Fat Lulu's Cafe and Bar

Ending up at Fat Lulu’s for lunch was a fluke; we fully intended to gorge ourselves at the well-known boulangerie, Di Ghent, only to be reminded it was closed on Tuesdays. Swallowing our disappointment, we dutifully checked Zomato to see what other options happened to be in the vicinity and decided to meet at Fat Lulu’s Crosspoint Mall location instead. 

Ladies who lunch

With five locations throughout Gurgaon and Delhi NCR, Lulu’s is well-placed and conveniently located no matter where you stay. Having seen their delivery vehicles traversing Gurgaon and hearing tales of their amazing pizza takeaway I was excited to try them out for the first time. 

The ambiance was quaint with thought put into the decor from the Beyonce chicken at the hostess counter down to the typewriter postcards and painted cutlery. The only thing that was a bit random was their background music that occasionally threw in a Christmas tune here and there. Maybe they were trying to take our mind off the heat and dust storms with a little Jingle Bell Rock and prepare us for Christmas in July?

The menu was extensive and creative and, if you're a pig lover, there was quite the variety of options of pork scattered throughout the menu, contrary to most restaurant offerings in this country. Furthermore, the food presentation was impeccable. It was all neatly plated and the Detox Salad came with a whole presentation involving a salad formation in an inverse glass.

Detox Salad

Watermelon and Feta Salad

The Detox Salad was expertly layered with quinoa, tabouleh, papaya, veggies, dried cranberries, and avocado and topped off with a strawberry emulsion. The presentation wasn't the only thing to die for here. 

The rocket salad, littered with watermelon, feta, and walnuts with a light balsamic dressing, is the perfect salad for the hot India summer. 

Two of us ordered Caesar salad starters and while we enjoyed them, we agreed that they were both a little heavy on the dressing making the end effect a bit soggy and less healthy than what we were hoping.

Classic Caesar Salad with chicken

Fusilli Zafferano

The fusilli dish was delightful and made for a filling meal of shrimp, vegetable, and pasta and included a heavy tomato sauce with a hint of heat.

Quiche with a side of Parmesan encrusted corn on the cob

One of the "ladies who lunch" regulars, had a flaky quiche with a sweet topping of caramelized onions and raisins that went over quite well.

I expected the caprese panini to be a bit more interesting but it was surprisingly bland despite the balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Caprese panini with homemade roast potato wedges

Not pictured, was an order of one of the New York style thin crust pizzas for which the chain is renowned. As it was covered in pork and I was already stuffed from my meal, I did not taste it. However, from the oohs and ahhs coming from the other end of the table, I am going to venture a guess and say that it made quite the impression. I am already looking forward to ordering one of their many pizza options for delivery one of these weekends.

Overall, the service was good, if a bit slow at times. It took about 30 minutes to receive our drink order, with most arriving after the food. When we asked about it, they claimed they were coming, but there wasn’t anyone to be seen at the bar making the juices or pouring drinks. Nonetheless the waiters were friendly and helpful, definitely adding to a pleasurable experience.

All in all, Fat Lulu's was a great substitute for our original plans and I am glad to have been introduced to yet another nearby and delicious lunch and delivery option. I would highly recommend people to venture to one of the restaurant locations in order to check out the expansive menu, not all of which is available for home delivery.