Pittsburgh, PA

LuLu's noodle house

4 posts · Mar 4, 1998 to Mar 4, 1998

Elizabeth N.Doctoral student, Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PAMar 4, 1998

 My S.O. and I gave it a try about a week ago and were very disappointed.
  It is worse than Yum Wok.  The menu looked very interesting, Pan-Asian
 with several new Chinese dishes to boot.  We tried the sesame noodles as
 a litmus test because we have always guiltily enjoyed the ones from Yum
 Wok.  The sauce was basically the same except for an extra cup of water.
  It tasted bland and uninteresting.  We also ordered one of their
 vegetarian noodle dishes, the name escapes me right now.  Once again,
 bland and uninteresting.  The noodles were deep fried but not enough to
 make them crispy like a bird's nest.  They were greasy and chewy.  They
 were topped by the ubiquitous gelatinous white sauce that usually tops
 dishes like Buddha's Favorite.  Unfortunately it was missing the great
 mix of veggies that make that dish tolerable.  There were a handful of
 limp vegetables mixed in but they only added color instead of flavor.
 We coated the noodles in chili sauce and managed to finish the meal.
     There were other more spicy dishes we could have tried since they
 are now carrying Korean and Thai food.  So take this as a review of the
 Chinese part of the menu.
 Elizabeth

Peter S.Justsystem Pittsburgh Research CenterMar 4, 1998

 LuLu's can be good, but you have to know what to order.

 I like the Dr. Fu special, the Hong Kong Lar-Nar noodles, and a few
 other things. They make most things too salty, so be careful of
 that. And don't get anything with duck in it, because they are no good
 at that.

 Overall, in the pantheon of pathetic Pittsburgh Chinese, LuLu's is a
 bit above average.

 Pete

Jennifer S.Psychology, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PAMar 4, 1998

 As an Oakland resident, I have had frequent opportunities to visit
 LuLu's/Yum Wok.  While I would by no means say they're one of the best
 Chinese restaurants in the city, the food is consistently good and the
 prices are very reasonable.  Good-sized entrees for $4-$7 are hard to
 come by outside of EatN'Park.

 My husband and I enjoy the Dr.Fu special and the Hong Kong rice bowl, as
 well as a few other things.  I really like the hot & sour soup, but I
 would recommend against getting the won ton soup.  (But to be fair, I
 don't like won ton soup anywhere except China Palace -- their won ton
 wrappers are lighter and their broth richer than anywhere else.)  We've
 tried the pad thai at LuLu's, and it was ok but not remarkable.  I had a
 tofu dish from the rice side of the menu that I really liked, but I'm
 not sure which of the several tofu entrees it was.  The availability of
 many vegetarian choices, as well as the choice between beef, chicken,
 and tofu for many dishes is nice.

 I'll just add that we have never had to wait for a table, and that the
 separation between smoking and non-smoking is actually effective, a nice
 change from a lot of places.  Service, however, seems to be a little on
 the slow side.

 Summary: I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, but it's a decent
 place with several good choices and low prices.  Definitely a good
 alternative for those too-tired-to-cook nights.

 Jen

Michal S.University of PittsburghMar 4, 1998

 lbloch wrote:
 > has anybody tried LuLu's Noodle House on south craig?

 I have lunch there once or twice a week.  Hot & sour soup (7 out of 10)
 and a side of fried rice is my favorite cheap & filling lunch at $2.14.

 The Singapore rice noodles are awesome, and it's an enormous portion.
 Go with a friend & share.

 I also quite like the Thai curry chicken.

 My only bad-ish experience there was a few months ago when the hot &
 sour soup was extremely gelatinous & bland.  I told the staff about it,
 and it has been quite good since.  All told, it ain't the greatest
 possible cuisine, but it's good value for money and there are a few real
 treats available.  Your best bet: ask regulars what they like.

 Misho