Restaurant review: 'I'm glad people who want to eat plant-based, gluten-free food have a place to call their own. I just wish the food was better'

"Afriend has been newly diagnosed with coeliac disease and her experience of eating out has so far been hit-and-miss. Sometimes, even though she's told the restaurant she is coeliac and has ordered dishes she has been assured are gluten-free, she has suffered symptoms, which suggests there has been cross-contamination. Most of the time, she tells me, the options are so limited - she's been eating a lot of steak - she wonders if it is worth going to restaurants at all."

"I know many vegetarians and vegans feel the same - too often they have no choice at all, the dishes available to them reeking of afterthought. Riffs on the theme of beetroot and goat's cheese - yawn! - still predominate."

A friend newly diagnosed with coeliac disease experiences inconsistent safety when dining out, including symptoms after meals despite ordering gluten-free, suggesting cross-contamination. Menu options for coeliacs are often very limited, pushing some toward repetitive choices like steak. Vegetarians and vegans encounter similarly narrow offerings, with many dishes feeling like afterthoughts rather than thoughtful options. Common vegetarian riffs rely on beetroot and goat's cheese combinations, which dominate menus and lack originality. Presentation at the venue appears dated and the flavour underwhelming, reducing appeal even where dietary accommodations are advertised.

Read at Independent