The search for breakfast, lunch & dinner…….
Since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease over 3.5yrs ago, I’ve not travelled much. Most of that is due to Covid & boarder restrictions. But as my mother was here, visiting from the UK, it’s was perfect excuse to go somewhere. So we plan a few days in Auckland as it’s been a few years since I was last there.
Sadly being Coeliac, & having to adhere to a very strict gluten free diet, pretty much always means that food decisions always revolve around me. I find that hard as I’m not a selfish person. Living with this disease means I have to be selfish at times & also means any spontaneity has gone out of the window where food is concerned. Every meal has to be planned in advance with military precision. This makes going away a little more complex than just packing enough undies, shoes & a few going out outfits. I love food, I love trying new food, I used to love going out to different restaurants. The thought of going to a city was a treat with so many different eateries to chose from! Now, sadly, it fills me with dread. What if I can’t find somewhere that can cater for me? What if they get gluten free confused with being Coeliac? Will I have to survive on rice crackers & hummus? Will I get poisoned!?Will I die of starvation!!?
I‘m a planner, I’m organised & if arrangements need to be made I’m often involved in one capacity or another. However, if there is a spanner in the works & my plans turn to custard where eating is concerned, then I get ‘hangry’ & frustrated. See a previous example – here. I plan in advance, I do lots of research, I know what my options are & I usually have a back up plan if that doesn’t work.
We leave Wanaka before 8am to give us plenty of time to get to the airport. I hate being late, especially for flights. The cafe at the airport has lots of cabinet food, which I stay very clear of. Even if it’s labeled gluten free, it’s usually sat next to a gluten filled roll or pastry. The risk of cross contamination is huge. So I opt for a bag of crisps. Not the healthiest choice but it’s been vacuum packed & has a big GF symbol on the packet so it should tide me over until lunch time.
By the time we land at Auckland Airport, get on a shuttle to take us into the city, it’s fast approaching 2pm by the time we check in. That’s almost 6 hours of almost nothing to eat, I’m starving! Although on a side note Air New Zealand now offer a little gluten free snack on short flights – impressive! We literally ditch the bags & I start frantically googling where is Taco Medic. It’s about a 10 min walk – yes!
I’m a life time member of Taco Medic. They are my safe haven, my go to for lunch, my go to in a state of emergency. Tasty delicious, flavoursome tacos with the entire menu gluten free. Until recently there used to be two of them in Queenstown & I’m absolutely devastated that they have recently closed. But they still operate in Auckland. My only paranoia is that they serve gluten filled beer. Do they wash their hands after they have poured a pint before the serve my precious gluten free tacos? This is how Coeliacs think, constantly on the alert of any potential danger.
The next challenge is dinner with literally thousands of restaurants to chose from. Narrowing it down to the city centre & within walking distance of the hotel, I stumble across Giraffe. Highly ranked on Trip Advisor with their menus using the best homegrown ingredients. The staff are welcoming & knowledgeable, who swapped out the regular menu for a GF version. Great service, delicious food & would very much recommend.
The next task is breakfast & although the hotel offers a buffet style menu, I’m not interested. So once again the search begins. I look through the Find Me Gluten Free app & search through menus & reviews. Reviews are important for Coeliacs, as often cafes etc can have multiple GF options on a menu, but it doesn’t mean we can safely eat there.
I discover MELBA Vulcan about a 8 min walk from the hotel. I call them & ask “Can you cater for Coeliac?” This is always my first question & I judge the response. It’s a strong positive yes with no hesitation “Great I‘ll see you soon”.
My issue with breakfast is that I don’t like eggs & I think GF bread is like eating cardboard. So quite often my options are limited. They have a full breakfast with sausage & bacon, so I question “Is the sausage GF” & it’s no. Hash brown is a yes, so they happily swapped out the eggs, sausage & bread for some delicious vine tomatoes & avocado. When they bring it out to the table, it’s always reassuring when they say “This is gluten free”. Great service.
