For most of us, going out to eat at a restaurant can be a fun and exciting experience, as we savour whichever menu item suits our fancy.But for people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerances, it can be a painstaking task to find dishes that won’t make them sick. Right off the bat they have to avoid all the burgers, sandwiches and wraps that are made with wheat products, before further prodding the waiter to find out what exactly is in that sauce or dip.L’Oriental Express is hoping to take some of the guess work out of eating, by offering up a new gluten-free breakfast and lunch menu.One of the speciality items on the menu, prepared by executive chef Danny Lim, is a poached egg white sandwich, with avocado, tomato and frisée on a gluten-free English muffin. Manager Joanne Madeiros said they made the change to better meet the dietary needs of its customers.“Many people are on gluten-free diets and this number seems to be increasing, mostly by choice for weight loss, but also a very big number are on the diet because of coeliac disease, which also seems to be on the rise,” she said.“We have many items on our menu which are gluten free. The breakfast buffet is mostly gluten free and we have an option of gluten-free toast and breakfast wraps.“We will also be including gluten-free breakfast muffins and cookies soon.”She said the lunch salad bar was also a great option for allergy sufferers, but patrons with coeliac disease should steer clear of adding croutons or certain pastas to their dish. Several of their dressings are also safe for patrons with a gluten intolerance, she explained.Other great gluten-free lunch options include the Vietnamese rolls, sushi, as well as a host of hot buffet items.Ms Madeiros said: “We have a gluten-free wrap which changes every day, and gluten-free bread to make a sandwich of your choice.“Our new addition to L’Oriental Express is our Pasta Bar which has been a big success since we opened. We have a selection of different types of pasta, spaghetti, Fusilli, Penne and of course gluten free pasta.”While the restaurant had a good selection of menu items before, she said they really wanted to try harder and meet the demands of this ever-increasing group.“The gluten free diet is so popular that we would be making a bad business decision by not doing it,” she explained.“I have many friends who are cutting gluten out of their diet for weight loss, but I also have a friend who was recently diagnosed with coeliac disease. She lives in Switzerland and comes back to Bermuda three times a year, and does find that Bermuda has a long way to go in catering for the coeliac, but is improving on each visit.”Ms Madeiros said there were still many people out of the loop about the gluten free menu offered at L’Oriental Express, but said the feedback they have received so far is positive. People are typically “pleasantly surprised” and “happy” to see the wide range of items they offer, she said.Chef Lim said one of the biggest challenges in changing their menu has been sourcing gluten-free items in Bermuda.“Even though its popularity is on the rise, our wholesale food suppliers do not particularly cater to niche markets as the volume isn’t quite there yet. So far we have been able to steadily find and add the items previously mentioned and more research is resulting in more finds.“As far as preparing GF menu items, we have to ensure the chefs are aware of what you can and cannot do when cooking a GF dish.“For example, for the GF pasta, you must store the GF raw product separately and, more essentially, use a completely different pot of water when cooking.”The chef said all the ingredients they use also have to be closely read and examined “to ensure further down in the small print that there are no gluten products hidden”.“Believe it or not a Google search results in many a clear answer,” he added.In the end, the extra attention has been worth it and the restaurant has seen a rush of happy customers who continue to return.Currently the restaurant group serves gluten-free items at its L’Oriental and L’Oriental Expresses (West & East) locations. They also look to incorporate gluten-free items in the near future at Little Venice.“Often there will be gluten-free items on the menu, however, they are not specified as such, for example they are listed in the more traditional format of appetisers, salads, main course, etc,” Chef Lim said. “Perhaps that will be the next big step, having a dedicated gluten-free section on local menus.”