across this place it instantly made me think of the fantastic Butterfly and Pig in Glasgow. The type of dishes they serve sound similarly delicious and the adorable, unique use of Scots dialect throughout their menu suggests the restaurant and it’s staff may be of a similar awesome ilk to the Butterfly and Pig. Unfortunately on this occasion I did not get the chance to eat at Roseleaf but next time it will be first on my list. If you have eaten here and tried some of their gluten free goodies then I’d love to hear your thoughts!

On this trip we decided to eat at Vittoria on the bridge, an Italian restaurant situated on George IV bridge. It’s rare that we eat out at Italian restaurants and this one sounded very celiac friendly with a menu which boasts many gluten free options. Their risotto dishes are gluten free and they also do both gluten free pizza bases and pasta. Any of their pizzas or pasta dishes can be made gluten free, Yay!, but as in many cases the gluten free pizza bases are quite a bit smaller than the ordinary ones. I decided to go for the chicken and red pesto pasta as I don’t eat much pasta at home. It was really tasty but I felt as though the portion size was way too small. I’m not a big person but I had finished my dish before John was through his second pizza slice. Just because I’m gluten free doesn’t mean I eat less. Celiacs want big portions too! If we return I’ll be ordering pizza or perhaps risotto. John’s pizza looked awesome and he said it was nice and spicy too.

Gluten free pasta

Edinburgh is a lovely city and there are lots of gluten free surprises to be discovered so you definitely don’t have to worry about finding something safe for celiacs here. If you are planning a trip to bonnie Scotland, please don’t forget to include a trip to Glasgow  too. It’s my favourite Scottish city, it’s awesome and it’s also filled with a wide variety of eateries with gluten free options!

Yummy quinoa bowl

Delicious cheesecake!

Plant Cafe Organic is another option for gluten free travellers looking for somewhere safe to eat out when in San Francisco. The restaurant’s kitchen is not 100% gluten free but staff do all they can to prevent cross contamination. They have a bunch of gluten free options on their menu at three locations in the city and one in SFO (San Francisco Airport for non-airport code fanatics). I took John to the Embarcadero location for his birthday.

The menu is not huge but around half of the items are gluten free which is nice. Five out of six appetisers and four out of six mains are gluten free. I ordered the Ginger Miso Quinoa Bowl which was a variety of seasonal veggies, quinoa and a choice of tofu, chicken or shrimp. I went for the chicken. The dish was mildy flavoured but very tasty. John on the other hand was not so delighted when he ordered his favourite food, pizza, and it came covered in broccoli, pretty much the only food he dislikes! Sad face. Clearly we should have double checked that broccoli was not involved as it was the seasonal pizza but strangely enough when our server rhymed off the ingredients she failed to mention that broccoli was the main event.

For dessert I had the very delicious Raspberry Cashew Cheesecake whilst John went for the Chocolate Cake. He was a lot more impressed with his dessert than his main course.

We had a nice evening at Plant Cafe. On my next visit however I may go for lunch as they have a slightly different menu at lunch time, possibly with more appealing gluten free options. These include a thai green curry and a fish taco plate which both sound very tasty! Since dessert was particularly tasty perhaps I”ll return with a friend for more gluten free cheesecake and a glass of vino.

Gluten free dinner at Posana

Recently my friend and fellow celiac, Sasha Cagen, travelled to and spent a week in Asheville, North Carolina. She had such a positive gluten free experience here that I had to share her gluten free travel story with you. She spoke to me of this mystical place in the mountains, with a welcoming community and creative spirit. It sounds like a wonderful town. I have travelled to various other parts of beautiful North Carolina, including one of my favourite towns ever, Wilmington, but I’ll be sure not to miss out on the chance to explore Asheville on my next visit to that part of the United States.

Sasha has nothing but high praise for Posana, a 100% gluten free restaurant in Asheville. In her words this place is ‘Heaven on earth for celiacs.’ It’s a fine dining restaurant with a diverse and luscious menu. In checking out their website and menu I can understand Sasha’s enthusiasm. Their menu boasts a huge variety of delicious sounding dishes such as a grilled chicken breast sandwich with apple-cranberry chutney, brie and bacon (how good does this sound?!), ricotta gnocchi and North Carolina shrimp and grits. Yum! The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America has awarded them with the Gluten Free Service Accreditation for their commitment to best practices in gluten free food service. The owner’s wife has celiac disease hence the good awareness of issues such as cross contamination. Strangely the restaurant does not do much to market themselves as being gluten free and safe for celiacs (perhaps they think it would turn non gluten free-ers away?) but luckily for gluten free travellers it is both.

This enchanted spot is situated in an area where street performers and musicians can be found milling around. The food is so delicious, Sasha told me, that she ate here five times during her visit! Lasagna with seared scallops was one of the dishes she tried. This sounds amazing. Posana is clearly somewhere the Gluten Free Traveller must visit.

