Fat Lulu's - 9th Feb 2018
"Oh my. Look at that piece of steak Jamin is having! It
looks like it has been steamed!" I exclaimed to my husband. My husband
stole a glance in Jamin's direction, "it looks like the heat wasn't high
enough", my husband said nonchalantly as I observed a moment of silence
for the senseless death of the steak. Just then, my friend, the proud owner of
the restaurant, announced that his "chef" had nine years of
experience in Dubai. He went on to express confidence in his ability to dish
out tasty dishes from the kitchen. At the end of the evening, my husband and I
concluded that the food dished out by the "chef" with nine years of
experience was lackluster.
Two weeks later, we found ourselves having a vastly
different experience at Fat
Lulu's along River Valley Road. The quality of food served, and the
plating made us feel like the chef takes pride in his handicraft.
I wasn't very excited when my husband wanted to have the
Caprese Salad because we just made it at home. Well, I would have kicked myself
if we had missed this. No doubt, there is no re-inventing the wheel, but the
dish shines when care, dedication and thought are put in. Instead of tearing
basil leaves or having to chiffonade it, the chef blended lots of it with olive
oil to get a deep green oil that is rich in the aroma of basil. This is then
drizzled over the tomatoes and the burrata. Gula melaka ( an aromatic dark palm
sugar from Malaysia) is added to balsamic vinegar so that it gives the dressing
a little body. The salad was topped off with some coarse sea salt. The
unexpected basil oil and gula melaka balsamic vinegar make Fat Lulu's rendition a
must-try.
The half-rack of Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs was served shortly.
Slathered with sharp spicy kichap manis (kichap manis is an Indonesian dark
sweet sauce famously used in Indomie) and coriander, this will please the diner
who is after soft, tender pork ribs with some heat.
The Grilled Mangalica Pork Collar came grilled to a nice
medium-well. Lightly seasoned with only salt, you get to taste the meat as is.
Known for its meat-fat ratio, Mangalica pork is a good alternative to Kurobuta
and holds its own against Iberico. The charred sambal okra that came with it is
something we liked so much that we are looking at incorporating that into our
next family grill party! The sambal was spicy enough, with salty flavour coming
from dried shrimps in the belacan.
The Spicy Iberico Pork Satay wasn't as spicy as I had
imagined it to be. And no, it doesn't come with the peanut sauce that typically
comes with a serving of satay. You might not even miss it because it is
generously basted with Indonesian BBQ sauce, a la ayam panggang. The right
balance of char, the fats that are characteristic of iberico and how it is more
tender than the Mangalica pork collar make this iberico satay unforgettable!
The Childhood Peanut Butter popsicle came coated in dark
chocolate. Accompanied by raspberry sorbet and dark chocolate cookie crumbs,
the tangy raspberry paired well with the dark chocolate. The plating was also a
piece of art in itself.
The Apple Tart Tatin came with burnt vanilla ice-cream on
cooked apple slices with intense caramelised flavours. The pastry gave way with
an alarming snap!
Sadly, Fat Lulu's will be shutting its door on 24th March due to an increase in rental. I am making plans to go back sometime in March. See you there for dinner?
~Marketing Executive
Ariella Lee
