When most people think of Japanese food, they don't think of gluten. They think of sushi and grilled fish with rice. I once thought this as well. But Japan's number one ingredient, soy sauce, contains gluten. Suddenly, a trip to Japan can be a bit worrisome for those with gluten allergies.
I had my husband pick up a bottle of gluten free soy sauce at the store so I didn't have to worry about cooking anything in my kitchen. I simply cook pure and simple food, like stir fry, grilled fish, and the like. Since I've been cooking for my friend with celiac for years, I am not worried whatsoever about cooking for her.
My trepidation comes from dining out. Would I be able to find good restaurants? Not just restaurants with gluten free food, but GOOD gluten free food! So much of visiting someplace new, especially a foreign country, is enjoying the food. I don't want my friend to walk away not receiving the best culinary delights Tokyo has to offer.
In addition to purchasing gluten free soy sauce (which is easy to find in larger stores or department stores), I joined Facebook groups like "Gluten-Free Expats Japan!" to give me some guidance on where to go. By the time my friend arrived, I felt ready for the culinary challenge.
While out and about in Roppongi, we saw there was a gluten free restaurant offering a wide selection of Japanese cuisine. Since it was time for lunch, we were ready to try it out.
Gluten Free T's Kitchen is right across the street from Midtown. It is up on the second floor with an impressive chalk menu on the wall next to the door. We entered right when the restaurant opened at noon. It was a good thing we arrived when we did because the seats quickly filled up. There are only five two-person tables, plus a bar for seating.
After perusing the menu, we ordered gyoza (potstickers), vegetable tempura, and okonomiyaki. Not only was everything on the menu gluten free, many of the items were vegan as well. My friend was so excited because she hadn't eaten tempura since she was diagnosed with celiac and she had never had okonomiyaki.
The food arrived in courses, which was really nice since we were super hungry and the table was super small. We started with two orders of the gyoza - the vegan version and the pork variety. Both were nice, but definitely not the best gyoza I've ever had. It is really hard to compete with my husband's gyoza. He has perfected it over the years.
The tempura arrived next. My friend was in heaven! There were mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers. I could not tell that it was gluten free. It was amazing. We were so excited (and hungry) we didn't take a photo of the gyoza or the tempura! It is quite the shame because the tempura was beautiful.
Our lunch ended with okonomiyaki. My husband is a master of okonomiyaki (I'm not just bragging. I really believe this.), so I was only trying it to see how the gluten free version would stand up. I was pretty impressed and I'm a pretty tough judge of okonomiyaki. While the sauce was a bit sweet, the taste of the cabbage, pork, and batter was fantastic.
I would proudly bring any of my gluten free friends to Gluten Free T's Kitchen. It is so nice to know that in a city of gluten, there are delicious options out there.
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