Solid 3 1/2 stars!
Besides L&L in the NW part of town, now we have another option...LULU Hawaiian BBQ! Food fairly similar between all Hawaiian BBQs...but to be honest, none of them compare to back home in Hawaii! This LULU, while a step in the right direction, is just OK.
Décor is almost the same as Ohana Hawaiian BBQ, the huge lit up menu boards too! Like all of them, the Hawaiian menu is basically 95% the same as the other Hawaiian BBQ restaurants here too. Funny, same employees too....pretty much all Chinese! No offense to y'all...but where is the locals atmosphere, eh? Not one local Hawaii worker in sight! No pidgin English! No IZ or Kapena or Pati or 3 Plus playing on the stereo!! Ack, for me this almost automatically takes a star away! It's a part of the ambiance! The locals make it like home!
Back to the food though, which is very much on par with all the other non-Hawaiian owned Hawaiian BBQ places in all of Las Vegas. Cooked efficiently, tastes really (really) just A-OK. There is something missing for me, I don't know. Is it the love? Something is lacking. The food will feed you for sure with its large portions, and while pretty tasty - I just don't feel NOURISHED. Perhaps it's a soul thing? Anyway, the family and I partook in:
-Fried Fish Combo Plate
-Hawaiian BBQ Mix Plate (BBQ Chicken, Beef & Kalbi)
-Chicken Katsu Curry Combo Plate
Each combo plate comes with 2 scoops of rice & 1 scoop of macaroni salad. If you're going low carb, get the mini plate! 2 scoops of rice is massive! But yummy with extra shoyu. Macaroni salad for me is delicious with a dose of black pepper & Tabasco. LULU's macaroni salad was a tad runny for me though and could have used more salt.
Entrees itself were average, nothing fancy to write home about. Fried fish seemed like more batter than fish. Chicken katsu was ehhhhh...the chicken was pounded way too thin in certain sections so you got a lot more panko than meat. The curry on the chicken katsu was for sure from a can/bag too...artificial tasting. If you're gonna do that at least use a GOOD brand! I normally don't like the katsu sauce served in any of these restaurants too, usually a cheap mix of ketchup & Worcestershire sauce. If I know ahead of time I'm visiting a Hawaiian BBQ here, I bring my own!! Bulldog or Kikkoman Katsu Sauce does the trick just fine!
Best thing we ate was probably the Hawaiian BBQ mix plate. The chicken, beef & kalbi were grilled very well on the flat top - good sear with those tasty caramelized edges. Great with hot white rice. I would order this the next time if we come back. Generous serving - except that we got only 1 piece of kalbi. More kalbi ribs, less BBQ chicken! I insist!
Not a bad experience overall at LULU Hawaiian BBQ. We may be back again the next time a local food craving kicks in. Maybe then I'll see a local Hawaiian working behind the counter!!
#hirehawaiian