Gluten Savvy

Thanh Binh (Sydney, Australia)

May 23rd, 2010 by rosanne

It’s not often I’m invited to a 40th birthday banquet at a fancy restaurant and actually get to eat almost everything on the set menu. I don’t actually know what the menu at Thanh Binh looks like (the online version does not show GF options) but when I mentioned to the helpful waitstaff that my daughter and I both needed gluten- and dairy-free food, I was instantly reassured it wouldn’t be a problem. Many delicious courses later, my taste buds were delighted and my belly was happy.

The first course was already on the table when I arrived: rice-flour pancakes filled with mushrooms and beanshoots. The woman serving us (who seemed to be the manager) quickly let me know that the dipping sauce had soy sauce in it and that she’d be back in a moment with a gluten-free fish sauce equivalent. She also brought me deliciously subtle rice-paper rolls to make up for the fact that everyone else was having spring rolls. She told me everything else was prepared with rice flour except the banana fritters and that all the other dishes should be fine.

Then there was a terrific fish dish — tender chunks of fish coated in rice flour, deep fried and served with a fresh Vietnamese mint salad. My daughter (only 16 months) wolfed these down but I paced myself knowing what was to come. The water spinach was delectable. I sampled the chilli and lemongrass tofu provided to a vegetarian guest: spicy, soft and crunchy all at once. I assumed the next dish, a duck salad was prepared with soy sauce but didn’t bother asking, wanting to test what I’d been told (and prepared to deal with the consequences). It was utterly delicious, but I do think it had gluten in it. I’m taking a half-star off for that, but only because I’d been told all the other dishes should be fine.

By this point, everyone was protesting they didn’t need any more food but it kept coming anyway. I didn’t eat the beef dish, since I don’t eat beef, but my daughter did and had no problems.

Next was the first dessert dish: sweet corn, tapioca and coconut cream soup. I think this is an acquired taste — but it made sense as a transitional dish. The highlight of my meal was the next dish: the original was sago in coconut, with a coconut pudding in the middle, pomegranate seeds and banana fritters. For our version, they simply gave us fresh banana slices instead. The crisp autumn flavours of the fruit were just superb against the warm comfort of the sago and the pudding.

With fabulous food, generous helpings and extremely gracious staff, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Thanh Binh. With gluten-free clearly marked on the menu, this would have been a five-star restaurant. As it is, the food is superb, but it’s still advisable to ask about every dish.

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