New ‘contemporary Cambodian’ spot Lula Mae opens in Clinton Hill  

By Scott Lynch

When Mark Roof, a New York City nightlife veteran, first conceived of Lula Mae back in pre-Covid times, he and his business partner David Balk envisioned a sultry cocktail lounge with what he called “elevated Southern bar food” located somewhere in a party zone like the Lower East Side, or maybe Bushwick near the L.

But as Roof tells Brooklyn Magazine, “nothing seemed to work out, and then the pandemic hit,” putting a further pause on their plans. That pause lasted until about a year ago when this space on Myrtle Avenue, formerly home to a taqueria, fell into their laps.

The intended name Lula Mae, a salute to Roof’s grandmother, stayed, even if the cuisine ultimately did not. “She’s Southern, I’m Southern, and she was the hospitality leader’within the family,” he says. But thanks to chef and now co-owner Dan San, an old friend of Roof’s who was brought in as ringer after Southern-style cooks failed to impress. The menu is now packed with Southeast Asian-ish stunners.

In keeping with the homage-to-grandma theme here, San — who grew up in Southern California and has cooked in places like The Tyger, Nami Nori, and Chinese Tuxedo — calls upon memories of his Cambodian grandmother’s cooking for many of the dishes.

The half dozen sweet petite raw oysters, for example, are doused in Koh Kong, which is the pungent Cambodian version of fish sauce and goes great with the bivalve’s briny blast. I haven’t slurped down raw oysters packing this much flavor in a long time.

Sweet Petite Oysters; $12 for three (Scott Lynch)

The crudo has a similarly Southeast Asian feel to it, four fat slabs of hamachi and a scattering of trout roe enlivened, but not overwhelmed, by a lovely lemongrass salsa and some strong scallion oil. As in all the dishes we ate at Lula Mae, San shows a deft touch when tossing together potent ingredients.

Hamchi with trout roe; $20 (Scott Lynch)

The fried tofu, one of several vegetarian options on the menu, is another winner, the crisp-skinned cubes given some zing with Sichuan chili vinegar, then buried in a blanket of powdery “tempura snow.”

The duck salat is a showstopper. Dip a slice of the funky bird into San’s crying tiger sauce, wrap it in any of the greens spilling off the plate — the Castelfranco is great; the perilla leaf even better — and marvel at how good life can be.

Duck salat with market greens; $32 (Scott Lynch)

And if you really want to buckle your knees, a couple of spoonfuls of the off-menu bone marrow, scooped out onto a hunk of Cambodian fried bread called cha kway, will do the trick.

Off-menu bone marrow with cha kway (Scott Lynch)

There’s a papaya salad with lemongrass beef jerky, a plate of dry-rubbed fried chicken, a fiery steak tartare, and wok-fried shoots of morning glory. And based on the heavenly turmeric ice cream we ate, which arrived covered in brown butter crumble, berries, and lychee, I’d say definitely get whatever dessert San offers you.

Turmeric ice cream with brown butter crumble (Scott Lynch)

The cocktails are all $14, and include things like a “Grandma’s Dream,” described as a gin, tonic, and espresso float; and a “Lulu Dirty,” which is ice cold vodka served with brie-filled olives. A couple of $9 mocktails are on the menu too, as well as draft beer, carafes of house wine, and a bunch of wine sold by the bottle, many of which are under $50.

The space itself is all completely new, “everything except for the floor,” says Roof. The bar dominates the main room, no surprise, but the table seating is comfortable and the pair of elevated two-tops by the front window offer an interesting perch from which to preside over the party. And there’s a lounge-y  back room, which will be used for waiting-for-tables overflow, private events, and as an intimate hangout after midnight.

The backroom is well-appointed for a late night hang (Scott Lynch)

Lula Mae is located at 472 Myrtle Avenue, between Washington Avenue and Hall Street, and is currently open for dinner on Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The bar keeps pouring booze until midnight, and the back room lounge is open until 2 a.m. (347-457-5058)