A return to Jamie's Italian - gluten free hit or miss?

As I've posted before I'm a big fan of Jamie's and I'm particularly enjoying his new Superfood book. You know you're always going to get straightforward recipes packed with flavour and for me I carry that expectation to his restaurants. I originally reviewed Jamie's Italian back in 2011 and thought it got off to a great start. However, a blip in 2013 caused by a diner taking the chain to court left a sour taste in many coeliacs mouths when the chain pulled their gluten free pasta options. Without the pasta option, I remember one visit where I was left eating a sorry looking burger without a bun at an astronomical cost.

Fast forward to autumn 2015 and I was invited back to the Jamie's Italian in Norwich with reassurances that gluten free pasta was back and that the chain had focussed on creating even more gluten free options. The menu on the website was promising, it now had a specific allergen filter and there were certainly more options than I'd noticed previously. Unfortunately, the hard work that's gone into creating the online menu just doesn't seem to translate into their restaurant experience. My server enthusiastically talked about the gluten free pasta options and that they could possibly modify other dishes but that was it. I'm left guessing as to which ones could and couldn't be modified, using my own knowledge of ingredients to try and guess and trying to look on the website to see what I'd found previously. When it came to ordering there even seemed to be a mismatch between the website and what our server thought. I chose the spinach and ricotta croquettes because I thought this was an unusual dish to be gluten free. It's specifically stated as gluten free on the website but my server thought otherwise. Even if it was, she thought it might be fried in the same fryer as other gluten containing produce so either way it was a no go. Not a great start. When it comes to allergens, diners are looking for a seamless experience, anything else leaves you with a constant nervousness which detracts from the excitement of eating out.

Pork scratchings will chilli, fennel and apple sauce

Thankfully when we did agree on some starters they hit the usual flavour highs expected. We ordered the meat plank to share and the quality of the cured meats was the real stand-out. Antipasti is common place on menus up and down the country these days but it's rare that you find places using quality ingredients. Again, disappointingly the Manchego was brought on a cracker which I couldn't eat. When prompted the server offered to bring us some without the cracker but it really shouldn't have needed us to ask. Problems continued when we were informed the slaw on the plank contained gluten in the dressing so I was to avoid this too. We also shared pork scratchings which were some of the best I've ever eaten. Powdered with chilli and fennel and served with an apple sauce they were deliciously moreish.

Cured meat plank

With pasta back on the menu I was determined to give it a try. I went for a fresh crab dish served with capers, chilli, fennel and anchovies. I was pleased to see it come out with a brown pasta (so often the gluten free pasta is the same from chain to chain) but it was sadly overcooked. It was a real shame as the combination of flavours in the sauce and with the crab was spot on. The pasta however, just fell apart on my fork. It hit the flavour expectations of a Jamie inspired dish but the execution was sadly lacking. My wife had the Chicken Cacciatore which again received plaudits for flavour. Beautifully grilled and succulent piece of chicken with a rich sauce full of the heady flavours of Italy. Bizarrely though, the decision to serve it on the garlic bread rather than next to it meant that the bread was a soggy mess by the time you got to it.

Crab with gluten free pasta

Chicken Cacciatore

So an overall mixed experience. The flavours and quality of ingredients give you a lot to get excited about but sadly there's still work to be done for those dining with allergens. With so many competitors getting it right (Cote Brasserie for  mid-market diners, Pizza Express for Italian) it baffles me that with the resources behind Jamie's Italian, it's still not quite hitting the mark.

Pickled Plates Supper Club, London

More than ever, eating out is becoming a social experience. My instagram is awash with people's culinary snaps. Chefs and critics may bemoan bloggers, vloggers and the like for reaching for the camera with every dish they're served, but it's all part of a new social era. Social has become virtual, but it's also gone back to basics too. Supper clubs have sprung up across the UK. What can be more social than someone inviting you into their home to try their food? One of my very talented friends Polly, a trained chef, and Hana, with a background in events, have created a superb social dining experience with their Pickled Plates Supper Club. Earlier this year we got a group of friends together and went along to their home in Walthamstow to give it a try.

