The Highs and Lows of Glutenfrei Eating in Berlin?!

So, the half term hol is nearly over and Dale and I returned from our trip to Berlin last Friday. Now don't get me wrong, I had a great time and Berlin is super interestingting BUT I write a food blog NOT a travel blog so the following is my opinion on the GF food available. Before we went I decided to put out the feelers in Twittersphere to see if anyone had any tips on where to go and what to eat.......with hindsight, I should have read more into the lack of response! As the tumbleweed blew through cyberspace I still didn't put 2 + 2 together..... and  I went went away with a disillusioned spring in my step! My trip (from a food point of view) was disappointing and frustrating. I honestly had some of my most "Coeliac Lows" at this place and nearly 2 years into the whole Coeliac Game I thought I was unsociable. However.....I did not get glutened so that's cause for a big wooohooooo in my books!! Mind you it's a jolly good job I didn't cos in a city that charges 50cents to €1 to use their facilities I would have needed to extend my mortgage to pay for it!!

So please find below the highs and lows of my experience of eating in Berlin!

Highs

1. Discovering Vitalia, a health food chain that is in some train stations (I went to the Alexanderplatz store).

Yep, all of this yellow stuff is glutenfrei! I honestly thought I'd stumbled upon glutenfrei heaven! I stocked up on bread, biscuits and snacks to tide me over (thank goodness I did because I didn't find much else!). The yellow packaging is predominantly Schar products. All the usual dry, carby items you would expect but the few I tasted were fine and dandy!

Slightly windswept and worn out...I had been travelling since 2am!

2. Schnitzer buckwheat and mixed seed bread. Became my staple breakfast / lunch option. Had an interesting twang but I soon got used it and actually quite liked it towards the end!

3. Discovering chocolate spread and dipping biscuits by Schar woop woop!

4. Finding Block House in Alexanderplatz http://www.block-house.de I had read that they may be GF friendly and after not eating a decent meal for well over a day I could have merrily hugged the waiter who knew what I was talking about when I mentioned gluten free!! 

Yes it's a chain, yes it's a steak house BUT they knew about GF eating, I had a choice what I could eat, it was hot food and good quality meat!! I could have cried with happiness! We went twice!! I had sirloin steak and the turkey medallions, I can reccommend both!

5. Sucre et Sel www.sucreetsel.de yep, a French restaurant in Berlin....why not eh?! Run by a French couple who were not at all phased by my dietary requirements! We were speaking to the French owner in English with a German translation of what I could and couldn't eat! Fab eh?! Anyway, all was well and I had chicken with cream and plum sauce with pomme purée 

I could even have pudding here....creme brûlée! Delicious!! One very happy Coeliac!

6. Weinhenstephan restaurant... I know it's a brewery but it seemed to be the name of the restaurant too. Understood what I was on about and were happy to speak to the chef about what I could have! 

Very nice.....good job I like steak eh?!

7. Good ol' Marks and Spencer and Gatwick airport South Terminal! I ran in like a kid in a sweet shop!

Oh joy, never have I been so happy to see a Sarmiento!! Thank you Marks and Sparks!!!

Lows

1. Crying in the street after "rejection gate". I seriously felt a little bit like Mary and Joseph as we arrived on the streets of Berlin (Ostbahnhof to be precise!) tired from travelling all night and hungry from lack of GF snacking available on the plane! One restaurant after another either shrugged their shoulders at my glutenfrei plea, just said "no" or looked genuinely confused by my needs! In the end I did what every good woman should do.....burst into tears! I need feeding, I need feeding at regular intervals......my needs are simple but if they are meant.....jibbering idiot alert!! Cue one big "give up strop" and more Schnitzer bread for dinner....ho hum!

2. Discovering the previously mentioned chocolate spread and dipping biscuits contain hazelnuts! PAH!    Good job I discovered before I ate but...... Big fat booooo to multiple intolerances!

3. Paying just short of €10 for this

Oh yes, it's lettuce with cheese on top! After much explaining about my GF diet which went along the lines of "....Can I have the feta salad....no dressing....no croutons.....etc etc" I thought we were onto a winner! My salad then arrived in a deep fried taco shell thing! Argh! Back to the drawing board.....explained again and got this! Feta?! I think not!! Salad??.... maybe just qualifies as salad. I think we had got past caring by this point!

3. Eating this

while Dale was merrily tucking into Dunkin Donuts, pastries and cake left right and centre. Berlin does cake well....Berlin DOES NOT do GF cake well!

4. Feeling slightly smug to have found a fruit bar (woop woop....not exactly cake eh?!) with lovely clear GF labelling....

....only to discover it contains almonds...double drat!! Really need to check these things before I purchase! 

Well, our school motto is "Perstare Praestare" ...To Persevere is to Suceed! I think this sums up my trip to Berlin beautifully! After the initial lows over the first couple of days our perseverance definitely paid off! No, it's not easy to find GF food in Berlin but it's not impossible! If you're planning a trip in that direction please get in touch on Twitter, (@lizprice79) I'd be more than happy to help or point you in the right direction. Berlin has lots to offer. I definitely "heart"

Berlin! But boy, oh boy did I need to make this cake when I got back!

Have a great week everyone! X