The Smashed gut health guide to restaurant menus
how to join the leguminati and order more healthily in London's top eateries
I like to think I can navigate an a la carte restaurant menu. I can spot the must-order items and get the best cooking the kitchen can manage. Every time I eat out, my sole aim is to have the most enjoyable and delicious experience I can; so what if that means I’m overindulging - isn’t that what restaurants are for? As I age (I’ll turn 60 later this month), I’m beginning to think that that sort of head-in-the-sand, short-term thinking is unsustainable. The problem is, being a calorie-counting, teetotal health nut isn’t realistically on the cards for me. What I need is a third way. Luckily, Jeannette Hyde has the perfect plan.
A registered nutritional therapy practitioner, Hyde is the author of The Gut Makeover and The 10 Hour Diet and publishes The Gut Makeover newsletter on Substack. Her work centres around the microbiome. ‘We all have trillions of bacteria living in our digestive system known as the microbiome,’ says Hyde. ‘For decades medics assumed it was of no interest whatsoever untill an explosion of science on it started erupting about 12 years ago. The microbiome and its shape and health influences many other areas of our health from our digestion to our brain function and mood, to our immune system, heart, bones and even weight and hunger signals.’
The good news, Hyde says, is that the shape of the microbiome can be manipulated quickly by eating a diverse array of plants including vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, pulses, beans, varied types of whole grains, herbs and spices as well as live fermented foods. ‘The main principle of gut health is that you need to eat more than 30 plants a week, so it's all about getting as much variety in your diet as you possibly can and some live food for probiotic bacteria. If you can feed those things into your digestive system, you basically boost good bacteria in the gut.’
To demonstrate how microbiome-aware eating can be put into practice in a restaurant setting, I asked Hyde to look at six menus from a diverse range of restaurants and tell me what she would order from them and why. ‘The general principle is, if you see anything on a menu you don't normally have at home, it's a good thing to order because you are introducing different plant chemicals and different textures of fibre to your gut compared to what you're having elsewhere or other times,’ says Hyde.
All the restaurants happen to be in London but they encompass Greek, low waste/sustainable cooking, classic fine dining, casual French and modern British so are representative of a decent section of the current UK dining scene so you can apply Hyde’s strategies to any restaurant setting. I’ve reproduced the menus below or embedded them as PDF files, depending on what was available from the restaurant’s website, so you can follow along with Hyde’s thought processes.
The menus
Oma
APERITIVO
OMA negroni 5.5 / 11
clementine gimlet 5.5 / 11
BREAD ETC.
wildfarmed laffa 3.5
açma verde 3.5
hot potato crisps 3.5
SPREADS
salt cod xo, labneh 6
ajvar, mizithra, hazelnuts 6
tahini, hot honey, crispy chickpea 6
tarama, pickled cucumber, carob rusk 6
babaghanoush, tahini, jerusalem artichoke crisps 6
CRUDO
gilt head bream tartare, capers, gherkins, dill 12
seabass crudo, jalapeño aguachile 13
trout sashimi, todoli citrus + pickled chilli 15
tuna ceviche, avocado, tamari 16
SMALL
hand dived scallop, chilli oil butter 10
datterini, capers, galomizithra, carob rusk 14
mussels saganaki, tsalafouti 14
spanakopita gratin, malawach 14
charred lamb belly, hummus, shallot + mint salata 15
CLAY POT + GRILL
cornish squid head, pancetta, cavolo nero + chickpea stew 26
oxtail giouvetsi, bone marrow, beef fat pangrattato 27
charred squid skewer, confit garlic + za’atar 28
dry-aged cornish lamb, green sauce 32
whole john dory, xo chilli butter 35
txuleta beef fillet, girolles, beef sauce 55
fennel, mint + citrus 5.5
isle of wight tomato + tropea onion 7.5
What Jeannette would order
If you're going to have a cocktail, don't have a sweet sugary one, go for something that's got bitters in it. A Negroni will help your digestion because the bitter flavour of the Campari will stimulate the production of enzymes and stomach acid; it prepares your digestive system for receiving food and breaking it down.
The Jerusalem artichoke crisps served with the babaghanoush are excellent because they have a prebiotic fibre called inulin in them that feeds another kind of bacteria in the gut that's really good for your microbiome, digestion and immune system.
Datterini with capers, galomizithra and carob rusk - carob was used as animal feed until very recently, and now it's become really trendy. It's like chocolate but it's got even more antioxidants in it. The deep dark colours in things like carob and red peppers are polyphenols and they act as antioxidants.
