This New Montreal Restaurant Lets You Build Your Own Pasta Bowl

Next time someone asks where the best spot in Montreal is for pasta, you can tell 'em all about Lulu's — Montreal's newest pasta bar.

Located in Griffintown on rue Notre-Dame O., Lulu's strives to offer the finest ingredients combined in what can only be described as a bowl of pure pasta heaven.

After opening its doors earlier this February, the new Montreal restaurant lets you build your own pasta bowl. But let's get one thing out of the way, we aren't just talking about your typical bowl of pasta.

Lulu's, inspired by a beloved nickname given to restaurant owner Anthousa Siounis, is a family-run resto that beams with love, and the taste and quality of the food are a clear reflection of just that.

Guests can enjoy three choices of vegan pasta (rigatoni, campanelle, and casarecce) all of which are made with semolina flour, boasting huge nutritional benefits, along with five styles of sauces including a traditional tomato and basil, creamy pesto, parmesan, rosé and/or an extra virgin olive oil base, which Siounis has imported directly from Greece.

Toss in a protein of your choice (bacon, chicken, and ground beef) and a few extras to your palate's liking and you've got yourself a fresh bowl of pasta.

MTL Blog spoke with Siounis who said customers can be as creative as possible, customizing their bowls however they please.

For those in a rush or who'd rather leave the selection up to Lulu's delectable menu, you can select a few fan favourites, which include the Chicken Tarragon, Pistachio Pesto and the Mushroom Truffle — all of which run for $15.95 a bowl.

Lulu's also has a more festive selection of must-try dishes that wouldn't qualify as the most traditional Italian choices, luckily we love innovation.

As part of its "Delulu" menu, Lulu's offers a Creamy Taco pasta ($14.75), Chicken Chipotle ($15.95) and a Creamy Cheeseburger option ($14.95) made with…pickles.

Now, while you might deem pickles in pasta an Italian offence punishable by four salami slaps to the wrist, a blend of rosé sauce, ground beef, pickles, cheddar cheese, parsley and Parmigiano Reggiano works in ways you'd never have imagined.

The crunch of the pickles blends effortlessly with the creaminess of the rosé sauce and the subtle kicks of parmesan. Toss in the chewy texture of the casarecce (my pasta of choice) and it's game over.

For first-timers, the bowls are a lot bigger in person than they appear online. Don't fret though, you can take it home and finish the rest whenever your heart (and stomach) calls for more pasta.

In fact, Siounis told MTL Blog that many customers experience a brand new flavour profile after eating Lulu's leftovers, considering the pasta has more time to soak in all the mouthwatering ingredients. And let me tell you, as someone who devoured the Creamy Cheeseburger a day later, Siounis is spot on.

The new Montreal restaurant is open seven days a week and is available for dine-in, takeout and delivery via Lulu's website, Uber Eats and DoorDash.

Bon appétit, Montreal.

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