Eating out with food intolerances - Gló (Reykjavik)

 The stodge of the Christmas menu is now well and truly past us and I thought a little  motivation on a change in eating habits might be useful on the run up to the new year. 
It's been a while since I had an "Eating out with Food Intolerance's" post on the blog, so  today I would like to share with you one of the places we frequented quite a bit when we visited Reykjavik recently (you can see posts on our visit here and here) and encourage a few small additions or changes to our diets.  
 We tried a few restaurants during our week away, but the wait and the lack of catering for food intolerances meant we revisited Gló a number of times. 

The long days outside in the elements, exploring the sights of Iceland can make you rather hungry and when you want to eat... you want to eat.... NOW!

The speed of service, greater variety on the menu (that we were able to eat) compared to other restaurants and informal atmosphere at Gló was the draw that pulled us back there each time. In some respects the service reminded me of a school cafeteria .... everyone queues up... there are a number of mains to choose from, and as you walk by, the lady behind the counter dollops whatever you want on your plate.  You end up with a mound of food all mixed together... (not quite as prettily and precisely served as the pictures on line would lead you to believe) BUT, that being said, Gló was busy each time we went and is the most popular, and first Raw/healthy food restaurant in Iceland.
(Eating Raw food is about consuming unprocessed vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds which are not heated above 47°C... thus preserving the enzymes within the ingredients). 

The menu usually offers four main dishes a day made up of raw food dishes, warm vegetarian dishes, meat dishes and there are also some soups and salads to chose from.
This was one of the mains that I had below... warm chicken satay on rice and some of the cold raw dishes on offer that day ....

 I must admit... I ate the chicken and rice rather heartily and it tasted good... but when it came to the veg/salad I was less than enamoured..... I think my seasonal clock just switched off ... after being out in the cold all day I would have preferred a choice of nice warm veggies. 
I enjoy eating lots of Raw food, but I prefer eating it in the warmer months or having it mixed with warming spices and herbs.... or for a purpose, like a new years DETOX... (perhaps I just chose the wrong veggies  or was extra cold that day?!)


Here is another dish that the Hungry boy chose... this was a cold curry...(he said it was "ok") again served with a selection of raw veg.

and some more selections....

After the meal you can choose  from coffee, hot chocolate, a selection of teas and deserts.  We had some yummy hot chocolate made from almond milk..... 
 

 ... and some tasty infusions of Herbal tea.

The décor in the restaurant was really cool and Hubby (the wood enthusiast) liked the wall of cut logs....

 50% of the food served at Gló is made out of organic ingredients and has no additives or preservatives ....AND as many of the ingredients as possible are sourced fresh from Icelandic farmers (so I'm sure will be packed with all those lovely volcanic minerals!) Gló also sits on top of a health food shop below (where you can buy extra goodies) and as you eat you can see the busy main street below.  The  obvious downside of that is that it is on the second floor and has no elevator.... It wouldn't be a place we would have been able to access If we had Heni in her wheelchair tagging along with us ... also tricky for baby buggies and people with climbing difficulties! 

We decided to skip desert at Gló and found an amazing ice cream Parlour just a little way down the road  at ... 

 They had a lovely selection of fab non dairy flavours /sorbets to choose from which were rich and creamy...

 They were  great value for money and generous portion sizes too....I guess it's kind of funny though how the cold ice cream didn't put us off like the cold veggies did!!

We were grateful to have found Gló  and (Badabing) on our travels and would definitely go back there again if ever we do a return trip to Iceland...  we really enjoyed the "warm" foods and the soup and I'm sure, given a bit of sunshine ... the cold Raw veggies would definitely tempt me more too. 
Despite my disparaging comments on "cold" food I am however a believer in eating lots of nutrient dense raw food that has not had the goodness cooked out of it. I guess when I am cold I prefer to be warmed by food and in my mind there is a difference between "raw" and "cold"... raw food can actually be very warming and nourishing when it has cayenne...ginger... cinnamon... or the like sprinkled in!

After all the stodge of the Christmas period... and as we come in to the New year I reckon we could all probably do with upping our consumption of nutrient dense veggies and healthy foods to help fight off the onslaught of the cold and flu season.   Some nourishing soups and bone broths would be a great idea to add in to the diet, and despite the cold outside...some raw food may even be just what our bodies are in need of right now! You could also add some cleansing herbal tea infusions and have some non dairy alternatives on hand to help ward away all that mucous (eww!).... some well chosen deserts can be "legal" too, when you make them from the right ingredients!
...If you are thinking along the same lines and are feeling in need of a change in diet for a few days or so, you can find some great raw food recipes to kick start your new years off by clicking here
You may also like to visit my gluten free /dairy free/ egg free Pinterest board  and my  food and drink board for some ideas too.

Bon appetit or as the Icelanders say.... verði þér að góðu!

 Oh and a Happy New Year too!

Jx