Lula Cafe - Brunch

I have previously covered Lula Cafe on Dinner and for Halloween but they also do an excellent breakfast so I knew that I would eventually have to write about that as well.  The food served at Lula is local and seasonal and that doesn't change based on the meal.  It also doesn't take reservations for brunch so if you come with a large party and don't want to wait forever, you might want someone get there a little early to let them know. I was coming with a large party so I arrived half an hour before we were to meet so we only had to wait for about 20 minutes.  By the time we were seated, the bar had gotten pretty crowded so it was good that I arrived early.  We sat at a large table in  the front dining room which also has the main bar.  I decided to start things out with a selection of pastries.  They were serving a Smoked Pecan Sticky Bun, Chestnut and Chocolate Scone, and an Apple and Goat Cheddar Crostata so I got some of each.  In short, I will say that they were all amazing.  The sticky bun was sticky with a lot of smoked pecans covering the roll.  The roll was also nice and soft, easy to cut, and chewy.  The crostata was fruity, flavorful, and very moist with a goat cheddar topping that was sweet with a little sharpness that played well with the appl in the body of the crostata.  The scone, while it was good, was probably the least of the pastries.  It had the rough texture of the scone and the flavor of the chestnut and the chocolate were prominent but it wasn't as exciting as the sticky bun and the crostata.  The pastries were very good and it excited the party for the rest of the meal.

The menu at Lula Cafe changes frequently based on what is available although they will have those things that will be typically found on a brunch menu i.e. omelettes, waffles, French toast, and breakfast burritos, as well as bacon and eggs.  What varies are the fruits and vegetables that are available based on the season.  We had a wide selection of items including what I was told was a very good breakfast burrito (above).

When I saw "The Royale" on the menu, I first thought of the movie Pulp Fiction and it was something that I had to order simply based on the name.  The sandwich here, however, was nothing like the sandwich referenced in the movie.  I was not disappointed however, because it was a very good breakfast sandwich.  The Pulp Fiction "Royale" was what they said a Big Mac was called in France.  The Royale served at Lula Cafe was a Tamarind Glazed Chicken Thigh with Bread and Butter Pickles, Smoked Gouda, Caper Aioli, Sunny Side Egg, and Radicchio on a Potato Roll.  The Sandwich was served with a side of Sweet Potato Chips.  The sandwich, while it looked really good, did give me pause when it was served to me.  I wondered how I was going to eat it, especially with the liquid yolk.  I did think about puncturing the yolk and letting it run over the sandwich but I figured that that would be pretty messy.  In retrospect, that probably would have been the better choice then putting the sandwich together and eating it as it was as this caused the yolk to explode.  Luckily, my napkin caught the mess but it didn't leave me with much to wipe my hands with.  Despite the mess, it was a very good and flavorful sandwich.  The chicken was moist and tangy from the tamarind glaze.  The gouda provided a little smokiness which played well with the egg and the chicken, and the raddicchio was fresh and crunchy.  The sweet potato chips were crisp and crunchy with the sweetness that could be expected of sweet potatoes.

Lula Cafe is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants and I am always pleased regardless of the meal I eat there.  We were all very happy with our meals despite the noise of the room.  I will continue coming here and will continue to enjoy introducing friends to the restaurant.