MELBOURNE | In my latest instalment of “how the f**k’ haven’t you been there yet?”, is Lulu’s Char Koay Teow. After popping up at the now closed HWKR in 2019, owner Chee Wong signed the lease to his own spot just before lockdown 1.0 last year. Since then, Lulu’s has developed quite the reputation, and many consider the char kway/koay teow (“CKT”) here to be the best in town.
For those who don’t know what CKT is, let me tell you that it’s hands down one of my favourite things to eat. It’s a Malaysian/Singaporean dish that originated as high energy, low cost meal for labourers, and developed into a hawker favourite enjoyed by all.
Chee’s mother in law Lulu ran a hawker stall in Penang, specialising in CKT back in the day, and it’s her recipes that the seven different versions on offer here are based on. And wow does it live up to expectations.
Perfectly cooked thick noodles, a wonderful wok char flavour, and packed full of quality ingredients. Jumbo prawns, Chinese sausage, egg, bean sprouts, chives, chilli, and in the cars of the version I ordered, blood cockles. All cooked in pork lard (except for the vegetarian version) with wonderful crunchy cubes of pork fat.
There’s also a few other dishes and an assortment of drinks. Lauren got a bowl of hokkien char mee soup which was awesome, and we got some iced hor ka sai (coffee and Milo combined) to wash it all down.
Lulu’s has the reputation, several of my Malaysian friends vouch for how legit the food is, it’s conveniently located for me, and it’s signature is one of my favourite dishes. Who knows why it took me so long to finally get there. All I can say is that I’ll definitely be back again. So many memories of CKT hawker breakfasts in Malaysia and Singapore, rekindled.
Lulu’s Char Koay Teow
27-31 Hardware Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: 0401 263 939
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Thu: 11:00am to 3:00pm, 5:00pm to 8:00am
Fri: 11:00am to 3:00pm, 5:00pm to 8:30am
Sat: 11:00am to 8:30pm
Sun: 10:30am to 3:30pm