Lulu’s Char Koay Teow

27-31 Hardware Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Lulu’s Char Koay Teow has made Malaysian food trendy again with its famous (you guessed it) char koay teow. With a recipe taken directly from the hawker centres in Penang, Lulu’s is all about the classics done right. In addition to about 8 variations of CKT, there’s also a handful of traditional noodle soups up for grabs, and strong, sweet coffees and teas to wash it down. I am going to say very quietly that I think I prefer the CKT at Pappa Laksa a smidge more but, like most of these things, it’s all down to a matter of preference, and this is without a doubt an excellent rendition of one of my favourite noodle dishes.

Rating: 12.5/20 – classics done right.
Who is Lulu? She’s the owner’s mother-in-law, and the boss-ass lady depicted in photos that hang on the restaurant walls, tossing noodles in a searing wok.

The Duck Egg Char Koay Teow ($19.9) is small but mighty, packed with wok hei and quality ingredients. I was especially impressed with the springiness of the noodles, and the generous nuggets of pork fat studded through. All it’s missing is fish cakes.

I spent forever trying to decipher the noodle soups on offer; as it turns out, the Penang Hokkien Mee ($20.9) is a bowl of fat yellow noodles and slippery vermicelli, soaking in a rich prawn stock. The slow-braised pork spare ribs were especially aromatic, though you might not be as into them if you don’t like bits of cartilage in your meat.

When eating Malaysian food, Teh Tarik ($5.5) is non-negotiable. Served over ice in summer and piping hot in winter, this strong, sweet, and frothy black tea is the ideal accompaniment to rich and spicy hawker food.