Living with coeliac disease in Singapore

[paolasinga]

Hi there

[sundaymorningstaple]

Did you explore the problems with this prior to coming to Singapore? If it's that important, I would have thought it would have been a priority......

[merichan]

Here both of us with a wheat free diet...

We don't eat outside much...

But usually when we do, it's sushi bar and we bring our own soy sauce in the bag to dip our sushi in.

Some simple vietnamese cooking ( noodle soup) are usually also gluten free...

Some hot pots...

etc.

What we did was to buy cooking book and learn how stuff were done... and after some time I pretty much can take a safest bet for each kind of food...

But I usually stick to the same old kind of menu in each kind of restaurants.

[merichan]

Did you explore the problems with this prior to coming to Singapore? If it's that important, I would have thought it would have been a priority......

SMS you're being a tad unfair

For having lived in a few countries and visited a few more with a double food restriction... I can tell you one thing, no research made beforehand can answer some questions...

Like how people are gonna react when you enquire about how the food is prepared etc. How flexible exactly are the restaurants going to be...

One completely silly example... my daughter can only eat 1 thing in McDo: french fries and that is if they don't serve country potatoes... As she still crave the things that her classmates have... in HK we were going every now and then and buy her the toy and a cola

We arrived in SG and went to a McDO and there impossible to buy just the toy... we had the choice between buying a full HM and literally throwing the food straight in the bin ( that what just her and me... none of us could eat it) or get out of the restaurant...

And those informations are almost impossible to find anywhere...

[sundaymorningstaple]

May a "tad", but the whole reason most expat boards/forums exist are to find out information for both before we accept the contract to how to find something useful after we arrive. I find that something as important as this, like those with peanut allergies, need/should really look into it before signing on the dotted line.

[merichan]

May a "tad", but the whole reason most expat boards/forums exist are to find out information for both before we accept the contract to how to find something useful after we arrive. I find that something as important as this, like those with peanut allergies, need/should really look into it before signing on the dotted line.

I know... that's how I ended up here...

[paolasinga]

Here both of us with a wheat free diet...

We don't eat outside much...

But usually when we do, it's sushi bar and we bring our own soy sauce in the bag to dip our sushi in.

Some simple vietnamese cooking ( noodle soup) are usually also gluten free...

Some hot pots...

etc.

What we did was to buy cooking book and learn how stuff were done... and after some time I pretty much can take a safest bet for each kind of food...

But I usually stick to the same old kind of menu in each kind of restaurants.

Thanks! I can find rice bread at the Cold Storage in Orchard, but I do not seem to find the gluten free soy. Which brand name do you buy and where can I find it? Also, do you know where can I find gluten freee pasta?

[merichan]

Try brown rice paradise...

They have 2 outlets in Singapore ( I tend to go to Tanglin Mall cos it's in the same shopping centre has the market place and I visit both) ... they're the biggest organic shop... when they're not out of stock ( which unfortunately happens every now and then) and they have a membership to lower prices.

Market place ( tanglin mall or paragon) usually also has gluten free soy sauce ( the name of the ones available in paragon escapes me, but it's only small bottles contrary to BRP who has the american San J both sizes) Tinkadiya pasta ( expensive but the best I've ever tasted in my opinion) and EnerG bread.

Some Fair Price ( especially the finest ones) have Orgran products ( thus pasta)

Some simple rice vermicelli, pad thai etc. are gluten free if you're looking for a less expensive alternative ( dedicated GF food being expensive) you just have to follow the cooking instructions to have delicious rice pasta.

Oh by the way while I'm at it... on the dessert point of view you have usually quite a choice in the hawkers center... most of local dessert are made with jelly, sago... they are gluten free... same goes with some of the malaysian cakes ( lapis sagu for example)

[singapore.coeliac]

Paola,

The great news is that a Coeliac support group has formed very recently in Singapore. The food clinic hosts this - contact Melissa at enquiries@thefoodclinic.com.sg to get on the mailing list and find out when the next meetings are. Hope to meet you at the next one!

I agree that you can't always find everything out before you arrive in a country and learn the culture. Based on my research prior to coming to Singapore I would have no trouble finding GF food, (though I was warned I would need to pay a premium price in the expat stores).

However, there is not much info around about how to negotiate a GF meal whilst out, and that is what talking to others and learning from their experiences will help with. It's not a lack of food out there, but working out how to custom-order in a different culture.

[NoWheatPete]

Our family is also looking for gluten-free advice and direction.
Our 7 year old daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease over four years ago. Life goes on. We have all adjusted and the whole household has been gluten free for many years. We don't eat out much but I can find a large variety of GF products at the grocery store.
We will be moving to Singapore this summer and would like to find other gluten free people.
Thanks
-Kay

[amurph1]

Hi, I am traveling to Singapore for a family holiday in July with my husband and 2 children aged 4 and 7. I am coeliac (rest of family not). Can you please recommend any restaurants/cafes/foodhalls that cater for coeliacs. I will bring snacks with me from NZ.
Thank you

[PNGMK]

My wife's niece has lived in India and Singapore and coped in both places and she is the sort of Celiac who gets mini strokes and passes out from it.

[JR8]

Hi, I am traveling to Singapore for a family holiday in July with my husband and 2 children aged 4 and 7. I am coeliac (rest of family not). Can you please recommend any restaurants/cafes/foodhalls that cater for coeliacs. I will bring snacks with me from NZ.
Thank you

I've never seen it mentioned here. If there's an allergy you see mentioned here it's lactose intolerance ['that Asian thing', a Pac-Rim genetic deficiency], so you can find lactose-free milk, cheese etc. Apart from that a food outlet might be marked halal ('No pork/No lard' is the usual sign ), vegetarian, or even 'No MSG'. I can't say I've seen anything more micro or specific re: diet than that, nothing re: allergies as such.

If you're ok with rice, meat, seafood and fruit then here you're 80% ok. I fear the average wait-staff here will go if you ask about gluten...

[the lynx]

Cedele (and all the associated restaurants like Toss n' Turn etc) and Soup Spoon serve gluten-free menu. There are some bakeries that can customise to be egg-less, gluten-free etc.

[amurph1]

Thanks the lynx