Apricity
The menu
Homemade Wildfarmed sourdough, Ivy House Farm salted butter V, G, D or Citizens of Soil olive oil P-B, G £5.5
Fennel seed cracker & 'wasted' dip P-B, G £4
STARTERS
Laines Farm hasselback Jerusalem artichoke, apple, fermented chilli P-B £17
Foskett Farm roast carrots, nettle pesto, cashew butter N, Se, Mu, P-B £17
Hand-dived Jersey scallops, cauliflower, apple ketchup Mo, D, E £24
Cured Cornish grey mullet, crème fraîche, linseeds F, D, S £18
Cheswell Grange ox tongue, wild chervil gnudi, fragrant broth Mu, E, G, D £18
London Butterhead lettuce, Kultured miso, pickled shallots P-B, Mu £16
MAINS
Cornish mackerel, brown crab & mussels, purple sprouting broccoli, sourdough F, G, C, E £34
Devonshire gurnard, Norfolk marrowfat peas, Sussex yuzu kosho, rich chicken broth F, D £40
Braised Secretts Farm celeriac, naked oats, preserved wild garlic P-B, Se, S, Ce £32
Black Pearl, crispy Oyster and Lion's Mane mushrooms, 'XO' sauce, three-cornered leek P-B, G, Mu £36
Black Futsu squash, pink flamingo peas, almond butter, vadouvan P-B, N £35
East Devon venison saddle & ragu, Sussex parsnip, preserved late summer fruit Ce, D £42
Cheswell Grange beef wing rib, Sussex greens, Pevensey Blue D, G, Ce £82 (for two to share)
SIDES
Morghew Pink Fir potatoes, with brown butter V, D or chickpea & chilli oil P-B, Se £8
London Toscano kale salad, hemp tahini, crispy onions P-B £8
Salt & vinegar crispy sprouts P-B £8
Mac'n'cauli-kimcheese V, D, G £9
PUDDINGS
Chouxnut, caramelised apple, Ivy House Farm double cream V, D, G, E £14
Poached pear, cashew cream, pear & Calvados granita, crispy rosemary P-B, N £15
Esmeralda milk chocolate baked mousse, brown sugar & miso custard (please allow 15 minutes) V, D, E £15
Beetroot panna cotta, golden beetroot & sea buckthorn sorbet, pumpkin seed cream P-B £15
Fen Farm Dairy Baron Bigod cheese D, G £18
Served with cinnamon babka & membrillo
V - Vegetarian | P-B - Plant-Based | C – Crustaceans | Ce – Celery | D – Dairy | E – Eggs | F – Fish | P – Peanuts | G – Gluten | L – Lupin | N – Nuts | Mo – Molluscs | Mu – Mustard | S – Soya | SD – Sulphur Dioxide | Se – Sesame Seeds | A- Alcohol
What Jeannette would order
This is my favourite menu I’ve looked at, it's absolutely fascinating. I instantly started feeling excited; the chef Chantelle Nicholson is somebody doing something a bit more cutting edge and of the moment. In terms of diversity, she's going for it. She’s even included brain boosting Lion’s Mane mushrooms. You could probably come out of this restaurant and have eaten all of your prescribed 30 plants per week in one sitting.
Red Butterhead with Kultured miso and pickled shallots is a good choice to start. The miso should still have its live bacteria and it's going to taste lovely with the crunch and the sourness of the pickled shallot; there's this concert effect going on from a nutrition point of view and from a taste point of view as well.
Organ meats are high in nutrients, more than usual cuts of meat so the Cheswell Grange ox tongue, wild chervil gnudi, fragrant broth is a good choice. The sides look really good as well, especially the London Toscano kale salad with hemp tahini and crispy onions. Kale has loads of fibre and loads of polyphenols in the deep dark colours. Hemp is brilliant. It's very high in protein. For vegans needing plant protein, hemp is a brilliant way to get it.
The Ritz
What Jeannette would order
My first impression was that my heart sunk. If I got taken there, how would I cope? I felt like there was a lot of meat, a lot of fish and everything's very rich and creamy. But then I went back through it and it's not that bad.
For a first course, I would probably start with the Delica Pumpkin, Parmesan and Sage. You instantly have something really colourful, your fibre and your polyphenols. Parmesan is a raw cheese so there are some probiotic bacteria in that, and sage is delicious always.
For a main course, wild fish is always best to have rather than farmed because it's healthier and they have a more varied diet so I’d go for Wild Sea Bass, Coco Bean and Menton Lemon. The beans provide fibre. Suffolk Lamb with Aubergine and Black Garlic could also be good. I presume the lamb has lived outside in the grass and had a good life with a good diet. The polyphenols in the purple colour of the aubergine are good. The black garlic would make it taste nice and it’s prebiotic.
