Fat's Asia Bistro

[mrsry]

While visiting family recently, I had dinner at Fat's Asia Bistro. If you're from the Sacramento area at all, it's part of the Frank Fat line of restaurants. I'm always afraid to ask about gluten-free options, but the response I got from the server stunned me. At first she mentioned steamed vegetables being a safe option, but then she explained why many entrees may not be safe. I guess I've been looked at like I was growing a third eye so many times that it was a revelation for someone to talk to me about gluten without me having to explain it.

She then asked me how sensitive I was, because apparently there are a few dishes that many people are able to tolerate without getting sick. Since I do seem to be able to eat some food with traces of gluten, I tried the mango ginger chicken, which was good and more complex than other versions of mango chicken that I've had. The server also requested that our fried rice be made with less soy sauce in case I wanted to eat it. I appreciated that she thought of that, and was able to eat it just fine. We actually thought it tasted great that way.

My husband and I ended up going back a few nights later for New Years Eve and would highly recommend it!

[Lisa]

While visiting family recently, I had dinner at Fat's Asia Bistro. If you're from the Sacramento area at all, it's part of the Frank Fat line of restaurants. I'm always afraid to ask about gluten-free options, but the response I got from the server stunned me. At first she mentioned steamed vegetables being a safe option, but then she explained why many entrees may not be safe. I guess I've been looked at like I was growing a third eye so many times that it was a revelation for someone to talk to me about gluten without me having to explain it.

She then asked me how sensitive I was, because apparently there are a few dishes that many people are able to tolerate without getting sick. Since I do seem to be able to eat some food with traces of gluten, I tried the mango ginger chicken, which was good and more complex than other versions of mango chicken that I've had. The server also requested that our fried rice be made with less soy sauce in case I wanted to eat it. I appreciated that she thought of that, and was able to eat it just fine. We actually thought it tasted great that way.

My husband and I ended up going back a few nights later for New Years Eve and would highly recommend it!

I am happy for you that you seemed to have an enjoyable time at Fat's Asia Bistro.

When you said that the server requested that your fried rice be made with LESS soy sauce, you really lost me. For true celiacs and those with gluten intolerances, less mean getting sick. Many here are very sensitive and the least bit of gluten or simply some cross contamination could set off a reaction that could takes a week to recover.

I just wanted to respond to let some of the new people who frequent this site that LESS is not OK. The damage done would certainly not be worth the risk.

Thank you

[mrsry]

Well, I didn't want the fried rice in the first place--I had actually ordered white rice for myself and the fried rice was for my dad and husband. She just did that after talking to me about my level of tolerance. So it was up to me whether I wanted to try it or not.

You're right that even a tiny amount of soy sauce can make some people very sick. For some reason, that's not one of the things I react to as long as it's used in small amounts before cooking--although in my own home I prefer to just play it safe. I got the impression that if I had told her I could not have any soy sauce at all she would have gotten the message.