Talk of the Pizza Town right now, Fat Lulu’s is being whispered quite a bit in the foodie circles around where I am. The fact that they serve “gourmet” pizzas means that it took a while for me to convince the family to try their offerings since we’ve all gotten used to the usual vegetarian toppings of the two famous pizza chains. It also means that Fat Lulu’s gets to be reviewed under a microscope for gourmet is a tag that should never be taken lightly.
The pizzas were ordered using the Zomato App and the entire process was seamless, with no hiccups at all, from the moment I opened the menu, to the confirmation of the order, and then the delivery well within the stipulated time.
I was quite impressed with the options available on the menu, even though they are limited, and glad that they’ve kept loyal to being gourmet and not given in to serving the common ingredients (capsicum, corn, etc.) or even try and Indian-ize (Paneer, Channa, etc.) the pizzas. Still have to try the non-vegetarian options some day, but there are a couple that sound mouth-watering. Moreover, Fat Lulu’s go a step further by offering, at the same price, three types of bases (they are all thin crust); Regular, Whole wheat, and Garlic Provencal herbs. Then there are the salads, the pasta, appetisers and desserts; all of which probably do compliment the food in one way or another, but for me they all serve as side dishes never to interfere with the main course, which is and should always, be the Pizza.
The pizzas are available in three sizes; 12, 14, and 16 inches. We opted for the 12″ Classic Margherita (Cheese and Basil) on a regular base and the 14″ Broadway (Four Cheeses, Sundried Tomatoes, Roast Garlic, and basil pesto) on the garlic provencal herbs base. Along with this there was the Hudson Garlic Bread and a favourite of mine, Gingerale which was ordered.
As I began writing this review I was in high spirits of having a great meal. There’s no doubt that the food was brilliant, arrived hot, the drink was chilled, and the boxes it was packed in had a nice design on them. But, now as I look at the ingredients, I’ve just realised that the Broadway Pizza that I ordered lacked Sundried tomatoes (Guess we all were really hungry to notice it while we ate). I looked at the photos again (the advantage of being a food blogger is that we do take pictures of everything we eat) and even if there is a bit of Sundried tomato in there (I can’t make out, can you?); it’s so scarce that it’s as good as not having it there. The Sundried tomato taste, which is quite distinct and so is the texture, was certainly missing. That aside, The Broadway was really good (although now I can’t get the missing ingredient out of my mind and shall call refer to this post in the future as “The Case of the Missing Ingredient”) and because it had a garlic base and roasted garlic in the toppings, quite garlicky, which I like.
The Margherita went down well with the thin crunchy base and a nice cheese covering. The basil leaves were just about passable although I would have liked more “green” in them.
The Hudson Garlic Bread (yes, overdid on the garlic) wasn’t the best to look at. However, the bread was nice and crunchy and while there should have been some more cheese on it, with a little oregano spice mix, supplied along with the order, it was satisfactory (but not something I’d order again from them in a hurry).
Fat Lulu’s manages to tick off all the right boxes with their service, delivery, food, and the variety they have. However two important issues need to be taken care of;
- Ingredients – a little more attention as to what ingredient goes into where and also the quantity of those ingredients. A gourmet pizza is such because of the ingredients and if there isn’t enough, the balance of taste can easily tilt towards the negative. For example, although the pesto in the Broadway might look less in quantity but because it has a strong flavour, it came out just being right and keeping that balance is important as well.
- The price factor is another issue as being gourmet Fat Lulu’s can rightly and does charge more than the average pizza but then the price should justify the pizza as well. The cost of the entire meal was approximately Rs. 1500,- and that is slightly on the higher side.
Fat Lulu’s is an awesome alternative to the usual pizza options that one has. It is a little expensive, but certainly worth the extra money. I am happy to look over the missing ingredient this time and give them the benefit of the doubt but certainly hope that the next time I order from them (and that I will), they can UP the experience that I had this time.