We decide to take a trip over to Waiheke Island for the day to explore the vineyards. There’s an awesome hop on hop off bus service which is fabulous! I’ve already researched where we could maybe eat lunch, but I’m not sure how the bus timetable works & I’m trying to time it so it’s not a massive amount of hours after breakfast so I don’t panic & eating crisps again.
Lunch is delicious fish & chips at Charlie Farheys. You know they take GF seriously when they have a they have seperate GF fryer. Great service & very friendly staff.
Dinner is White + Wongs I’ve eaten in this restaurant twice before being diagnosed, so I know it’s good. I’ve also eaten at the one in Queenstown as a Coeliac & always found them very helpful.
Upon arrival I ask “Can you cater for Coeliac & the waitress says confidently “Yes, but I’ll double check for you”. Oh thank you!… so far so good. She promptly returns & said “I’ll write you a new menu” as she grabs an existing menu & takes it away. Upon her return are hand written symbols throughout the entire menu (it’s quite a menu!)
X which means NO
O with means – can be adapted
√ for is already gluten free.
I thought this was a lovely touch & filled me with confidence. I ordered the green curry & it is as fabulous as ever! I’ve even tried to recreate this at home several times. Win!
Another breakfast challenge, again I do my research & come across DeBrett which is a hotel & look at the menu. There’s several GFO options so let’s give that a go. I don’t call ahead this time as it’s not far from the hotel.
We are seated & I ask “Can you cater for coeliacs?” – “Yes, but the kitchen is not GF”. Which I understand. I question a few things: Is the sausage GF ? No. “How do you toast the GF bread is it in the same place as the normal bread ?” Yes. Ok that’s a warning trigger for me, a single bread crumb can give me intense stomach pains. I politely say thanks but we leave it, I’m not going to risk it. They have GF as many option on their menu, but I don’t deem it safe for Coeliacs sadly. The staff were lovely, but I understand that not all establishments can fully cater. Luckily MELBA Vulcan is just around the corner. They didn’t poison me the day before so I’m happy to go back again.
This used to be a rule when travelling , we could never visit the same place twice, but things have changed. I run for cover to a safe retreat.
Lunch – Panic! – again it’s about timing & being starving & needing food. I find myself heading back into Taco Medic…. problem solved.
The next dinner was meeting up with some friends from Uni & also my Mothers 74th birthday. Again, I had to chose the restaurant, as I need to make sure I can eat something. My choice is Monsoon Poon as they have a seperate allergy menu. I still ask my usual questions as it’s my fault if I don’t & I get ill. I’m informed “Everything in the GF section is coeliac friendly”, great, there’s a lot of options! But I still question “The popadoms, are they fried in the fryer along with other glutenous products?” “Yes they are” – Hmmmm ok I’ll avoid them.
Two of us ordered the Penang chicken curry, & I was curious if they were exactly the same or they omitted to include something in mine. Both dishes arrived, one presented to me as the GF version. It was delicious! One thing to note when sharing rice with others, get in there first to avoid any cross contamination. It’s very easily done.
Comedy note – When the waitress handed over the dessert menus…. she looked directly at me & said “Have I killed you yet? ” I found that a rather odd thing to say, but it amused me.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Auckland. Everyone was knowledgable, helpful, friendly & accommodating.
I’m heading over to Europe soon – watch this space as I’m already peaking about how I’m going to eat in countries when I don’t understand the language.
Easy peasy salad dressing.
1/2 cup of olive oil
3 tbps of red wine vinegar
1 tbsp of mustard
1 tbsp of liquid honey
1 clove of garlic grated/crushed
Pinch of Salt & pepper
Mix up the vinegar with either white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar for different flavours.
Whisk is all in a bowl & drizzle some through a salad. It'll keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks in an air tight glass jar.
I'm Not Awkward I'm a Coeliac 