Traveling with food allergies can be extremely difficult.
Language barriers and lack of knowledge about local ingredients add to the frustrating task of finding something tasty that you can actually eat without getting sick.
Being Celiac (allergic to gluten) I loved the idea of a restaurant that prepared food without the top 11 allergens, but I was also skeptical.
How good would the food really taste without gluten, eggs, lactose, peanuts, pitted fruits, soya, mustard, seafood, celery, sesame or lupin beans?
I was confident that the lupin beans wouldn’t be missed, but the rest?
I prepared myself for a bean sprout salad and while en route secretly looked for somewhere that I could grab a quick bite to eat after a meal that I was sure would scarcely be touched.
Mon Histoire dans l’assiet which translates into My Story on a Plate is an ambitious concept in France’s gastronomical capital. In addition to being free of 11 allergens it also prides itself on preparing creative and flavourful meals with an emphasis on fresh, local and where possible organic ingredients. Its’ menu evolves seasonally. It’s quite the ambitious task and I remained unconvinced.
The first course started off with a lentil dish:
It was tasty, but along the lines of what I was expecting. Fortunately, Mon Histoire dans l’assiet also serves gluten-free beer, something that I only get to drink on rare occasions since it’s difficult to find.
Then came home-made biscuits which were really, really tasty. I was pleasantly surprised, it’s nearly impossible to find gluten-free buns or bread that taste decent, let alone really good. The rest of my group also enjoyed them and they were not used to eating gluten-free bread. I contemplated stuffing one into my pocket when no one was looking, but decided that while tempting it was not fitting behavior.
As I prepared myself for the bland bean sprouts I felt sure to make an appearance on my plate at any minute, a plate of beef in gravy and potatoes was placed in front of me:
