Gluten-free Chinese food? If you live with coeliac disease, you’ll love this dim sum menu
A London restaurateur, driven by maternal instinct, created a gluten-free dim sum menu, ensuring coeliac diners can enjoy Chinese cuisine
Trying international foods can be a bit of a minefield for those who follow a gluten-free diet. Take Chinese cuisines, for example; wheat is used in everyday ingredients such as soy sauce, black vinegar and dumpling wrappers.
Marina Lai-Lentz, a 35-year-old British-Chinese restaurateur in London, believes that dietary restrictions should not deter people from enjoying great gastronomy.
This unusual commitment comes from Lai-Lentz’s maternal instincts, as her son was diagnosed with coeliac disease in the spring of 2026.
The conclusion came almost as a relief after years of worrying about her child’s previously undiagnosed health condition. Upon learning the news, “I was most worried about Chinese food,” she says with a laugh.
“That’s where my brain went straight away, because I grew up around so much Chinese food. Culturally, our love language is food. As a diaspora parent, I am already away from my culture. I carry so much more responsibility to give my child the culture, a big part of which is to sit down and eat dim sum together.”
