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What’s on the menu at Lulu Bar, the Well’s new spot for tropical cocktails and everything mid-century modern

Including Spam skewers and DIY duck wraps

By Helen Jacob| Photography by Ryan Nangreaves

| February 14, 2024

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A spread of pan-Asian dishes and cocktails

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Name: Lulu Bar Contact: 427 Wellington St. W., lulubar.ca/toronto, @lulubartoronto
Neighbourhood: Wellington Place Owner: Concorde Group Chef: Executive chef Andrew Moore Accessibility: Fully accessible

The latest restaurant to open in the Well is a Calgary import—though the menu skews way more tropical than it does western. Owners Victor Choy and Brad Morrison have always had a love of the Pacific Islands, especially Hawaii, so the menu pays tribute to the many coastal regions of the Pacific Ocean, including Asia, Hawaii, California and British Columbia.

A group of chefs and managers sit next to each other at their restaurant — Executive chef Andrew Moore (far left) with a handful of Lulu Bar’s team members.

A group of chefs in aprons sit next to each other in a restaurant — And the rest of the team

The food

Lulu Bar Calgary’s original chef, Joseph Sokoloff, spent his childhood in Indonesia and Vietnam, with parents who loved cooking the local cuisine. This experience influenced a lot of Lulu’s menu, which executive chef Andrew Moore is taking care of in Toronto. The options include many of the brand’s favourites plus a few Toronto exclusives, like mussels in red curry coconut broth, king oyster mushrooms and whole fried sea bream. The menu is flexible depending on how hungry people are: guests can order a few skewers and small plates or dig in to a big platter of duck or fish.

Two bao stuffed with char siu — For the hot dog bao, char siu is topped with pickled mustard greens, banana ketchup and peanuts. $12 for two.

Skewers of house-made Spam — Slabs of house-made Spam are dressed with toasted nori and accompanied by ginger dill pickles. $8 for two.

Two skewers of sous-vide beef tongue — Tender strips of beef tongue soak up flavour in a sous-vide before being ribboned onto skewers with coconut soy and pickled green papaya. $8 for two.

Poke under sheets of puffed rice dusted with nori — You’ve never had poke like this before. Fresh red tuna coated in tamari, avocado, pickled fennel, edamame and drops of lime aioli sit under a coral-like arrangement of puffed nori and sesame crackers. $24

Lobster-stuffed dumplings in a bowl of spicy broth — These decadent lobster dumplings are stuffed with scallop mousse, lobster and basil. They arrive in a piping-hot bath of chili soy, basil oil, fried shallot and tobiko. $19

An omelette sits in a pool of green curry — Within this picture-perfect French omelette on herbaceous green curry hides Dungeness crab. It’s served with Bibb lettuce and thick toasted slices of buttery brioche. $24

A platter of barbecued duck, Bibb lettuce, crêpes, pickled vegetables, fresh mint and cilantro — The star of the show is this platter, which features half a crispy barbecued duck. The bird is primed and dried before the legs are confited and the breast is grilled. The shareable dish also comes with turmeric–coconut milk crêpes, Bibb lettuce, fresh mint and cilantro, pickled vegetables, and tamarind sauces—everything you need for DIY wraps. $47

A bowl of pineapple shaved ice — To finish, a heaping mound of pineapple shaved ice, flavoured with caramelized pineapple and topped with lime pudding and a dusting of pink peppercorn. $16

The drinks

Colourful cocktails with strong vacation vibes, equally fun mocktails, a small sake selection, a straightforward wine list and Ontario-made beers with a focus on fruited sours that pair well with the food. Honolulu Happy Hour (every day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) brings half-priced drinks and deals on a few snacks, like the hot dog bao and fried miso-cured egg.

A bartender shakes black sesame over a cocktail — The making of the Smooth Operator

A tropical cocktail in a coupe glass — The Smooth Operator is a sweet Cognac-based drink with nigori sake, banana, orgeat, lemon, egg white and a dusting of sesame powder. $19

A red-coloured cocktail garnished with a piece of dehydrated pineapple — The Pineapple Negroni is a tropical take on the classic cocktail made with house-infused pineapple rum, Campari and sweet vermouth. $19

A cat-shaped drinking vessel with a pink straw — Nine Lives is made with vodka, elderflower, lime, toasted coconut and a touch of fino sherry for a sweet and floral cocktail. It comes in Lulu Bar’s signature drink vessel: a white maneki-neko cat mug. $19

A coconut cocktail, served in a wine glass and garnished with dehydrated pineapple — The Coconut Cooler tastes the way Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen smells—and it’s the most popular cocktail on the menu. Made with house coconut vodka, toasted coconut, pink lemonade, orange blossom and a dash of sea salt, it’s served over crushed ice in a big glass normally reserved for Pinot Noir. $19

The space

Beyond the massive front door is a cozy lounge and dining area intended to be a late-night space. Guests can take the elevator or walk up the stairs into the main dining room on the second-floor, which is furnished with all things mid-century modern. Choy is a big fan of the style, and a lot of the decor comes from his personal collection. Plant life and surfboards lend a sophisticated surf shack vibe.

Two- and four-top tables on the second-floor of a restaurant

A section of a restaurant's dining room decorated with pendant lighting, plants and wood panelling

A restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows on the second storey of a building

A bartender stands behind the bar at a restaurant

Chefs work in the kitchen of a restaurant

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