Eating Gluten-Free In The Hague
In The Hague on Tuesday night, we went out to dinner to a restaurant called Sapori d’Italia in the Javastraat. It’s the second time, I’ve eaten in that road and although both weren’t cheap they were excellent and knew their gluten-free.
We had a lot of real Italian antipasti of which the most unusual was a very garlicky crostini on gluten-free bread. It was obviously, easy to make and surprisingly gluten-free toast makes a good crostini.
We also went for lunch on Wednesday to an Italian style cafe, where gluten-free was again no problem.
The Netherlands may have very quirky train ticketing, but their cooking for coeliacs is pretty good.
An Excursion In Brussels
I had nearly three hours to wait for my train in Brussels Midi and as I wasn’t sure about our eating arrangements, I thought a quick snack would be in order in the city. From previous experience, I know that the city has good places where I can get a good gluten-free meal.
A quick look around the station after my gentle argument with the guy in Information, indicated that there was nothing but bars and gluten-rich snack places in the station. There was a Starbucks, but you don’t go to one of the gastronomic capitals of the world to go to Starbucks.
So I decided to get a Metro to the area around the cathedral. I couldn’t fathom out the automatic machines, but at least there was a friendly ticket office, where they could understand my French. After getting confused and being sorted on the line to take to go north by an Italian from Milan, where we mused on the confusing maps and directions in the Brussels Metro, I finally got to a station called de Brouckère somewhere near where I thought I wanted to be. I emerged and found my way with ease.
If I’d had more time there was an exhibition of the Terracotta Army, which looked worth visiting.
Eventually, I found a street full of Thai restaurants, which I walked down to the end and found a welcoming-looking place called Le Roi des Belges.
So I took a chance and entered.
I asked if the waitress if the food and especially the plat du jour of salmon was gluten free. It wasn’t just gluten-free but delicious, being cooked with asparagus, tomatoes, herbs and mashed potato. The Belgian speciality of frites was absent. with a Pepsi, it cost me just €12.
it appeared to me though, that this could be the sort of restaurant, that will often be full. So be prepared to go somewhere else, if you turn up on the off-chance.
I walked on to the next Metro station and got the tram back to Brussels Midi.
When I was on the high speed train, it made another stop in Brussels Central station. If you know the city, then you might pick up your onward train to The Netherlands from here.
To The Hague And Back
On Tuesday, I took the Eurostar to see a friend in The Hague. This is a picture of me, eating a gluten-free breakfast in Premium Economy on Eurostar.
Eating A Gluten-Free Breakfast On Eurostar
I know it is only a snack, but it is nice to get something if you’re a coeliac and need gluten-free food.
I had orange juice, yoghurt, as much tea as I wanted, some Dove Farms biscuits, gluten-free bread, butter and a small pot of Tiptree jam.
This leg of the journey cost me £107. That may seem a lot, especially as I could have flown to Brussels on BA for £59, if I’d have booked earlier. But I would doubt, I’d have got such a nice breakfast and I would then have to get to and from the two airports at Heathrow and Brussels.
I actually booked a few days ago, but Standard Premier, always seems to be the same price of £107. I could have travelled in Standard for less at less than forty pounds or to any Belgian station for just £44. Standard Premier to any Belgian station is £116. For many travelling to the southern parts of the Netherlands, that will be a good option, as you can go to Antwerp and travel on from there. You’ll also get to see the triple decker station.
If you’re on an evening train, I’ve usually found the dinner and free wine to be excellent.
I had booked a connection in Brussels, that gave me over three hours in the Belgian capital, so I had time to do two things. One was to take an excursion to get some lunch and the other was to see if I could get a ticket on the InterCity train to The Hague.
I tried the Information, and the guy there said that the train had been discontinued. He did offer me a local train, that went via changes at Antwerp and Rosendaal, but I didn’t want to go on a mystery tour of the Low Countries. There were no machines to try out, so I decided to stop being a nuisance and use my ticket on the Fyra high-speed train to Rotterdam. Incidentally, there does seem to be a few teething problems with the organisation at Brussels, with Eurostar and Thalys up one end of the station and the Fyra at the other. They also changed the platform about fifteen or so minutes before the train departed. The carriage numbers are a bit confusing too, if you’ve been used to the old British Rail system of A-K and First generally towards London. Sometimes, I think the EU should lay down a few standards that would help us all.
