Enjoying Award-Winning a Complete GLUTEN FREE Dinner @Dominic Teague’s Indigo Restaurant, One Aldwych Hotel, London…

Indigo located on the Mezzanine level of luxury Hotel One Aldwych, Indigo is an interesting restaurant for any Coeliac. Their Executive Chef caused a storm in 2016 by changing the Menu so it’s all GLUTEN FREE and DAIRY FREE and not telling any of the diners. Yes, it’s an exclusive experience to receive a Menu and know everything on it is a selection you can make, and there’s no need to explain my restrictions and condition and hope that they fully understand the specific requirements that I have. It won the prestigious discretionary Pathfinder Award to Executive Chef Dominic Teague and Indigo for their ground breaking work in catering for those on FreeFrom diets to celebrate the opening of the 2016 competition, the FreeFrom Eating Out Awards. So it was time to return to see if the high standards are still being maintained and the selection was still as extensive for a coeliac?!

So whilst you have to clearly request a GLUTEN FREE dish, all the dishes “Are entirely GLUTEN and DAIRY FREE” so you can be assured of it’s ingredients. This means rather than having a “special” Menu, you and your guests have the same experience with all GLUTEN FREE dishes. The Menu reflects the seasons with additional dishes added appropriate to the time of year, so it’s always fresh and exciting.

For my starter this time, I opted for the “Pressed Cornfed Chicken Terrine” which was absolutely delicious. It was made up of large pieces of succulent chicken in a salty well-flavoured jelly and such a light starter. It was well presented with a homemade piccalilli which was sharp and crisp without over-dominating the light chicken. And of course this added colour and style to the terrine.

My GF Starter

For my Main Course, I really struggled between the pasta or the fish. Both sounded devine but given, I do enjoy GF Pasta, I went for the “Hand Rolled Tagliatelle” after the waiter explained how they actually made the pasta and of course the fresh sauce it is lightly cooked in. It was a great choice as GLUTEN FREE Pasta can be a little soggy and tasteless but this was great. It had a great herby sauce and thick soft pieces of Tagliatelle which tasted beautiful.

GF Main Course

And finally, it was crunch time!: Desserts! So I choose the “Strawberry Meringue” as I saw another diner enjoying this and really liked the look of it. It was a great light finish to a good meal: the meringue was crunchy and chewy with a superb strawberry ice cream alongside fresh strawberries soaked in a balsamic and mint dressing and topped with freeze-dried strawberries which were so intense and zingy.

My GF Dessert

My fellow diner went for the “Fig and Pistachio Tart” and whilst i’m not overwhelmed by NUTS! I had to try this warm tart. It was such a refreshing tart with a good solid crunch (made of the pistachio filling contrasting with the thin light pastry case and the decent tart fig jelly and fresh fig topping. It went well with the white chocolate ice cream.

My Dinner Guest’s GF Dessert!

I may have had a few spoonfuls of this second dessert: for research purposes of course! so a great Meal which, for a Coeliac, it a joy not to be specially different, but catered as the No Guest!!

Other culinary delights and charming restaurants in London which willingly and happily cater for Coeliacs, some I have reviewed on my blog, include Skylon @Royal Festival Hall, Northall Restaurant @Corinthian Hotel, Heston’s Dinner @Mandarin Oriental Hotel, The Scott Gilbert @Renaissance Hotel St Pancras, Indigo @One Aldwych, The Hawksmoor, The Wolseley, The Ivy, Searcy’s (up the Gherkin), Ting (up the Shard), Hunan, Skylon, Galvins alongside some who go beyond for the Coeliac (including Niche: which is 100% GF) and Truscott Arms (which is a gourmet pub with yet amazing food!) and Leggero in Soho.

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If you are a member of Coeliac UK, they produce a comprehensive directory which covers over 16,000 food and drink items (including GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars). This is available in a paper-based Manual and online FREE to members of Coeliac UK. Our charity are working with many restaurants and once Coeliac UK are satisfied, they are accredited by Coeliac UK: Click Here. Accredited Restaurants reviewed on my blog includes Carluccios, La Tasca and Ed’s Diner

One of the hard-hitting posters (featuring Yours Truly) from Coeliac UK launched for Awareness Week in 2015 and featured in the Netherlands in 2016.

SIGN UP so you do not miss out on future updates to the Chocolate Bar listing, as well as new Restaurant Reviews, Travelling experiences, Food Shows, Product Reviews and (occasional) Recipes. Also check out my posts on GLUTEN FREE Ice Cream, GLUTEN FREE Advent Calendars, GLUTEN FREE Mince Pies and GLUTEN FREE Valentines Chocolate Treats.

And Advent Calendars for 2017 including DAIRY FREE, EGG FREE & SUGAR FREE as well as GLUTEN FREE, WHEAT FREE and SOYA FREE, Christmas Chocolates for 2017 from Cadburys, and Chocolates for 2017 from Mars Confectionery, Christmas 2017 Festive Sandwiches from M&S and Seasonal Festive treats for 2017 from the Speciality & Fine Food Fair.

This information was correct as of January 2019.

But as I am learning, ingredients do change and therefore you should always read the label and check for yourself whether it is GLUTEN FREE or not!