Here's the Lowdown on Lulu
Written: Jul 26 '00 (Updated Jan 03 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: yummy desserts and appetizers
Cons: sometimes the food and service is inconsistent
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| owang's Full Review: LuLu Cafe |
If you love sweets that aren't overly rich, then you must come to Restaurant LuLu. Their dessert menu consists of Blueberry or Apricot Tarts, Panna Cotta with fresh fruit, Warm Chocolate cake that's to die for, Vanilla souffle crepes with nectarine compote... Oftentimes at other restaurants the dessert is so rich and sweet that I feel a little queasy afterwards. But not at Lulu's; my favorite is the warm chocolate cake with powdered sugar on top. It's fluffy with a little chocolate sauce in the middle. The Panna Cotta is also delicious--it resembles a light vanilla flan and has a very subtle taste. Dessert prices were average at $5-9 each.
APPETIZERS:
But even if you don't like sweets, Lulu's has some delicious appetizers. The iron skillet roasted mussels appetizer was amazing: no grit, just fresh, hot, and large portions. The roasted portobello mushroom dish was mediocre, if you like mushrooms. Also worthy of sampling: jumbo shrimp wrapped in panchetta, and prosciutto and mozzarella drizzled with honey on a slice of baguette. Skip the caramalized onions on fancy crackers, unless you like really buttery, greasy food. Same with the deep-fried battered mushrooms. Beware if you try the roasted artichokes; I poked a few holes in my mouth from eating the thorny leaves. You get a huge plate, but the novelty of eating roasted artichoke soon wears off. Five of us couldn't finish one order of this appetizer.
The real reason to come to Lulu's is the oysters. I am not a huge oyster fan, but these oysters were incredible. I especially like the Kumamoto oysters--small but very sweet. No heavy oyster/fishy aftertaste and no grit. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water!
ENTREES:
The oven roasted salmon with corn and cherry tomatoes is great. I really just like the dish because of the corn and tomatoes, which were incredibly flavorful and sweet. The salmon was good, but nothing special; in my experience salmon always tastes the same at nice restaurants. The porcini and farmers ravioli was disappointing, as it was a bit hard/chewy and too oily for my tastes. Same with the rosemary scented chicken--it basically just tasted like regular oven-baked chicken. I would recommend the roasted Sand Dabs (fish) and the pork loin--very flavorful and tender. The mashed potatoes at Lulu's also deserve attention.
SERVICE:
Average. The first time I went to Lulu's, however, the waiter told us the wrong special. We ordered it, and out came a completely different dish than what we expected. The waiter only knew after we pointed out his mistake. Other than that, the service is nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, it's a little on the slow side.
DRINKS:
If you like minty drinks, try the Mojito, a refreshing Cuban mint-lime-rum beverage. I've had it twice at Lulu's, and the first time was perfect. For whatever reason, when I ordered it a second time, it came out all wrong. The color, glass, sweetness, taste, was all different. If they get it right, though, it's delicious.
Avoid the Irish coffee at all costs, unless you like drinking shots of whisky with your dessert. The Irish coffee was so strong I asked them to dump half the glass and add regular coffee, and even then I couldn't drink it. I noticed that the other 5 people at my table also didn't drink theirs.
OVERALL:
Lulu's is a fine restaurant with a more relaxed atmosphere than other expensive places. Prices are not outrageous and the quantities are more than adequate. The entrees are nothing special, but the appetizers and desserts are very tasty.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
owang
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Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 3 members
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