Fyra Arrives At Rotterdam
The picture shows the train after arrival at Rotterdam.
The train is a typical boring train, where in Standard Class, you get comfortable seats with only minimal leg-room. It was no more comfortable than the Mk 3 coach, I ride in to Ipswich. But one thing that was disconcerting was that there were quite a few thumps coming from the suspension. My neighbour on the train; a Greek physicist, said that that was common. Incidentally, she’d paid the same €22, that I had for my ticket. It was just a sheet of A4 paper. More on this later.
I then took the local train to Den Haag HS station. I stood all the way, as I was talking to a Swiss lady with a Canadian accent, who worked for Rotterdam police.
I actually arrived earlier than I’d expected, as the Den Haag train I got was an earlier connection, so I had a look round the station, as the next day, I would be getting a ticket from there to Schipol for my flight home. I did find an automatic ticket machine, but it only took debit cards and not even cash. I couldn’t find the ticket office either.
Going home, I was dropped at Den Haag Centraal station and the machines were the same; debit card only. After a twenty minute queue at the ticket office, I eventually used cash to buy a ticket to Schipol to take my flight to the jewel of the Essex coast; Southend. If the Dutch are serious about attracting visitors, they need to look at their ticket machines.
The take-off time was 18:00, but we left early and at 18:05 or sixty-five minutes later because of the time difference, I was on the train towards Liverpool Street. I was sitting watching the television with a cup of tea soon soon after seven.
That six o’clock easyJet flight is certainly the fastest way to get back from Schipol to East and Central London, if you have no baggage, as they always seem to be early at Southend. It also cost me less than forty pounds for the ticket and I had a nourishing gluten-free tomato soup on the journey. Not to Eurostar’s standard but who could serve a meal properly in less than forty minutes. I even got an apology from the stewardess about the soup, as she couldn’t give it enough of a stir. But there were other passengers to serve!
Express Fish
I did my fish recipe last night.
I didn’t do any potatoes, but the food was on the table about ten minutes after putting the fish in the oven.
The biggest delay was waiting for the oven to warm up. Where is an AGA, when you need one? But I couldn’t get one up the stairs here and Jerry’s building might not take the weight.
To Notting Hill For a Pizza
As a coeliac, I don’t get to eat pizza very often. In fact the last time, I ate one, was in Naples in 2009. But that was rather special in that the restaurant was one of the best in that wonderful city in Italy.
Otto Pizza is a short walk from Notting Hill Gate station. I found it on the web last night, after I felt that after seeing the poster in La Porchetta, that I ought to have found gluten-free pizza in the over two years, that I’ve lived in London.
So this lunchtime, I took the Underground to Notting Hill Gate station and then got a 328 bus to outside the restaurant at the Artesian Road stop. Not only did I have a delicious double-flavour pizza, I had a gluten-free beer as well.
The only problem was that streams of Wonga-encrusted buses kept stopping outside.
In fact in one short period of time, of the eight buses that stopped, five had adverts for the barely-legal loan shark. And of the three that didn’t, one was a half-size bus and the other was still an advertising virgin, unmarked by commerce.
As to the unusual pancetta and sprout pizza, it was something I liked a lot. But C, would have really turned up her nose at the Grapes of the Devil.
This is a restaurant that deserves to succeed big time, if only because it doesn’t follow the rule book laid down by big chains.
Keep Calm And Eat Pizza
I saw this sign in the window a La Porchetta restaurant.
Keep Calm And Eat Pizza
I keep calm most of the time, but I can’t find anywhere to eat pizza in London. Unless anybody knows of reliable gluten-free pizza in the city.
The Friendly Wilfrunians
I went to see Ipswich play Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday.
After a sort of brunch in Carluccio’s in Islington, where I had a gluten-free eggs florentine with a portion of pancetta added to mop up the egg yolk and sauce, I took the 12:23 train from Euston.
The ticket was good value in that after my Senior Railcard discount, I paid just £15.50 each way for the direct train. That would have been good value in Standard Class, but I was travelling First both ways. And like most First Class in trains timed for three o’clock football, there was plenty of space both ways. Compare this with the nearly 80 Euros I would have been charged for one way between Brussels and Den Haag.
It was a ticket, that I’d bought a few days ago on-line, but then if you’re going away to watch a football match, you have your schedule days or even weeks before. It would certainly cost you more than £31 to go by road, and you wouldn’t be sitting there doing nothing, except read the paper and drink free coffee.
