I had a pretty good meal at Carluccio’s on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield recently. I went with my book club, one of whom is also gluten free, and I have to say, the food, wine and service was good.

Carluccio’s (an Italian chain) is pretty new to Eccy Road, not far away from the locally famed Italian Restaurant, Nonna’s, and nestled amongst various other eateries. I chose it because I thought it would be pretty reliable from a safe eating point of view and they are one of the lovely places that have an actual gluten free menu. This improves the GF dining experience so much in my experience, as it gives you the selection of everything you can have, rather than having to search for the one or two safe things on the menu.

I had the fish stew, which came with prawns, clams, fish, mussels and chorizo in a lovely anise-flavoured rich sauce. I think they could have done a bit better than the bought sliced bread that arrived with it though – it comes with some nice crusty bread if you’re not gluten free. However, the stew was delicious. My friend chose the sea bass fillets with courgettes and salsa, which looked great too, and I’m assured tasted lovely.

I’m just browsing the Carluccio’s website as I write this, and I’m pleased to report that they have helpfully published their gluten free menu on their website. Unfortunately, I’ve also just noticed a rather disappointing/unsettling disclaimer on the bottom, which reads: “Due to the presence of gluten and nuts in our kitchens, we are unable to guarantee the absence of these allergens in our menu items”. I think I can feel an email coming on…

————————————-

Update: 26.01.15, 22.22

I have emailed Simon Kossoff, the CEO at Carluccio’s to ask what it’s all about. I’ll let you know if I get a reply.

————————————-

Update: 05.02.15 21.56

See my later blog post to read Simon Kossoff’s response to my email

————————————-