Pickled Plates Supper Club Menu

We arrived excitedly and were greeted with a cocktail of whisky, blood orange, ginger and bitters. If all greetings were with a cocktail that was this good the world would be a better (and drunker) place! I can imagine that if you didn't know your dining compatriots then starting off with a boozy cocktail is a great way to get the conversation flowing. Handwritten menus, tea lights and succulents dotted artistically around the table - this is an instagrammers paradise - created a wonderfully cosy atmosphere too.

Whisky, Ginger, Blood Orange and Bitters

Polly and Hana are big fans of Lee Wescot from the Typing Room and James Lowe at Lyles. Both chefs are about celebrating British food with a modern twist and this is certainly echoed in the Pickled Plates menu. A canapé of haggis, neeps and tatties, were crispy, coated, deep fried balls of good Scottish stuff. It's worth adding at this point that they were great at catering for my gluten allergy too. They had sourced gluten free haggis and cooked mine separately and they were delicious. A rabbit rillette was well seasoned, pickled beetroot and radishes cutting beautifully through the richness of the rillette, beetroot crisps giving added texture and a cassis dressing bringing all the components together. The salt baked celeriac was a real triumph, with a wonderful depth of flavour, and provided a superb companion for a perfectly cooked chunk of whiting. The crispy chicken skin provided a sumptuous, salty seasoning for a creamy clam and prawn butter sauce.

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

Wild Rabbit Rillette

Pan Fried Whiting with Salt Baked Celeriac

When I read toasted marshmallow on the menu for dessert it conjured up images of bonfire night. I'll be disappointed with the Guy Fawkes version in future, because this toasted marshmallow was something else! A big, creamy, silky square, blow-torched to give just the right amount of caramel notes and then served with the acidic hit of blood orange and perfect (gluten free) shortbreads, it was a brilliant dish. The bring your own bottle policy - plus cocktails and a sloe gin accompanying the cheese course - meant that things were probably starting to get a little hazy! But I've got just enough recollection of the deliciously nutty comté, served with plum and juniper jam, a candied walnut and again gluten free oat cakes for the coeliac.

Toasted Marshmallow with Blood Orange and Shortbread

Sloe Gin, Comté, Plum and Juniper Jam, Candied Walnuts and Oatcakes

It was a great night, with great friends and great food. So if you want a fantastic social dining experience check out Pickled Plates, you'll also get the bonus of having some brilliant food to instagram!

Our Pickled Plates Team For the Night

Loch Fyne, Norwich (branches nationwide)

Loch Fyne Oysters

I hadn't been to Loch Fyne for a few years, the last time I went the menu was fairly restrictive for those following a gluten free diet. So when I was invited to review their 'non-gluten' menu I was keen to see what changes they had made.

My wife and I visited their Norwich branch on a busy Friday night. We were shown to our table and our server, Pedro, couldn't hide his excitement at being able to explain their new gluten free credentials. In fact, Pedro was great all night, excitedly explaining dishes to all his tables and even at one point bringing out a lobster to one table to show them what they would get and how to eat it. The staff have always seemed impressively knowledgeable and there is clearly a passion for produce and provenance when it comes to fish and seafood. We were given the 'non-gluten menu' which has good selection and we were also brought the allergen bible which detailed the allergy ingredients in each dish. Pedro also explained that a number of the dishes could be modified as they make nearly everything from scratch.

