Somewhere along the way, gluten-free dining got a reputation. A dry roll. A “we can do you a salad, hun.” A waiter saying “coeliac?” in the same tone you’d use for “bomb threat.”
The Botanica Vaucluse skipped that whole chapter – with Abby James, Executive Chef, ex-Quay, ex-Jonah’s, just rolling out a new seasonal menu that’s creative, delicious and just happens to be Coeliac Australia-accredited, too.
No separate “special” menu, no interrogation about cross-contamination, no one at the table feeling like a logistical problem. Everyone orders the same food. Wild concept.
Right, the food
Starters: Fremantle octopus with marigold and choko (yes, choko. Ask nan what it is.), WA scampi with sweetcorn and preserved lemon, and glasshouse eggplant with black vinegar and puffed buckwheat. The eggplant is the one that’ll make the meat eaters go quiet.
Mains: Aquna Murray cod cooked over hot coals with caper and herb butter. Dry-aged duck with orange, Sichuan and witlof. Riverine striploin with Café de Paris butter and black garlic, for the person who says “I’m just having the steak” and then eats off everyone’s plate.
Dessert: Dark chocolate mousse with strawberry and macadamia, or tiramisu with mascarpone and espresso. Order both. Nobody’s counting.
Let’s talk about the bread
Gluten-free focaccia usually has two modes: brick or crumb. Botanica’s ferments for up to two days, then gets a turn in the woodfire oven. Golden crust, a bit of smoke. It’s bread with a personality, which is more than we can say for most of the people at your last work function.
The damage
The Botanica Feast is $99 for two courses or $119 for three. That’s a long, leisurely Vaucluse lunch with a Quay-trained chef behind it, so frankly it’s a bargain compared to what you’d pay for avo on toast and a vague sense of regret.
Straight from the source
Venue and Events Manager Sara Paganelli says gluten-free has been treated as the “alternative” for far too long, and that the fact everything’s gluten-free should be the least remarkable thing about the meal. Mic drop, basically.
Owner Evette Moran (who designed the place, so she knows exactly how good it looks) isn’t leaning on the pretty interiors either. A beautiful room gets you through the door once, she says. The food is what gets you back. We’ve all been to the stunning restaurant with the forgettable fish. We don’t go back.
So book ahead, bring the coeliac friend who’s been skipping catchups for months, and let them finally order whatever they like without a three-part questionnaire.
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