It’s not only Posana that Asheville, North Carolina, has to offer celiacs. For a small town it has a bunch of good gluten free options and awareness of celiac disease is high. There is a general consciousness in bakeries and restaurants regarding which gluten free products are certified and which are not. Staff in a bakery pointed out to Sasha which of their products were gluten free certified and therefore safe for celiacs and which weren’t.

Laughing Seed Cafe on 40 Wall Street is another eatery with gluten free options at which Sasha enjoyed a meal. She had an in depth conversation with a server at the cafe and felt confident enough that they know what they were doing regarding cross contamination. Gluten free menu items are marked with ‘GF’ and include some tasty sounding dishes such as Indian pakora batter-dipped in spicy chick pea flour, Autumn risotto, Thai curry and tonnes of other amazing sounding gluten free entres.

For preparing a home cooked meal or for gluten free travellers’ looking for an on-the-go snack there are a couple of natural food markets in downtown Asheville which carry a variety of gluten free goodies.

If anyone has further information on where to find delicious gluten free options in Asheville, North Carolina, please let us know. I will definitely me making a point of visiting this town in the near future!

Gluten free dessert

The sign celiacs long to find!

Last weekend my husband, our friend and I had a little out-of-the-city adventure in Napa. None of us had made the trip to Napa before and this was our chance. When you think of Napa you probably think Vineyards. Our experience there was a little different as there was no vino involved and the town was extremely quiet on this chilly November afternoon but we still had a lovely day. Pica Pica, my favourite gluten free restaurant in San Francisco, has been hiding Pica Pica Gold (vouchers for tasty gluten free food) all over the Bay Area. They post photographs as clues and treasure hunters have to figure out where the treasure is and snap it up! We knew there was some to be found in Napa and decided to add finding it into our day.

On top of finding the treasure I discovered a variety of different places in Napa with gluten free options! Any gluten free travellers thinking of heading to Napa to explore the beautiful countryside and do some wine tasting, please do not hesitate. There are plenty of gluten free options here to keep you satisfied whilst you sample lots of great wines.

Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa is awesome. Inside are various eateries and stores selling food and gifts. I was especially impressed because they have two places which  are 100% gluten free, Pica Pica and C Casa. Pica Pica is awesome and I always have lots of good things to say about them but I’ll let you read the post I wrote about their San Francisco location when we first moved to the Bay Area. It surprised me but I think I prefer their Napa location. They have a few more options on the menu (including an amazing fresh coconut and lime drink) and when I handed over my voucher to claim my treasure they said ‘So you must be Laura’. How can I not love a place where I’m famous!

My huge Pica Pica lunch!

C Casa was a total surprise. I’d never even heard of the place never mind their 100% gluten free menu. They serve lots of amazing sounding tacos, rotisserie dishes, salads and various other delicious sounding things. On my next trip to Napa I will definitely be checking this place out.

Another great find was Cielito Lindo, a Mexican restaurant I noticed whilst wandering the Napa Art Walk. They had a menu sitting outside and I noticed a whole bunch of gluten free options marked with stars. They weren’t open yet so I didn’t get the chance to ask any questions but some of their dishes sounded very tasty.

Gluten free options

Cielito Lindo

Lots of gluten free products!

100% gluten free store

Yesterday I took a day trip to Sacramento with my friend. We had a really fun day and lots of tasty gluten free goodies were discovered. This was my first visit to Sacramento and I enjoyed wandering down the many tree lined streets which were especially pretty due to all the fallen leaves and autumn colours.

What every celiac hopes to find when they visit a new town is a 100% gluten free store run by gluten free staff who are extremely knowledgeable and helpful about available gluten free options in their town. Sacramento has this. Gluten Free Specialty Market is must visit for any gluten free travellers who find themselves in California’s pretty capital city. Not only does this market provide an expansive collection of celiac friendly products but they have also produced an information sheet on restaurants in the area with gluten free options. The sheet gives tips on how to ensure you get a safe meal at each of the eateries.

We decided to eat at Dad’s Kitchen on 2968 Freeport, a homey place which does sandwiches, burgers and salads. I was attracted by their promise of gluten free bread and their delicious sounding selection of sandwich toppings. On first explaining to our server that I was celiac I didn’t feel too confident that cross contamination would not be an issue but after speaking with other members of staff I felt confident enough to order. The kitchen understood that I was ‘totally gluten free’ and would do everything they could to keep me safe. They would change their gloves, put foil down to avoid cross contamination and use separate utensils. I went for the Rueben and it was very delicious. Their sandwiches come with fries but these are cooked in the same fryer as breaded glutenous things so they changed this for a salad. The bread was extremely light and tasty and didn’t seem gluten free at all. I was impressed.

