Gluten-free glee

Healthier food is popping up all over the Sunshine State. With the arrival of Brisbane's new vegan, paleo and gluten-free offerings, it is slowly elevating it to the new epicentre of plant-based living status, reports Morag Kobez.

Newstead newcomer About A Boy & A Girl is a health-conscious haven, a one-stop shop on Proe St comprising cafe, wholefood market, cellar and cooking school, with classes on trendy subjects such as fermentation.

The girl in the name is Jodi Lanchester, a nutritionist who is passionate about getting back to basics when it comes to catering for celiacs, gluten-averse eaters and paleo followers. The boy in the name is Jodi’s wine-buyer partner, Stephen Hazlett, who has sourced a unique collection of naturally made, biodynamic and organic wines for the venture that is scheduled to open next week.

The focus here is not on swapping out a slew of ingredients to offer gluten-free alternatives, but on fresh, flavoursome and healthy dishes.

“Our menu doesn’t include a paleo burger or a gluten-free burger, and there are no acai bowls,” Lanchester says.

Instead, expect to find hand-pressed corn tortillas brimming with flavour; they may feature local prawns or fish, depending on what’s fresh on the day. There are also buckwheat pancakes with berries, whipped coconut cream and fresh herbs, or sweet-potato waffles with wood-smoked bacon for that sweet-savoury satisfaction.

“The idea is that people can see how easy it can be, and then also pick up the ingredients and make these dishes at home,” she says.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river in Woolloongabba, Detour is another new destination catering to vegetarians, vegans and those with allergies.

Damon Amos, the former head chef at CBD restaurant, Public, has struck out on his own. The restaurant takes shape in yet another charming heritage building in the Logan Rd precinct, in this case swapping antiques for eats.

While many chefs still approach dietary requirements and plant-based diets as an afterthought, Amos has embraced the challenge.

As a result, he is serving up a menu where almost everything is gluten-free, and at least half the menu is vegan-friendly. It’s like a detour to LA.