In a food rut? Go to Lulu’s Thai Noodle shop located in both Westwood and the Crossroads to try their wide selection of curries, fried rice and of course, noodles. Their menu makes it easy for everyone to find something to eat, even those with special dietary needs.

On a late Friday night, three friends and I dined at the Westwood location. The wooden booths and succulent plants placed in an industrialized interior gave the space a clean, modern earthy vibe. The restaurant was not very busy for a Friday night, which was surprising. After walking into the restaurant, it became apparent that it is not intended for mass groups of people.

We were seated and waited on very quickly upon entering the restaurant. Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and was able to answer our questions about the food and explain dishes we were not familiar with. After much time debating on what to order, we ordered the two most popular menu entrees. Two of us got the “Drunken Noodles,” one medium heat and one regular. The others both got Pad Thai, one medium heat and the other regular.

The Pad Thai was $12.99 and came with scallions, bean sprouts, egg, peanuts, tofu and thin rice noodles all tossed in a “special sauce.” It was well plated and had a pretty good portion of tofu and noodles. The tofu wasn’t anything exceptional. It worked with the dish really well, but it wasn’t a must-have option. The medium heat dishes are not suitable for those with a low tolerance for heat as they were very spicy. On the other hand, if you enjoy spice, this adds just the kick you need to the meal.

I ordered the Drunken Noodles medium which included Chinese broccoli, green and red bell peppers, Thai basil, peanuts, bean sprouts, scallions, lemongrass and egg all tossed together with wide rice noodles. The entree is originally $12.99, but I added chicken for the extra $1. There is also the option of having tofu, pork, flank steak, shrimp and lump crab for an extra charge. The dish had a good amount of vegetables that balanced the noodles well. I would highly recommend getting the noodles with medium heat because it elevated the flavor of all components of the dish.

Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop serves an atypical food experience from the “Vietnamese spring rolls” to the “Ginger Chicken.” It also would make a good take-out meal to come home and watch a movie with. I wish I could say this place lived up to all the hype I’ve heard about it, but it didn’t. I would say it’s above average because of the distinct, fresh tasting food, however, there was not a lot of meat in any of the dishes. All these factors considered I give Lulu’s a three out of five stars.