Location: Shoreditch, London
Nearest tube stations: Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street (overground), Old Street (Tube)
Cuisine: Asian inspired
I heard about this place a few months ago while searching for new gluten free restaurants to try. The menu on their website claimed that most of their dishes are naturally gluten free and that they can also accommodate for dairy free and other allergies.
I called to question them about cross contamination and it sounded promising, but after searching all over the internet for reviews (from other coeliacs) and not finding any… I waited.
But then I decided to give it a try yesterday and I’m really glad I did. 🙂 The food was delicious and creative, quite different to the usual gluten free options out there. I understand that catering for the gluten free crowd involves having a limited audience so GF restaurants generally can’t afford being too adventurous. So eating at 100 Hoxton reminded me of old pre-GF times, of the type of foods I would have eaten back when I could just pop into any random restaurants. If that makes any sense!
Very good service too. They brought me a gluten free menu and were helpful with all my questions. They also checked with the chef that everything was safe and told me that they get many gluten and dairy free customers who regularly return, which reassured me. I purposely picked a quiet time, as I always do especially when trying out a new place so that probably helped.
All in all I would definitely recommend them. The only down side is that it’s a little pricy… but most restaurants where the menu is designed to be little plates of food to share (like tapas) tend to be.
And now onto the best part, what I ate. 🙂
Braised Octopus (garam masala celeriac puree, butternut squash, pumpkin seeds)
Crushed New Potatoes (parsnips, chilli, garlic, coriander)
Sea Bass (saffron potatoes, preserved lemon, tarator sauce, currants)
Chargrilled Broccoli (fried garlic, chilli, feta, preserve lemon, toasted quinoa)
Hoxton Pavlova (berries, passionfruit curd, mango sorbet, coconut kaffir lime powder)
It’s hard to pick a favourite, but I think it’s a close tie between the octopus and the sea bass. All the dishes used quality ingredients and had a nice interesting combination of flavours as well as presentation. The only dish I wouldn’t take again is the chargrilled broccoli. Not that it wasn’t good… my boyfriend really liked it, but the flavour of preserved lemon is probably not for me. lol
Oh and the dessert was amazing! Such a perfect blend of flavours put together. And to our surprise, the bits sprinkled on top turned out to be popping candy! I know it sounds a little weird, but it really worked. ? I’m definitely taking this again next time… except I won’t share! 😉
