Brasserie Blanc - gluten free aspirations

I posted a blog about my first visit to a Brasserie Blanc.  I also wrote to the company to let them know that  I was a little disappointed in their menu and had been slightly ill after eating there.  I got an excellent reply from them so thought I would post it in full. If anyone has suggestions of good products they could include in the menu that would enhance it and be practical for a busy kitchen I suggest you let them know.

Dear Ms Parker

Many thanks for your email, I hope you are now fully recovered and before I attempt to answer your questions may I first apologise, I am always disappointed to hear that we have fallen short. The gluten free menu in its present state is in its first outing, we used to simply have a selected number of complete dishes on the menu for coeliacs. It was a number of our guests who suggested the idea that we should list the whole menu with what would have to be removed to be gluten free. I have to admit I thought this was an excellent idea and implemented it straight away. The one item that has always needed a replacement is bread, we have tried various solutions; to cook to order takes far too long, the pre-baked breads we have tried lead to an enormous amount of wastage and I await a sample of biscuit that a regular guest of ours is bringing in, all the ones I have found leave a lot to be desired.

I have to admit that I read you blog and circulated it to all the Brasseries as I was surprised at quite how sensitive some people can be, I also discussed this with Clive the executive chef and Raymond to see if we could find a solution. Sadly it is very hard for us in such small environments to guarantee zero cross contamination, even by following the guide lines on we found on the Coeliacs web site. If you could give us advance warning, this would help immensely and we could not only discuss a menu but ensure it is prepared with utmost care. I know that this is not ideal, but it would be a lot safer.

Again please accept my apologies

John Lederer

Managing Director

Brasserie Blanc