Category: Eating Out

Gluten Free in Borneo!

I just spent a week traveling around Sabah–the Malaysian part of Borneo–for my honeymoon. Foodwise (and otherwise), it was a mixed bag. I love nature and animals and all things related, and it was hard to see the destruction and exploitation that’s already happened to most of Sabah. Palm oil plantations replace the rainforest; animals are put on show rather than being allowed to thrive in nature.

But let’s stick to the topic at hand. Gluten-free food. Lots of mix-ups at restaurants, despite my being fluent in Bahasa. However, there were some very nice surprises, including the best chocolate cake I ever had (and that my non-celiac husband also ever had)! That will come in a separate Restaurant Review post, but today’s post will offer you all general survival tips for eating gluten-free in Borneo.

GF Survival Tips for Borneo

1. MSG is your worst enemy here. They put it into everything! Most restaurants, including small street-side ones, are able to make modifications but you need to remember to specifically tell them. In English: “No MSG, no aji(nomoto)!” In Malay: “Tak mau MSG, aji atau penyedap.”

2. Tell them exactly what you want in your food (instead of what you want out of it). Waiters are not used to making complex modifications. It will be much easier if you just say what you want. Remember to make it simple. I found it easier to say, “Fry this fish with only clean oil and some salt and garlic.”  Because seafood is cheap, ample, and fresh here, you can get a good fish with rice and veggies done in a safe way quite easily. One of the days we were in Sandakan, my husband and I went to the market, bough the fish and veggies, and took it to a stall to fry up. Delicious, and you can watch them to make sure they do it right. [Animal rights tip: try not to get fish that is so fresh, it is being cooked alive, i.e. do not buy fish in tanks.]

3. Another common pitfalls: soy sauce (kicap, pronounced “ki-chap”),oyster sauce (“sos tiram”) and reused oil (“minyak yang sudah guna”). Tell them specifically not to.

4. The more pricey restaurants are more likely to know what you are talking about (sadly). I had brunch once at Le Meridien on the waterfront, and got a specially prepared gluten-free meal (with house-made gluten-free bread and fancy gluten-free granola). Food wasn’t mind-blowing and the price was high, but the staff were super concerned and helpful, and definitely already knew how to make my food in a safe way. I also tried two excellent restaurants–El Centro and Chilli Vanilla. They’re on the same street, almost next door to each other. Both were very allergy-conscious. Chilli Vanilla actually has gluten-free options on the menu, and the best chocolate cake ever. [Look out for my post on that–coming soon!]

House Corn Bread at Le Meridien
House Corn Bread at Le Meridien

Peace,

Daisy

Ganga Cafe (Bangsar) $ 18/20

I apologize for the hiatus! I’ve been travelling around Malaysia and overseas a ton and have actually been gathering much material for this blog, but alas! No time to post. I’ll attempt to be more regular.

The Ganga Café Sunday Brunch is superb. Photo credit: EatDrinkKL Blog.
The Ganga Café Sunday Brunch is superb. Photo credit: EatDrinkKL Blog.

Today I’d like to introduce a small café on Lorong Kurau that I cannot say enough good things about. Ganga Café is an amazing, healthy, cozy find in the Bangsar area. Very dressed down and casual, you feel like you are returning home when you walk into the café. The owners, whom I simply refer to as Aunty and Uncle, are sweet and accommodating. They give me a hug when I walk into the door. They make their own food, and can tell you *exactly* what goes in it, so in terms of allergy-friendliness, they are #1.

Almost all their fare is gluten-free and contamination-free, save for the few dishes that use wheat (like the rotis) and hing powder. The Aunty has even gone to the extent of specially preparing dishes for me that typically use hing sans hing. She says that the pure hing powder from India does not contain wheat; however, the local variety does.

They are MSG-free, use fresh vegetables in their food, cook mostly with ghee and butter (healthier oils!). They are vegetarian, and sometimes have mock meat dishes (which you can’t have if you’re gluten-free).

They have an *amazing* Sunday eat-all-you-can buffet lunch for a flat rate of RM17. Call and book your seat – it can get crowded. You’ll see traditional Indian food you haven’t seen before – all from the regions surrounding the Ganga River.

My only issue with the place is that they have started using bottled water (ugh!). They used to have a high environmental standard in my eyes before until they caved to the self-centred KL crowd that still insists on drinking bottle water.

Here is a link to their web site.

  • Allergy friendly: *****
  • Taste: *****
  • Atmosphere: *** Casual and laid back. Like being at home. Sunday brunches can get crowded but in a good way.
  • Service: *****
  • Cost: $ (Sunday brunch is RM17/- nett and thalis and meal plates go for around RM10)

Peace,

Daisy