Nutrition

BC’s Best Gluten-free Gourmet Meals

Gourmet meals can be just as tasty when they're gluten-free! Here are some of the best gluten-free gourmet bites you'll find in BC

By Catherine Tse /

If you thought you had to give up fine dining with a gluten-free diet, check out some of these popular BC restaurants that offer gourmet gluten-free options that’ll make your tastebuds sing

Fine dining restaurants are recognizing that a growing portion of their clients have dietary restrictions, like a gluten-free diet.

With larger budgets and a solid knowledge of food issues, fine dining restaurants often have access to more resources than casual eateries to develop delicious gluten-free recipes and address issues such as cross-contamination.

The following dishes are our top 10 picks for gourmet gluten-free dishes at some of BC’s best fine dining restaurants. They’re all just as scrumptious as they are beautiful and no one will feel as if they’ve had to make a sacrifice for the sake of a lovely meal out.

Blue Water Cafe – Albacore Tuna Carpaccio

Spicy sichuan peppercorns, coriander and fennel give the Blue Water Cafe‘s unassuming spice-crusted albacore tuna carpaccio with grilled pineapple, tomatillo and coconut an exotic flavour profile.

The grilled pineapple adds a mellow touch of acid, brightening the entire plate.

Blue Water Cafe – Poached Lobster

Deceptively simple, this poached lobster dish uses a two-part process to ensure the delicate sweet meat is cooked perfectly, retaining its luscious texture and mild flavour enhanced by the tarragon nage (flavoured poaching liquid).

Araxi – Creamy Polenta with Greens

What could be more satisfying on a chilly evening than creamy polenta and even creamier cheese sauce?

Fonduta is traditionally made with Fontina cheese, but Whistler’s Araxi Restaurant does a version with Parmesan and soft goat cheese, which gives a slightly sharper profile, marrying well with the braised greens.

Araxi – Roasted Beet Salad

This salad is on Araxi’s 100-mile tasting menu, with all ingredients except for the salt grown and raised within 100 miles (160 km) of the restaurant.

The fireweed honey is from Lillooet, the blackberry vinegar is from West Vancouver, and the hazelnut oil is from Agasiz.

And no worries, this truly is a healthy salad – the beet “chips” are paper-thin, crisp raw beet slices.

Araxi – Organic Roast Pork

Araxi uses organic pork from Sloping Hill Farm on Vancouver Island, which provides a particularly flavourful meat.

Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) bring an updated element to this dish, which is a nice change from traditional potatoes.

CinCin – Gluten-free Pizza?

Yes, this is a real pizza crust and, yes, it’s gluten-free! And, like all other pizzas made at CinCin, it’s baked to perfection in their wood-burning oven so you won’t miss out on any of that lovely smoky, subtly charred flavour.

CinCin – Gluten-free Pasta?

If you’re on a gluten-free diet, get yourself to CinCin to savour one of their you-won’t-believe-it’s-gluten-free pastas.

This dish delivers a satisfyingly robust meal with wide gluten-free noodles and an authentic spicy Amatriciana sauce made with guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon, similar to pancetta).

CinCin – Steelhead Trout

If you’re the type of person who eats with your eyes, you’ll adore this dish, rich in saturated colours and lush with a variety of textures. And, of course, with flavours that’ll make you forget in a heartbeat that this is gluten-free.

The trout is lightly pan-fried with a crispy skin, set atop some luscious leeks. The accompanying lentil soffritto combination provides a hearty earthiness while the butternut squash puree adds a touch of buttery whimsy to the plate and palate.

West – Sockeye Salmon

Luscious, vibrant sockeye salmon is enhanced by a bed of aromatic leeks and crisp sunchoke chips at West Restaurant.

The dish is unified by a robust cognac gastrique scented with black truffles.

West – Seared Scallops

What’s more delectable that perfectly seared buttery scallops? These sweet, maple-glazed morsels are accompanied by local Pemberton carrots, which are cooked in mineral-rich Vichy water that imparts a delicate flavour.

And luscious, Spanish marcona almonds provide a substantial and delicious accent to the vinaigrette.