We arrived on time in Wolverhampton and it isn’t the longest walk to the ground from the station. Especially after directions from a friendly local policeman, who was pleased to give me excellent directions. Not a feature of all places in the UK.
But I’d forgotten my ticket, so I had to buy another one. The supervisor said that if I returned the unused ticket to Ipswich, I might get my money back.
Molineux is a good stadium, with wide comfortable seats. Not that I need the wide bit! The view was good too!
Inside Molineux
Wolves too, followed the tone set by the city and were very friendly. So Ipswich left with a two-nil victory.
The only unfriendly thing, was the loud booing of the home side by their own fans.
I don’t think I’ll return the unused ticket, but at £24 to the £14 I paid on the day, it wasn’t as good a value.
So perhaps on large grounds well away from Ipswich, it might be better to buy the ticket on the day.
I finished the day by getting a 30 bus to the Angel and having a curry in the Angel Curry Centre. This is ideal after a trip that ends in one of the stations on Euston Road, as the bus stops just a few metres from the door.
An Early Morning Raid On Waitrose
This morning I needed the usual Saturday morning shopping and as I’m going to Wolverhampton later this morning to see Ipswich play, I went to Waitrose early.
Or should I say two Waitroses, as due to their stocking policy, neither stocks all of my favourite gluten-free brands. First it was a visit to the littleWaitrose at Highbury Corner.
Highbury Corner littleWaitrose
All I bought was a Genius brown loaf, as my previous one was past my view of an eat-by date. It was then on a 43 bus to the Angel.
A 43 Bus To The Angel
And a walk round the corner to one of the smallest proper Waitroses in the country.
Waitrose At The Angel
I got the rest of my shopping here.
Just One Bag And A Loaf
It was just one small bag and a loaf, when I got home.
I suppose I could go to another bigger Waitrose, but then I’d have the problem of finding things in an unfamiliar store. And the Genius brown bread, seems to only be in the littleWaitroses. and decent gluten-free sausages don’t seem to be in any shop in London.
I think the bread and sausage problem is the same. Waitrose believes it’s own brands are good. They are very very wrong!
At least today, I didn’t have to get any EatNatural cereal, as you can only get the vinefruit flavour in Sainsburys. At least it’s at the Angel next to the Waitrose.
The chuggers were also still in their beds.
Where Are The Chuggers?
Or at least they hadn’t arrived yet!
Taking A Muffin Break
At Lewisham on the outrun to The Valley, I had plenty of time to change from the DLR to the 380 bus.
So I went into the shopping centre by the station, which could best be described as the shopping equivalent of the Kings Cross station extension. I’m sure the architect, thinks it’s one of his best pieces of work, but I thought, this is the sort of place, I walk quickly through.
I was looking for a coffee and suspected I might find a Starbucks or a Costa. I did find one of the latter, but it was rather busy, so I gave it a miss.
I did however find a coffee place called Muffin Break, with real cups and a sign that said gluten-free muffins. So I decided to at least have a try.
The picture doesn’t do the muffin justice, as it was moist, just crumbly enough and with a proper taste of berries. The later wasn’t surprising as it was a mixed berry muffin.
It was a complete surprise to find in that shopping centre in Lewisham.
Apparently, it’s a Canadian concept that has been developed by the Australians, where it has 179 stores out of 256 worldwide. Read their history here.
Who cares? It was a good muffin.
Fighting Cancer With A Trojan Horse
I like this report on the BBC web site. In brief the new therapy can be described like this.
The team hid cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour.
Once inside, tens of thousands of viruses were released to kill the cancerous cells.
It certainly gives hope to cancer sufferers. Obviously, it has to be proven in humans, although as the study showed, it worked well in mice with prostate cancer.
I do think though, that we underestimate the value of the immune system in fighting cancer. Research has shown for instance, that those who eat their five portions of fruit and veg each day, have a better record against cancer, as do coeliacs, who stick to the gluten-free diet.
I also know of two people, one of whom was my son, who perhaps were not too sensible with their habits, who were thought by their respective families to be coeliacs. Both died of aggressive cancers.
I know two cases doesn’t prove a theory, but I do feel that as we learn more about the immune system and treatments such as this Trojan horse method, we will start to win the fight against cancer.
On the other hand, I totally despair as I pass the pub next door and see the smokers up to six deep on the pavement.
The Anonymous Widower 