I’d finish with Port Roast Fig, Orange and Olive Oil. Figs are very good for your microbiome. Orange are too and so is olive oil. If any of the selection of artisan cheeses are raw unpasteurized, then you get some probiotic bacteria.
Café François
What Jeannette would order
They’ve got a good list of vegetables and salads. When I ate there, I ordered the pumpkin, freekeh, almond and labneh to start and it was absolutely lovely. In terms of trying to feed my microbiome, it was job done. The polyphenols were in the colour of the pumpkin; freekeh is far more nutritious than a lot of other grains, it's got lots of minerals in it, and labneh, if it's a good one, contains probiotic bacteria which parachutes good bacteria into your gut.
Leeks vinaigrette is always good as it contains inulin. Winter leaf salad, pear, hazelnut, and Roquefort is another good choice. You’re getting lots of different salad leaves that go towards your 30 plants a week target. The cheese is raw unpasteurized so that would have probiotic bacteria in it.
What is irritating about this menu is that there are no proteins for vegans. If you went to a proper French restaurant there's things like lentils and other legumes which are becoming quite a thing now - people talk about the ‘leguminati’. I was quite surprised going through all these menus that these chefs have not got on the legume thing, it's such a massive thing and it's getting more and more sophisticated. You have people like Bold Beans who are selling jarred beans for about five times the price of beans in a tin. Carlin peas are a traditional bean, a bit like chickpeas but they're dark brown so they'll have more polyphenols in them and obviously a lot of fibre. If I was a chef, I'd get on that because you’d be right at the head of the curve and leading the conversation.
Fallow
What Jeannette would order
Rye sourdough - rye is a grain that’s really good for your gut and sourdough has got probiotic bacteria in it.
Corn ribs with kombu seasoning - the kombu seaweed is really good for your gut bacteria and your brain as well.
Venison tartar - game is often wild meat so it has eaten a really broad-ranging diet. The meat tends to therefore have more omega-3 in it, which means it's anti-inflammatory. Heart disease is connected with inflammation because if your arteries are inflamed, then cholesterol is more likely to stick to them. A lot of us are eating feedlot meat and those grain-fed animals tend to be more inflammatory because they've got more omega-6 polyunsaturated fat in them.
Sael
What Jeannette would order
The Snacks seem very lacking in plants or live foods so I would give those a miss. Instead, I’d start with the baked crapudine beetroots, red pepper and fig leaf oil. The heirloom beet is a variety I wouldn’t eat regularly at home, so it’s a chance to give the gut something new. There are also lots of polyphenols in the deep colour of beets. Red peppers also full of polyphenols and fibre. Fig leaf oil is also something I wouldn’t have at home and is a chance to get more polyphenols to feed good bacteria in the gut. The fermented onions served with a starter of smoked potatoes and cultured butter also contain probiotics so that’s also worth considering.
From the selection of skewers, I’d definitely go for the maitake and furikake. Mushrooms are the ultimate superfood and contain prebiotic beta-glucans to feed good bacteria in the gut, the furikake contains seaweed, another prebiotic opportunity. Seaweed also incidentally contains lots of minerals and vitamins and omega-3 oils which are good for brain cognition so a win-win there.
The Sael Chicken pie for two made with Devon white chicken, New Forest mushroom duxelles, mash and chicken gravy also contains mushrooms, so it provides another chance to consume some. It also sounds delicious.
If the charred Lincolnshire, broccoli stem, preserved lemon, tempura scraps and seaweed is the vegan option it’s lacking in protein, but the seaweed is a helpful inclusion for gut health.
The Swede over embers with XO sauce and crispy sea lettuce is a good opportunity to widen your diversity of plants if you don’t usually eat much swede and the sea lettuce is another good seaweed opportunity.
Jeannette’s conclusion
Basically, gut health is all about eating widely and plant-plentifully. It isn’t about doing without, it’s about adding in to whatever style of diet you generally follow whether omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, Vegan or gluten-free. If you follow these two simple tips, you can up your gut game with each restaurant outing:
1) Look for plants (eg vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, pulses, beans, herbs, spices) you don’t normally cook at home. If you spot unusual mushrooms or seaweed go for it! This is a great chance to widen the fibre and polyphenol (plant chemicals in the colours) to feed your microbiome and get it into healthy shape for better all-round health. Starters and side dishes are excellent hunting grounds for this.
2) If you spot anything fermented order it! With each mouthful, you plant some friendly probiotic bacteria in your digestive system. Plus they usually bring a tangy taste to the dish.
Remember that plants contain fibre that will make you feel more full and less likely to overeat. The ferments will manipulate your biome into a healthier pattern for better brain function (through what is known as the gut-brain axis), an improved immune system, and you’ll be able to digest your food better meaning less bloating or heart burn. Worth bothering, right?
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