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When you arrive at Lulu’s in Dublin, the cues are obvious that you will experience an authentic Chinese meal. The food photos on the outside window have Chinese descriptions, and the delivery service is not Uber Eats but a well-known company serving Asian businesses. Inside, the traditional lazy Susans on the larger tables await the spin of shareable plates for diners. Chinese spices and ingredients are depicted on the walls.
There are several key points to know about Lulu’s Kitchen. First, the name. Upon hearing about Lulu’s, I thought it might serve Southern food. I was wrong. Lulu is the joining of both the owner Shiming Lu’s and that of his chef partner’s name, Chenyong Lu. At first located in Concord, the Lus opened Lulu’s in Dublin in 2016.
The Lu’s dual backgrounds explain the cuisine. Shiming is from Shanghai and Chenyong, from the Szechuan area. Lulu’s serves both cuisines, an advantage for guests. For those who love hot, spicy-enough-to-numb-the tongue foods and more deep-fried items may order the Szechuan items while Shanghainese menu items are often milder, savory and slightly sweet food which is frequently steamed or slow-cooked.
Since not all diners want to explore unfamiliar Szechuan or Shanghainese foods, Lulu’’s offers lunch specials with more common items available at Tri-Valley Chinese restaurants. Think chicken chow mein, broccoli beef, Kung Pao chicken with soup and rice for $11.95. Shrimp, lamb and some beef lunches are only $12.95.
The All-Day menu prices are reasonable, too, and like the name, are available during the lunch or dinner hours. According to my Chinese friend, Xiaopei He Gelb, dim sum is an All-Day item which the Chinese often eat at the end of a meal.
During our recent dinner with Xiaopei and her husband Andrew Gelb, we never got to a dim sum course because we sampled so many plates. Our friends Joss and Janice Friedman joined us, and we had many questions for Xiaopei, a native of Shanghai who later lived in Beijing where she enjoyed all styles of Chinese regional cooking.
Xiaopei and Andrew frequently dine at Lulu’s because it is near her dance studio, Xiaopei Chinese Dance which opened 16 years ago. With over 200 students from Manteca to Moraga, Xiaopei’s studio has become a premier spot to learn about Chinese dance and culture. The Gelbs advised us on what to order.
Andrew recommends Lulu’s because, he said, “The Szechuan food here doesn’t blow your head off. It is definitely hot and spicy but balanced like the best food in China. In the U.S. some chefs tend to outdo each other in pumping up the spice until it is barely edible.” His words comforted me because I am not fond of super-spicy foods. We ate mostly Szechuan dishes with dried chiles and Szechuan peppercorns, and I enjoyed them all.
The Flanzbaums and I were looking forward to the smoked duck. But we followed the Gelbs as they ordered cold dishes first. The spicy sour bean jelly soon arrived. Though the name and first glance were confusing, I liked the textural surprise of all the elements. The “bean” in the dish is bean curd, aka tofu/ The chubby, wiggly strips of soft tofu lay splayed on top of a red sauce with a topping of peanuts. Andrew highlighted the importance of texture in understanding the elements of Chinese cuisine. The contrast between the gelatinous tofu, well-seasoned sauce, and crunch of the peanuts demonstrated the focus on contrasting textures.
The next dish was an authentic rendition of pork ear with house chili [sic], a delicacy in Szechuan cooking. This shareable plate was the best version of the dish I have encountered including a memorable meal in Hong Kong. What made the dish more interesting were the flat strips of pork which resembled bacon pieces.
Soon the half portion of smoked duck arrived on the lazy Susan. Shiming Lu told us the preparation takes four days. The duck marinates for four or five days and then steamed for 30 minutes and smoked for 20 minutes. The tender meat included medium-rare breast meat and crispy parts, too. The platter went round multiple times the lazy Susan while we snared another piece with our chopsticks.
Next came an exploration of hot foods. The spicy fish filet with spicy supreme broth is a house specialty and one of Xiaopei’s favorites. In China, she said, “A whole fish boils in the broth. I like eating it off the bone—this is what we do.” Most of us at the table were pleased with the filet pieces. I negotiated the spice well. Sharing a Chinese beer helped calm the heat.
If you haven’t tasted sautéed lotus root, you may want to try the dish at Lulu’s. Not overly spiced, the tender lotus root slices have a pleasant texture and carry dabs of the light sauce well.
According to our table, the next dish of hot and sour shredded potatoes was the star of the dinner. Though the lowly potato was the focus, the cooking style and seasoning made it exceptional. None of us except the Gelbs had ever tasted potatoes like this, and the Gelbs always order it at Lulu’s.
Upon seeing the potato place, Joss said, “The tall mound of potatoes looks like a snowy mountain.” Janice named it her favorite dish. Andrew wondered how so plain a food could taste so good. Chef Lu has a special tool to shred the potatoes in long, thin strips. The next step is soaking the strips to remove excess starch. After drying, the strips are lightly sautéed and seasoned with vinegar and spices.
With several lamb lovers at the table, Andrew ordered one of his favorite Lulu’s dishes, the bamboo stick lamb. His nickname for the dish is toothpick lamb which more accurately describes the vehicle carrying the tasty piece of lamb. Andrew warned us not to eat the red pieces of spicy-hot dried chili on the plate.
At this point, much of the additional food ordered was destined for leftovers. But we couldn’t resist the shredded pork with thick and spicy garlic sauce and mapo tofu with a dark crimson sauce. The variation in all the sauces was a foodie’s delight.
It seemed to be a weekday family night at Lulu’s as several families among others were dining during our visit.
The final hot dish was the DanDan noodles. With a name meaning “carrying stick,” the origin story for the dish is a long bamboo pole which carried a pot of noodles on one end and the opposite side, minced pork. The street food combined when ordered. The artful presentation at Lulu’s presentation arrived ready for mixing.
During another visit, we will try dishes from the “Grilled Cooked / Stone Pot” section of the menu. Xiaopei recommended the griddle cauliflower with bacon. As for dim sum, I want to sample their version of the Shanghai specialty Xiaolong bao. Xiaolong means small bamboo basket in which steaming of bao (dumplings or buns) occurs.
Janice asked a question: How many Szechuan peppercorns did the chef use to make our meal? We didn’t get around to guessing because Shiming brought us one more serving bowl which calmed any lingering effects of spice. After the once-around of rice dumplings in sweet rice wine, we debated who would get the last ladle full of the light and refreshing dessert and when we could set up another dinner date.
After seeing us devour a hearty meal, Shiming smiled widely as we departed and thanked us for coming.
