Hello from Vienna,
Caroline Oldham
This week I am in Vienna doing some research for the Biteappy app! I am testing out the translations as well as the food and what they have to offer when it comes to 'free from' and how they deal with food allergies and special diets. Vienna is an absolutely stunning city, the old buildings are beautiful and there is a lot to see and do from visiting the history museum, walking around the beautiful gardens of Schönbrunn Palace to having a horse and carriage ride around the city.
I am always slightly nervous when travelling, however now I have Biteappy I feel a lot more confident mainly because I know from the deep research we do abroad in restaurants I am bound to find somewhere to eat and if I want to try somewhere new I have the translations on the phone which really help when trying to communicate what I can and can't eat. We are staying in the Park Hyatt which is really central in Vienna, although we didn't have breakfast included we decided to try it on the first morning, the buffet is very large and ranges from an egg station to fresh fruit, cereals and much more.
As I walked around the buffet I was slightly disappointed all cereals were gluten containing, no special milks, to be honest only fruit was the only thing I could see that I could eat safely. The staff speak excellent English and they bought me some gluten free bread but it was cold and I couldn't use the toaster due to cross contamination. The only thing I could have was fresh fruit or an omelet made to order with an option of fillings. I decided to have the omelet and it was delicious I had it with spinach, onion and tomato but when we were hit with a 66 euro bill at the end of the breakfast, was it worth it... probably not.
They did have all the food clearly labeled with the containing allergens next to it but it would have been nice to have some extra options. An important thing to mention is that most restaurants here do have all their menus labeled with the allergens but it is more important to note that even though these are labeled it does not mean they will have an option for you so make sure you study them before deciding to eat there.
Restaurant Hangout Of The Week
I found some fantastic places while I have been here including a wonderful Italian called Fabio's located in central Vienna, which adjusted all their dishes, and they have gluten free pasta. Café Central a famous café that serve lactose free hot chocolate and it is really delicious. However my restaurant hangout of the week has to be 'Simply Raw Bakery' located a few minutes walk from the Park Hyatt this bakery does breakfast and lunch and also cakes which are all raw and vegan and most of them are gluten and wheat free.
The owner speaks excellent English and I visited a few times. When everybody is tucking into Apple Strudel it is nice to be able to pick something up for you so you don't feel left out. I tried a few things; among them was the raw chocolate and banana cake with a date and cashew base and raspberry cream with a nut base, totally delicious.
When it comes to Autumn I love to make some warm breakfasts, it's a lovely way to start to day especially if you have a cold walk to the tube or you have that 5 cold minutes in the car when you are heading to work. These Paleo blueberry and banana muffins are a great way to start the day they are also gluten, wheat and dairy free and if you use my top tip from the other week then you can substitute the two eggs for half a cup of apple sauce to make them vegan.
Top Tip of the Week
Nuts and dates are a wonderful way to make a substitute for any type of pudding that has a biscuit base for example cheesecake. All you need to do is soak some cashews overnight, soak the dates for 10mins, then put cashews, almonds, dates some coconut flakes and pinch of salt in a blender and mix until combined. Then push down into a cake tin and place in the freezer for 10mins to harden. So simple and tastes delicious.
Tagged in Caroline Oldham