Thanks to the interwebs I was able to do some research and find 7 restaurants people had identified as "GF friendly." I assumed this meant the staff would attempt to accommodate a GF person and there would be maybe one or two dishes I would be able to safely consume. Oh, how wrong I was about food in this beautiful city!
Our plane arrived at 4:25 so as soon as we got settled in our apartment we headed straight back out to find dinner. The closest restaurant on our list was Cafe Andaluz, a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Imagine my surprise when I was handed this menu:
All of the GF selections are clearly labeled and populate about half of the menu!!! I was all like running-man-cabbagepatch-arsenio-hall-dog-pound up in there! Woot wooooooooot!
Zack got ground venison, sauteed chorizo in a wine sauce, and a sweet potato, herb, and chickpea medley.
I got salmon, au'gratin potatoes, and spicy lamb meatballs. Nom nom nom.....
The food was delicious! Well, except for the dead wasp Zack found in his chorizo :/
For breakfast the next morning we went to Henderson's, a vegetarian restaurant. We both got eggs, sausage, sauteed mushrooms and haggis. I'm generally not a big sausage person (sorry B) but I did enjoy these vegetarian ones. All of the food was GF and they had the softest, most delicious GF bread I've ever tasted!
For dinner the second night we ate at Mama's in Grassmarket for pizza. I didn't take any photos because it was just pizza, but any pizza on the menu is available with a GF crust! Mama's touts themselves as an American style pizza restaurant but I would describe the food more like an Italian pizza crust with American style toppings. Also featured here was Greens Premium Pils GF beer. It was surprisingly tasty and I felt like I could almost taste the hops, if there were any.
Unlike other trips we decided to eat out rather than try and cook in, mainly because of the anticipated lack of GF bread etc in local stores. So we went to the tiny grocery store 50 meters from our apartment not only sold organic milk (not shelf milk!!) and eggs, but also FRESH GF bread and little cake bites! SAY WHAT??!!! I nearly fainted in the store but the sensation crap in my pants was enough to keep me awake. Here in our commissary and even back in the states all of the GF bread was frozen. Until this trip I'd never had fresh GF bread. It was white, much less healthy than I prefer, but beggars can't be choosers and it was amazing- soft and fluffy without the gaping air bubbles typically found in Rudi's and Udi's GF breads. Granted it was not as good as the bread from Hendersons's but it was still 1,000 times better than what I normally eat. As for the cake bites, they were crumbly and too sweet for my taste but again, still better than most prepacked GF foods I've been exposed to.
Due to lack of planning on our part, we failed to make reservations for The Doric Tavern in a timely manner and were turned away at supper. However, we were pleased to be informed that they serve a full traditional Scottish menu for lunch. This was a good option for us because the place was packed to the gills at night and during the day there were open tables and other families with children.
The Doric's menu also clearly labels all GF options. My Scottish smoked salmon appetizer usually comes with bread but they were kind enough to substitute GF cracker that were so good, I would eat them even if I wasn't GF.
Zack had haggis balls for his appetizer
And our friend, Brent, had mussels. Now normally I am not a fan of bivalves but these Scottish mussels were so soft and tender with a touch of sweetness I could have eaten every last one of his.
Daura Damm, a GF beer, was on the menu here. It was more bitter and less tasty than the Greens but I was still grateful to be able to drink beer whilst in Great Britain. I do NOT drink Scotch and it just seemed blasphemous to drink wine... so I had two.
My entree was lamb roast with a potatoes and fresh veggies. De-LISH!!! It's not often we have fresh lamb and it really makes all the difference, especially when it's pastured and local.
Zack had Shepherd's Pie and veggies..
And our friend had a mildly phallic looking plate of haggis and potatoes.
Our final dinner in Scotland was at Vittora on the Bridge which was not, in fact, on a bridge. Living in Italy, I will admit that Italian food was not my first choice but it was the closest GF restaurant to the Edinburgh Castle and we didn't want to travel too far after we ate. We were lucky to arrive minutes before 5pm when their reservations begin and we got a tiny table in the back. Even at 5pm the place was packed to the gills.
Again, they had GF markers right on the menu (!!!!) and all pasta came in a GF option! Inspired by the previous day's mussels, I got a seafood pasta that was comprised not only of more tender mussels but also generously stocked with shrimp, octopus, and at least one thing I couldn't identify. The photo does not do the dish justice because there was much more seafood than there appears to be.
Zack got what the menu called "Humane Veal Parmesan," whatever that hell that is supposed to mean.
The Edinburgh airport was nice but we did not need to try and eat there. However our layover in Amsterdam was at dinner time so we did need to find sustenance. I've never been to Amsterdam but if the airport is any indication of how the people here eat, I will make a trip back here.
Airports are always the hardest for me, even when I wasn't GF because we do eat healthy. Cinnabon, McDonald's and greasy frozen pizza are just not my bag, baby. In addition to fresh salads with real greens, not iceberg lettuce, they had smoothies, fresh fruit, fruit cups, yogurt with granola, and handmade hot and cold sandwiches.
You can go ahead and ask me how my mind was but you probably already know the answer: BLOWN!
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