Mark Kennet is the Head Chef at Oscar & Bentleys, who has a FaceBook page Gluten Free Recipes / Gastronomic Rebel where he shares his creative recipes free from gluten and in many cases FreeFrom many of the 14 allergens so his dishes are suitable for those with allergies and intolerance and not just those who are Coeliac or gluten intolerant
Mark is giving us his feedback on dining out as a gluten free customer with an extensive knowledge of the food service industry.
It’s not often I eat out, like everyone within my group I have dietary requirements, so it makes it difficult as you all know when eating out. So, I ended up at the Brewers Fayre Duke of York Jubilee Way, Guston Wood, in Dover.
- First impressions 3/10
- Menu 1/10
- service 6/10
- Quality of food served 5/10
- Dining company 10/10
If it wasn’t for the company I was with I would have gone elsewhere. So, I rate the Brewers Fayre a very sad 3/10
Worse still they did not state on the NGCI menu the actual menu prices just on the “normal menu”
also if you’re a vegan Coeliac I think you would starve due to the fact nothing listed on the menu was ok for vegans. So, opt for the bottled water, better still Avoid at all costs. or take a chance at the kid’s side orders…
My notes on the menu below…
First impression was I’ve stepped back in time, to a grotty beefeater in 1982, tables were dirty, menus filthy covered in dried on spillage from previous diner’s drinks.
Now it’s the usual no sign of a gluten free menu on the table, so I decided to go on line & use their free Wi-Fi to navigate their web site, still no luck, then finally after hunting down in the small print, I find an 82-page PDF document that I’m supposed to crack the enigma code just to find out what I can eat without making me ill. no chance of that. I’m supposed to be out relaxing & enjoying the evening not going on the krypton factor or an escape Kent event with friends; it’s like a modern-day crystal maze team building event.
Sarah had spotted a non-gluten containing ingredients menu welded to the bar work top, clearly the only poor attempt at a gluten free menu that they are so embarrassed to hand out to customers with dietary requirements they insist you stand there at the bar to make you feel awkward because you have dietary restrictions.
insult to injury…. The Non-Gluten-Containing-Menu – the menu font size was so small it was hard read. the photos of the food are 10 times bigger than the food menu its self.
so, you don’t have to zoom in I’ve got out the magnifying glass & typed it up below for you all.
Non-Gluten Containing Ingredients Menu (NGCI)
All dishes on this menu do not use gluten containing ingredients, we cannot guarantee that any dish is 100% free from gluten. If you have a specific allergy or would like more information about our dishes then please let your server know.
Always let your server know that you are ordering from this NGCI menu. menu descriptions may not list every individual ingredient. Due to the nature of our kitchens. we cannot guarantee that your meal will be free from any allergens including gluten. detailed allergen & nutrition information is available upon request & on line.
Don’t worry, we know there are allergens in our food & drink which we need to tell you about, so please let your server know if you have a specific allergy or would like more information about our dishes. please refer to your NGCI menu. – ( ermmm…. this is the NGCI menu!!!!! is there another secret one I need to know about with actual allergen information?! )
A great place to share (ermmm.. it’s a starter in not going to bloody share anything especially as half of the dish is already missing!)
- Tomato Soup V (Served without malted bloomer bread)
- Prawn Cocktail (Served without malted bloomer bread)
- Crispy Dippers
- Smoked Haddock Fishcakes
Marvelous mains
- Burrito bowl salad V – (Served without flour tortilla), top with chicken for just £1.99 extra
(Please explain to me how to make a burrito without a tortilla? this is 2018. Gluten Free tortillas have been on the market now for well over 5 years & they do taste good, not cheap but taste good.) - Coronation Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken & Bacon Salad
- Smoky Paprika Chicken
- Grilled Gammon Steak
- Smothered Chicken (Served without garlic bread) Double up! enjoy double chicken, cheese & BBQ sauce for just £1.99 extra
(Mmm. I got to pay extra for food I can eat? I can’t see anywhere on the menu of any the dished prices being marked down because I can’t eat anything that contains gluten!)
- Chicken Tikka Curry – (Served without plain naan)
- Salmon & Prawn Rigatoni Pasta (Oh! do they have gluten free pasta? do they know how to cook it properly; will they actually use GF pasta for me instead of normal pasta? I’m not going to take the risk!)
- Salmon Haddock Fishcakes – (our eggs are poached in vinegar; therefore, this dish should be served without eggs) – Barley malt vinegar is classed as gluten free less than 20pmm or Seriously just use Apple cider vinegar!!
- Baked Salmon
- 14 Oz Rib Eye Steak – (Served without onion rings & peppercorn sauce)
- 8 oz Sirloin Steak/ Rump Steak (Served without onion rings)
- 6 oz Ranch Steak
- Half Roast Chicken & Chips
- Full Rack Of ribs
- Chicken & Rib Combo – ( upgrade to a full rack of ribs for just £1.89 extra, Our Blue cheese & Hollandaise sauce are made with non-gluten containing ingredients)
- The Black & Blue (Served without a seeded bun)
- The New Yorker (Served without a seeded bun)
- Beef Cheese & Mushroom Burger (Served without a seeded bun)
Sides
- Bowl Of Chips V
- Medley Of Green Vegetables V
- Mixed Side Salad V
- Coleslaw V
- sweet potato fries V
Puddings
- Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt
- Ice Cream V – served with your choice of Chocolate, Caramel Or Raspberry Sauce
- Pina Colada Sundae V (Served without chocolate coated marshmallow)
- Salted Caramel & Popcorn Sundae V (served without chocolate brownie pieces)(errmm.. isn’t a gluten free brownie one of the most widely available GF pudding on the market so much so coeliacs are so bored with it as normally it’s the only option for them when eating out?)
Kids
Starters
- Chicken Meatballs
- Veggie Sticks & Dip V
Mains
- Beef Burger (Without The Bun)
- Hot Dog (Without The Bun)
- Chicken Burger (Without The Bun)
Sides
- Two Mini Jacket Potatoes
- Baked Beans
- Veggie Stick
- Mini Corn On The Cob
- Peas
- Mashed Potato
- Side Salad
- Brown Rice
- Chips
(Well at least the kid’s menu has more veggie options that the adults menu! I feel I should award them a gold star at this point.)
Puddings
- Ice Cream (Served With Out The Wafer)
- Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt, (Served With Out The Wafer)
- Fab Fruit Lolly & Fruity Salad
- Yeo Valley Yoghurt
Maybe they should rename the NGCI menu the Menu without but the same price!
What can chain restaurant do to make it better for the FreeFrom Customer? Maybe review their menu and see what they can offer rather than removing parts of the dish for n renumeration!
To view Marks FaceBook page, click here