Guest Restaurant: Cervejaria Ramiro

You go to Lisbon thinking you’re rather partial to seafood. You go to Cervejaria Ramiro and you leave Lisbon realizing how a meal with 3 basic ingredients can turn your partiality into utter adulation.

Cervejaria Ramiro has been around since the 1950s. They don’t take bookings, and we were lucky enough to turn up early afternoon when there was little to no queue. You’re seated, served refreshingly cold drinks (bless Portugal and their 375mL single serving bottles of wine) and invited to choose from their crustacean menu. Our waiter was pleasantly helpful, reaffirming our instincts on what to order, but needed guidance on how much to order.

Garlic shrimp and steamed clams to start, then a 1kg crab, giant tiger prawns, and red shrimp. Crab came complete with a small board and mallet, which makes for a great hands-on experience, if also a slightly messy and noisy meal.

There are no vegetable or side dishes on offer really, just bread - no for me - but what made this lunch one of the most relaxed dining escapades as a Coeliac was the fact that it was obvious the crustaceans were just cooked with steam, garlic, butter, and love. I had no concerns about cross-contamination and I suppose unless you’re a vegetarian or lactose intolerant (the butter), this is one of the purest culinary experiences you can embark on, even just a few hours after a night out along the Bairro Alto and all that sangria.

Cervejaria Ramiro
Av. Almirante Reis, nº1 H
1150-007 Lisboa

Bite down the line

Tuesday night is gluten-free night at Brockley's Rock down in SE4. I'd been through Brockley once before, to see an endearing production of The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre a couple of years ago and I'd vowed to return. I took another jaunt down the Overground for some fish n chips this time around.

The eat-in area was quiet upon our arrival but staff were at the ready and definitely hold allergen awareness in high regard. All the stops are pulled to ensure little to no cross contamination in the kitchen, including special batters, as well as separate fryers and heating windows. The gluten-free batter on the plaice I had was well flavoured and welcomingly crisp, though next time I will definitely opt for a more fleshy fish as plaice is admittedly rather flat. They doublechecked ingredients of the salad dressing on hand that night, which was not gluten free, but even the plain side salad itself was a very generous helping to accompany what is otherwise your typical guilty pleasure of a night out, without the effects of coeliac kryptonite.

Offering a BYOB option with a minimal corkage fee, Brockley's Rock is still a takeaway joint at heart and by the time we were leaving there was quite the crowd waiting for their box of goodness. Glad to have it practically around the corner but would happily venture from far any Tuesday.

Dry the River

Tucked away amidst the fresh mountain springs, Ristorante delle Fonti is backdropped by the Fonti di Poiano in the province of Reggio Emilia. I have fond memories of summer days at the spring, which feeds the Fiume Secchia ("dry river").

The restaurant itself is a gem. The gnocco fritto is admittedly not gluten-free but based on feedback from others in the party, it was tasty and wonderfully light. As per usual in Italy, the waiting staff were able to advise on alternate options (though I did make a dent in the prosciutto, salami, and cheese boards that accompanied the fried dough) and I opted for some chicken/veg brochettes and salad. More Lambrusco and a few aperitifs later, I was pleasantly full and sitting in the dark night of the valley under the cascade of the Perseids meteor shower.

Rare Catch

Wednesdays at Oliver's Fish and Chips in Belsize Park is gluten-free night. They use dedicated fryers so as to ensure there is no great risk of cross contamination and any fish on the menu can be battered with their special flour blend. Dining on fish and chips in style, the sides on offer are wonderfully varied so as to feel like a proper meal, though they do delivery and take-away as well, meaning no one has to miss the Great British Bake Off.

A rare catch: gluten-free fish and chips

The batter itself gave a beautiful, golden crust, both flaky and crispy - a texture not always easy to recreate sans gluten. If only they did their dessert fritters in said batter as well. It was two years before I properly longed for battered fish but despite it not being a staple of my diet (will I be approved for British citizenship?) I will definitely find my way round to Oliver's again.