Honolulu Lulu
facebook.com/Honolulu-Lulu-Cafe
Every so often the Huskies feel the need for a light and healthy lunch and today the call was answered by Honolulu Lulu. We chose it partly because of how fun it is to say their name (especially five times fast) but mostly for their fresh and vibrant Poke bowls. Nestled in a residential part of Mt Roskill, this cafe is bright, light and fresh with a big seating area out the back to make it deceptively much bigger than it initially seems.
On our Friday lunch time Lulu was completely empty, but from all reports, it’s pumping on the weekend, busy serving locals coffee and lunch.
The space has nice vibes (technically good vibes only according to their neon sign) – it’s clean, boasts warm wood textures dotted with fake plants (whyyy) and dangles modern chandeliers.
The poke bowls hit the spot for the fresh, healthy salad on top but get heavier the further you dig into the generous sauces and rice at the bottom. The shoestring fries (because even a healthy lunch needs a bit of naughty), were perfectly seasoned and crispy. Be aware that portions are generous, and the sauce application was even more generous. The welcome we received was warm and friendly and our orders, though we changed our minds multiple times, were no trouble at all. The service was a bit slow but overall, we didn’t mind.
Louise had the small tofu poke bowl and the miso soup. She said “I love a good poke bowl and this one is pretty consistent. Generous portions, filling and a good balance of fresh, textured and tasty. The fried tofu seemed more scrambled and the service is generally slow but my love of poke will likely bring me back again. Plus I can’t go past the name ;)”
Mel had the chicken poke bowl with extra avocado. She said “I love a good Poke Bowl, so this hit the spot. Service was a little on the slow side and it was a bit cold (no heaters down in the back area) but portion sizes were great.”
Sam had the medium Mt Cook Alpine Salmon poke bowl. He said, “My bowl was super heavy on the sauce like ‘they-had-an-accident-in-the-kitchen’ amount of sauce. But the salmon was good.”
Sarah had the small tofu poke bowl. She said “It was yom, hard to go wrong with a poke bowl I think, but really nice fresh produce and tasty marinade on the tofu. For me, well seasoned fries are the measure of a place and these ones were good. Plus super friendly service.”