Razor clams with chorizo and basil

We started with some oysters which were served with a red wine and shallot dressing, a coriander and chilli dressing, a wedge of lemon and a bottle of tabasco. I love oysters and these, fresh from Loch Fyne's own farm on the west coast of Scotland, did what good oysters do, take you straight to the sea. For starter I had razor clams with basil and chorizo which was full of flavour and reminiscent of a Spanish tapas dish. My wife had the Loch Fyne Smokehouse Ashet and I have to say I had a little bit of food envy. It had an element of theatre with the centre piece of Bradan Rost smoked under a cloche. It also came with two different types of smoked salmon, crispy capers and a horseradish cream. Each piece of salmon was beautifully smoked with a range of tastes and textures. The crusty gluten free bread roll we shared was some of the best gluten free bread I've eaten in a restaurant too. A crunchy exterior and soft middle - perfect for mopping up the leftover chorizo and basil butter from my starter.

Loch Fyne Smokehouse Ashet

For main I chose the seafood grill, a celebration of Scottish fish. The stars of the show were the hand dived scallops, served with the roe and cooked to perfection. They were meaty and packed with flavour. Plump mussels were well cooked with the chilli and coriander butter seeping into the shells. Salmon and bream were also succulent pieces of fish, only let down by an absence of crispy skin caused by the butter. A large whole king prawn looked like it should have been the protagonist but couldn't compete with the quality of those scallops! It was all served with spinach and sautéed potatoes and was certainly a filling plate of food. My wife opted for the fish bar, a great concept where you chose a fish, how you want it cooked, a sauce and two sides. She had positive reviews for her grilled cod with tomato salsa, sautéed potatoes and samphire.

Seafood Grill

Grilled cod, tomato salsa, samphire and sautéed potatoes

Coconut rice pudding with mango

As a coeliac I'm used to a limited choice when it comes to gluten free desserts so it was great to have a few to chose from. I chose the coconut rice pudding with mango compote. Luckily our server  explained that it came with some biscuits that weren't gluten free which they would leave off, so when the kitchen accidentally put the biscuits on the plate I knew to steer clear. Mistakes happen and our server was very apologetic and there was no harm done. The dessert itself was a winner, a crunchy brulee top with delicious coconut flavoured rice and mango to cut perfectly through the richness. My wife, who can't resist the allure of the words salted and caramel in the same description, was always going to pick the salted caramel ice cream which she said was one of the best she had had.

I was extremely impressed with Loch Fyne's new gluten free menu, plenty of choice, delicious dishes and some great cooking.

Herman Ze German, London

After a great theatre trip to the Globe in London we needed a late night place to eat. Step up Herman Ze German! I love the current restaurant trend of sticking to one thing and doing it well. Honest and Bird have it sorted for burgers and chicken. Now Herman Ze German has it sorted for German sausage! They have a comprehensive allergen menu on their website which clearly indicates their gluten free options. I went for the Chilli Wurst with pommes (chips) and sauerkraut. The sausage tasted great, with just the right amount of chilli, crispy and salty pommes to mop up the american mustard and ketchup and sauerkraut giving a tasty pickled flavour to cut through everything. There are a few outlets dotted around London. It's no frills dining and we were in late so we were joined by a few drunken revellers but for good, gluten free food at inexpensive prices it's a great place to go.

Herman Ze German - Gluten Free Chilli Wurst, Pommes & Sauerkraut

Orford Plaice, Norwich

Fish and chips, a British staple. Well not for everyone, but gradually coeliacs are getting back in on the action too! I blogged recently about No.1 Cromer and then along comes Orford Plaice, a gluten free chippy even closer to home and perhaps dangerously close to my office! Inside it's pretty no frills but then that's not what anyone is here for. I glance around and people are tucking into generous portions of battered goodness. I double check that the gluten free option is cooked in a separate fryer and the server gives me the reassurance I was looking for. There's another chippy in Norwich that is serving gluten free but unfortunately not cooked separately, potentially putting coeliacs at risk. I was pleased to see the care and attention that Orford Plaice gave to my order. Cooked separately, separate warming drawer, separate chips and finally separate utensils. They even had gluten free labelled vinegar, they clearly knew what they were doing. As for the fish and chips? They were great, crisp, crunchy batter, succulent soft cod and good chip shop chips. It get's the thumbs up from me!

Gluten free fish and chips at Orford Plaice in Norwich