Lucy Luu, Mount Hawthorn

Mt Hawthorn’s Lucy Luu is my go-to for a group gathering or date night and it should be yours if you (or your friends) are gluten intolerant. The tasty menu of modern Asian share plates is about 95% GF, plus there are playful, yummy cocktails – happy days!

The drinks list is good, with cocktails being the star. I loved ‘Geisha’s Blush’ a delish gin, raspberry and grapefruit cocktail (also comes non-alc).

What to order? There are so many delicious possibilities for this GF girly who is usually confined to a very small share of dishes on most menus. The Popcorn chicken is a MUST, the wok-fried broccoli sauce is actually addictive (true, we went back a couple of weeks later for more!).

The vibe is chill and welcoming, the menu is fresh, delicious and MSG-free – perfect for me as it gives me headaches. MSG intolerance isn’t something that gets talked about much (Even if celebrity Chef David Chang says otherwise). Well, let me tell you that from the age of 8, I would get weekly migraines. They ruled my life in so many ways. It wasn’t until I cut it out of my pantry at home about 10 years ago that overnight my migraines disappeared. That was a challenge, as I found MSG is ‘hidden’ as under other names like ‘Yeast Extract’ which is in EVERYTHING. I was so happy for the migraines to be gone, I just avoided Chinese restaurants like the plague… until I met Lucy Luu (thank you chefs)!

Here’s everything we ate:

Perfectly cooked beef fillet tataki with mushroom

Snapper ceviche with ginger and lime is fresh and zingy.

Popcorn chicken – big hit. Crisp, juicy, generous.

Crispy chicken with five spice salt.

Wok-fried broccoli… the garlicy sauce is so good. I can’t quite put my finger on why it is so tasty – just trust me.

Banana prawn fried rice, with oodles of egg = elite.

Pork belly with a super fresh herb + apple salad.

My faves? The popcorn chicken and wok-fried broccoli (please never take them off the menu!), were more-ish, they also felt good-value.

There’s plenty of parking behind The Mezz Shopping Centre, handy for an easy win. If you haven’t checked out Lucy Luu, get yourself a booking! I know I’ll be back again, and again.