Sydney’s Best Gluten-Free Brekkies

It’s an unspoken tradition for most Australian city dwellers. Sunday morning café breakfasts. Eggs, loved ones, the paper, perhaps the dog and the scent of coffee. It’s a moment of calm, a meal that says ‘no worries’ just for now.

For coeliac disease sufferers and gluten intolerant folk, eating that juicy breakfast in a relaxed state isn’t as hard as it used to be. Many Sydney cafés offer as the bare minimum, gluten-free bread options to accompany your poached and sautéed fare. Some even go beyond expectation and label whole dishes with the blessed 2 letter symbol, ‘GF’ (gluten free).

Keep in mind, if it is only gluten-free bread that is offered, be sure to quiz the waiter whether other ingredients in your meal will contain gluten. The nasty offenders can often lurk in sauces and spices hidden in your meal which can cause a lot of strife for highly sensitive folk.

Here is a list of some of the best Sydney cafés which serve up gluten-free slices and dishes for a glorious, healthy and safe brekkie!

Aquabar
1/266 Campbell Parade, North Bondi
No matter how hard you try, the South African owners of Aquabar won’t tell you where they source their gluten-free brioche-like bread from. The only secret revealed is that it was selected vigilantly with taste in mind. It’s one of-a-kind in the gluten-free bread category – soft, fluffy, browns when it’s toasted and slightly sweet. Enjoy some slices with avocado and an outlook of perfect, azure water.

Clipper Café
16 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
Clipper Café features on this list more for its chilled ambience, successfully achieved by some very creative décor and local, bohemian diners who complete the setting. It’s the vintage bikes hanging off the walls and the rustic paint job that gives reason to dine here rather than a huge array of GF options. That said, they make a mean coffee and you can resort to their mediocre gluten-free bread and some scramblies.

Toast Café
45 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills
The established Toast café in Surry Hills is geared up and ready for any Coeliacs who stroll in the door. They have fixed dishes and specials clearly labelled gluten-free on their menu. You can’t go passed their sweet corn & kaffir lime fritters served with poached egg, grilled haloumi, salsa, avocado & chilli jam. If it’s toast you’re after, who would know better? Toast Café uses Queensland bakery, Sol’s gluten-free bread, an uncommon gem for a Sydney cafe.

Trio
56 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
Crisp, white tablecloths in a Bondi eatery is a far cry from the majority of the suburb’s hip, graffiti-covered wine and food outlets. This, along with the attentive service and artfully presented food makes Trio Café a breath of fresh (ocean-scented) air. Of course though, it comes at a price. Their multigrain gluten-free bread, best accompanied with runny poached eggs and grilled asparagus is baked exclusively for Trio by their very own bakers! And it’s healthily packed with linseeds, sunflower, pumpkin and poppy seeds.

Forbes and Burton
252 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst
The best thing about this café is the surroundings. Housed in a restored sandstone building on the corner of Darlo’s Forbes and Burton Streets, it is a cool and tranquil retreat from bustling Oxford Street nearby. Currently, the owner purchases a variety of Country Life gluten-free breads, including regular white and Low G.I. which are also available from your local supermarket to try at home. F&B boasts a rotating menu based on fresh, seasonal produce.

Written by Aimee Wagenheim

For more gluten-free reviews, recipes and news, visit www.ctrlalteat.org

Photo (Clipper Cafe): Flickr