Dad's Kitchen

Gluten free Reuben

We almost ate at Sugar Plum on 2315 K Street but decided against it as the chef said he wouldn’t be comfortable feeding me if cross contamination was an issue. Their kitchen was tiny and therefore I was told it would be difficult to keep my sandwich away from the crumbs. He may have been being over cautious but I couldn’t help but leave after hearing this. Their sandwiches did sound pretty delicious though!

I was interested in Mikuni Sushi on 1530 J Street and I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in the area. It’s a sushi restaurant, so nothing extraordinary there, but they have a gluten free menu which is what interests me. Sushi is often a good choice for celiacs but I don’t think I’ve ever before come across a sushi place which actually has a seperate gluten free menu. The fact that this place has one, and also has gluten free soy sauce, gives me confidence that they will hopefully take gluten free cooking seriously.

Finding gluten free lunch in Sacramento was a success and according to the sheet I picked up from Gluten Free Speciality Market there are a whole bunch of other eating out options for gluten free travellers headed to Sacramento. Very good news.

Amazing gluten free pizza

Eagle Pizzeria are in partnership with Still Riding Pizza, a company which provides gluten free pizza to partner restaurants which is safe for celiacs. Their pizza is made in a dedicated gluten free facility and what’s even better is that Still Riding provide restaurants who carry their pizza bases with training on how to prepare the pizza and ensure they keep it safe for celiacs.

I spoke with the restaurant’s owners who are a lovely and very helpful couple. Ken was out in the front whilst Amy was in the kitchen making pizzas. Ken explained the process of how they prepare and cook gluten free pizza and I felt happy and safe hearing how careful they are. Almost all of their toppings are gluten free so celiacs have a good variety to choose from. They have a separate preparation area for gluten free pizza, they use separate utensils/ladles for the toppings and they use a special tray for cooking gluten free pizzas. They appear to understand how serious the threat of cross contamination is and do all they can to prevent it.

We went for the simple Margarita and it was amazing. The base was thin and crispy and the tomato sauce was delicious! Lots of basil and garlic..yummy! As we weren’t too hungry when found the place the plan was to eat a couple of hot slices before taking the remainder home to finish. This did not happen, it was far too tasty that John and I polished the whole thing off in 20 minutes.

As the pizza base comes pre-packed it only comes in the one size, somewhere between small and medium. Gluten free pizza is charged at the price of a small pizza plus $5 (as this is what Still Riding charge for the base). Prices range from $20-23 depending on which pizza you choose. This is a little more than I would like to pay for a smallish pizza but as all gluten free pizzas tend to cost more it was worth the price to get a safe and amazingly delicious pizza. Yay for another place serving safe and delicious gluten free pizza in San Francisco!

Eagle Pizzeria

Serving Still Riding Pizza

Eating Galbi

The amazing Seoul

As my South Korean adventures were prior to being diagnosed as celiac I didn’t plan to write a post on travelling gluten free there. That is until I received a few emails from fellow gluten free travellers who were headed there and looking for tips. They told me that my advice on staying safely gluten free in South Korea was really helpful hence my decision to write this post.

I spent the year of 2006 in Guri, just outside of Seoul, as an English teacher. I found my job on an online job board, had a quick interview over the phone with the school’s director, received my one year alien visa from London, packed my rucksack and boarded the plane to Seoul. I knew very little about what was waiting for me but I was off in search of adventure. I was 22 years old. I didn’t realise it at the time but looking back I was brave. Not everyone would have done that. I met lots of other interesting and wonderful people who did though. One of them was John

Eating is a large part of the culture in South Korea. During my year there I ate out for at least one meal every single day. In thinking back I could probably still eat now most of what I ate back in 2006. My husband and I plan to return in the near future and I am not worried about returning as a celiac. There are plenty of naturally gluten free dishes for me to enjoy.

The fact that bread does not play a large part in South Korean cuisine is great. Whereas many restaurants you visit in North & South America and Europe will serve bread on the side, this is not the case here. South Korea are all about the rice which is wonderful news for gluten free travellers. We don’t have to worry about crumbs cross contaminating everything we eat. It’s not that Koreans don’t ever eat bread it’s just nowhere near as popular as rice.

Korean Dishes

Gong- ge bap (plain rice) can be ordered anywhere so if ever get hungry and can’t find anything else, there is always rice. As the rice is made in a rice cooker there are no cross contamination issues there.

Kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage) with rice is the staple in South Korea. It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you may find yourself eating it for all three on occasion. It’s simple, cheap, addictive and can be found anywhere and everywhere throughout the country. John and I got addicted to the stuff and we buy it whenever we can find it here in SF.

