Open Door Policy

(19 Yong Siak Street, tel: 6221 9307)

Open Door Policy’s 100 per cent gluten- and dairy- free menu was made available last week and is slated to be officially launched this week. Highlights include a vegan mac and cheese pasta made with portobello bolognese, gratin and bechamel, sans the use of cream, cheese or beef. There is also a crab agnolotti with saffron and corn sauce and sugar snap peas, and a rustic tapioca and borlotti beans soup served with tomato and warm bread. Yes, the bread is also gluten-free.

Angela May Food Chapters

(Robinsons The Heeren #02-02, 260 Orchard Road, tel: 6681 7440)

Dishes here reflect the way the chef-owner likes to eat, while the menu was created so that diners of varied dietary restrictions could still have a meal together. Dishes such as the pork collar and white beans, and red mullet with hand-cut coconut noodles in a lemongrass-coconut cream, were created with specifically the gluten-intolerant in mind, as was the dessert of chilled coconut chia pudding served with fresh berries and a drizzle of gula melaka.

Afterglow

(24 Keong Saik Road, tel: 6224 8921)

It does not only champion fresh, wholesome food with a focus on raw food and artisan products from around the globe. This farm-to-table menu also boasts mains that gluten-sensitive diners can revel in. The “deconstructed sushi bowl” for instance pairs black rice with seasonal pickles, shitake mushrooms, avocado, nori and a mild wasabi dressing. There is also a “raw zucchini linguine” with walnut “meat”-balls, as well as a “raw crispy lasagne” made with zucchini sheets, macadamia nut cream cheese, pine nuts and mixed herbs pesto, crispy dehydrated cherry tomatoes, marinated baby spinach and shitake mushroom.

The Providore

(Mandarin Gallery, tel: 6732 1565; PasarBella, tel: 6468 9766; and Tangs, tel: 6235 1425)

This week, a full range of gluten-free breads, cakes and pastries from Jonathan’s, possibly Singapore’s first purely gluten-free kitchen, will be available at The Providore’s PasarBella Singapore stores over the weekend, and as a permanent fixture at its cafe outlets. This is a lot rarer than one might think as such bakes need to be made at a certified factory to avoid cross contamination, said the staff. As such, breads on the menu can be substituted with gluten-free bread on request. Choices for the main course include the bomba paella rice with Iberico chorizo, selected seafood, and the pan-seared ocean trout served with organic “energy rice” and beetroot relish.

Saint Pierre

(#02-02B One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road, tel: 6438 0887)

Save for the bread, more than 90 per cent of the menu at the revitalised restaurant is gluten-free. It also helps that it offers a vegan and a vegetarian menu as well. And although requests for dairy-free products happen less often, it helps that the restaurant’s “essence-centric cuisine” does not feature large amounts of dairy to begin with. Here the tomato with white balsamic sorbet, and the pigeon dish would be good choices.

Zafferano

(Level 43-01, 10 Collyer Quay, tel: 6509 1488)

Most of its signature items on the a la carte menu are recommended to diners with gluten-free and dairy-free requests, said restaurant manager Paolo Colzani. These include the risotto with langoustine and Iranian saffron (gluten-free), and poached then pan-seared Sardinian octopus with seasonal vegetables (gluten- and diary-free). And because many customers have asked for it, the kitchen also does gluten-free pasta (such as spaghetti) that diners can have with their preferred sauce. The popular choice is to have it with fresh tomatoes and mixed seafood.