Coeliac Awareness Week Day 4 - Coriander in Bournemouth, Reviewed

Alright food fans. It's nearing the end of the week and you're thinking you might want to find somewhere to eat out on Saturday night. You run through the list of pizza places and take-aways but you want something uplifting. Fun. Lively, perhaps.

Let me introduce you to my absolute favourite restaurant - Coriander in Bournemouth town centre.

I should tell you first of all that it isn't usually surrounded by imposing scaffolding!

As you can just about see, Coriander is a Mexican restaurant. It's hard to pinpoint just one reason that this is a fantastic place for a coeliac to eat, so if you'll allow me a few minutes of your time, I'll tell you the many, many reasons that I place it miles ahead of any other restaurant I've been to. Ever.

1. You're never too old for crayons.
When you're seated, you look down and think 'Okaaayyy...why is my placemat a sheet of A4 paper?!' Then you see the crayons and let me tell you something, after a few cocktails (oh yes, there is a cocktail menu, and there are virgin cocktails for the teetotallers), anyone can start to think they're Picasso. But what's especially great is they keep the best ones to display and/or frame on the walls, like so:

A plain piece of A4...

Can become something special...

Especially after a few tequilas...

And may even be framed!

2. The AMAZING food. There's no separate gluten free menu because, rather than make a coeliac feel awkward asking for their own menu, they slap all the gluten free things right there on the normal menu. And what's even better, they make ALL their enchiladas and their nachos using gluten free corn tortillas, so the risk of cross-contamination is extremely low. Everything is made fresh to order, so you know you're getting top-quality.

 I'm especially pleased about this because frankly, if I could eat one thing every day for the rest of my life, it would be their nachos:

And that's just the starter!! Check out the spinach and cheese enchiladas (aka - heaven on a plate):

Quick explanation needed here - they look a mess because I slathered them with guacamole and sour cream before I remembered to take a photo. But as you can see, the portion sizes are extremely generous, and I've never walked away without being full up, having only managed dessert as well twice. And yes, they do have some gluten free desserts, including ice cream. Want to try something different for dessert? Try their Patron XO Chocolate Shake (on the cocktail menu). It's incredible!

Oh, and did I mention their range of sauces that come with your meal?

L-R: fresh salsa, blow-your-mouth-off hot sauce, and sour cream

3. The little touches that make every trip special. 
For example, on the day we went (Wednesday) the enchiladas were half price if you ordered a starter. PLUS they are, at the time of publishing this post, running a promotion that entitles you to a free shot of tequila (ooooh!!) if you take a pic of yourself wearing one of their much-famed sombreros, post it on Facebook or Instagram, check in at Coriander, and show it to your waitress.

Yes, that is my 85 year-old Gran, yes that is a sombrero, and no, she didn't drink the tequila!

4. It is THE best place in town to have a party. While we were there, a 21st birthday was finishing up and another party was settling in upstairs. Having had a few parties there myself, I can honestly say they know how to get the party atmosphere going and while coeliacs would normally need to worry about the dangers of eating safely when a whole party is being catered for, I can proudly say Coriander is the ONLY place to (so far) never have 'glutened' me. Quite an achievement where many have failed.

Downstairs

Upstairs - the 'party' floor with its own bar

So there you have it! As a coeliac, and a vegetarian, and a lover of having something different on a night out on the town, I honestly cannot recommend Coriander enough. From the Mexican music in the background, to the art on the walls, to the spectacular food and service (our waitress didn't need to write our order down and STILL got all three orders completely right), to the happy and fun-loving atmosphere, you'll never regret giving Coriander a go for your night out.