All over the country you will find Korean fast food eateries. Many are called Kimbap Chonguk (Kimbap Heaven) or Kimbap Nara (Kimbap Country) but there are various others too, all of which sell the same types of simple Korean dishes. Locals eat here, teachers eat here, everyone eats here. Everything comes with a side of kimchi and you can get anything from a bowl of plain rice (gf) to a pork tenderloin with cheese and curry sauce (not gf). You can eat in, you can take out or you can call up and have your meal delivered. It will arrive in the same metal bowl you would get when eating in and when you’ve finished eating you just leave the dirty dishes outside your door and someone will return to pick them up. Genius! You can’t visit South Korea without eating at one of these fantastic little places.

Pots of kimchi

My favourite meal in South Korea was bibimbap, a dish made from steamed rice and topped with veggies. You can order bibimbap hot or cold but in my opinion the hot (dolsot bibimbap) is by far the tastiest as it is served in a hot dish with a fried egg on top. When it arrives you have to stir everything together to avoid too much rice sticking to the bottom of the bowl but some of it always does and this is the most delicious part. Mmm! The dish can differ slightly depending on where you get it and sometimes they add meat as a topping too. Normally it’s beef. If you don’t want the beef say go-gee -opshee (without meat). The go-cho-jang (red pepper paste) which comes with it is made with wheat so be sure to ask for it without. Gochojang opshee (without red pepper paste)

Kimbap (Korean style sushi roll) is everywhere in South Korea. An older Korean woman is usually the one making it and you always find it at the Korean fast food eateries I mentioned above. The basic kimbap is freshly made from rice, seaweed, veggies, immitation crab and processed ham. The immitation crab meat contains wheat and the processed ham may contain gluten so ask for yours to be made without these two things. As you can almost always watch your kimbap being prepared you don’t have to worry about cross contamination. Kimbap tastes great either on it’s own or topped with kimchi. Since it’s made right in front of you it’s still warm if you eat it straight away. This was my lunch almost every day. Sometimes I would even get two. Yum-my!

Korean barbeque is very popular. My memories of South Korea take me back to numerous late nights spent around the grill with a bunch of new friends, toasting with shots of soju (Korean rice wine). Sam gap sal & Oh gap sal (3 layers of fat & 5 layers of fat) are pork and taste a lot better than they sound. Galbi sal is beef and my favourite. It is the least fatty of the three and in my opinion tastes the best. At these barbeque restaurants you order the meat you want and they bring it over to your table/grill where you then cook it yourself. The meat is served with kimchi and vegetables so nothing gluten containing there. Just make sure they don’t marinade the meat in anything that could be gluten containing but most of the time they don’t and it’s just straight up delicious meat. You could always ask your waiter to clean your grill before beginning your meal just in case but since you ( and others before you) will most likely only be eating meat, veggies, kimchi and rice you should be fine. Delicious!

If you like sushi it’s everywhere in South Korea. There are hundreds of sushi restaurants for either eating in or take out and most of them are fairly priced. I must have eaten at over 20 different sushi restaurants during my year there! You can also buy pre-made (with each piece of nigiri pre-wrapped) sushi at the grocery store chain, Lotte Mart. I ate this so many times as I lived right next to one of these supermarkets. I would doubt that any of the restaurants there offer gluten free soy sauce so I would recommend bringing your own, going without or eating it with kimchi instead!

Tasty sushi

One of many fruit markets

Fruit is plentiful and delicious in South Korea. Almost everywhere you walk you will find fruit markets or fruit trucks selling whatever is in season. I was addicted to korean melons, satsumas and persimmons. Picking up a fruity snack when you’re out and about should be simple and inexpensive.

If you’re considering visiting South Korea don’t worry that your gluten free diet will prevent you from exploring this wonderful country. There are plenty of naturally gluten free and extremely delicious dishes awaiting you. Noribang (Korean karaoke) is awaiting you too and it’s probably the most fun night out ever!

Kimchi on the grill

Kimbap

Tips for travelling gluten free in South Korea

• Cross contamination is of course going to be an issue in some places and it will be difficult to explain this (even in good Korean) so try to eat at restaurants selling naturally gluten free meals such as barbeque, sushi, kimbap. bibimbap, etc.
• It’s definitely a good idea to learn a few words/phrases to help you on your search for safe food. Learning the Korean alphabet and some basics are far easier than you would think (I’m certainly no language expert and could have pretty decent conversations with cab drivers nearing the end of my year there) and if words don’t cut it don’t be afraid to use hand gestures and point to things that you do or do not want. This often worked for me.
• When going for Korean barbeque ask your server to clean your grill before you get started. As it tends to be simply meat, veggies and kimchi which are cooked on these grills there shouldn’t be a problem but it never hurts to be extra careful.
• If in doubt, kimchi and rice. It’s everywhere and it’s cheap and fast so you won’t go hungry.
• In some restaurants they put barley in their water so be cautious and make sure it’s just plain water before drinking it.
• Visit Noribang (Korean karaoke) as much as possible. It’s addictive…you’ve been warned!

John and I at Noribang