Quick Verdict: Lucky Cat Cafe Serves Delicious Japanese Food with Creative Plant-Based Ingredients
I went in expecting a gimmick. I left having eaten tofu and konjac sashimi that genuinely fooled me. Lucky Cat Cafe at Hougang Community Club is a small vegetarian restaurant doing creative Japanese vegetarian cuisine and Korean dishes, and while not every dish lands, the ones that do stay with you. It’s best for plant-based eaters and the curious; less so for anyone allergic to mock meat or unfamiliar with konjac jelly.
How I Ended Up Here on a Tuesday for My First Visit to Lucky Cat
It was a Tuesday, just before noon, the kind of warm afternoon where the inside of a community club feels like a small mercy. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. A friend had mentioned an authentic vegetarian cafe tucked inside Hougang Community Centre, and I’d filed it away the way you file these things and forget them.
I almost missed the entrance. Lucky Cat Cafe sits at #01-02, folded into the ground floor of the community centre rather than announcing itself from a glossy mall front. You walk past notice boards and the hum of a void deck, then suddenly there are cats. Painted cats, ceramic cats, cats watching you from the shelves.
I’ll be honest: I’m usually wary of themed cat cafes. They tend to lean on the theme and forget the food. So I sat down half-expecting novelty over substance.
Atmosphere and First Impressions at Lucky Cat
The space is small and unpretentious. A handful of tables, soft lighting, and those cat ornaments doing most of the decorating. It reads less like a designed lifestyle cafe and more like someone’s careful, slightly eccentric living room.
Before the lunch rush, it was quiet. A fan turning somewhere, the clink of cutlery, the low murmur of two aunties at the next table. I found a seat easily, which I later learned is a weekday luxury here.
The whole place has a neighbourhood feel. No pressure, no performance. Just a vegetarian restaurant getting on with its day inside a Hougang Community Club, which is exactly the kind of context I trust.
A few things I noticed settling in:
Seating is limited. Maybe a dozen or so covers, better for twos and small groups than a big gathering.
It’s warm but comfortable. The air-con kept things pleasant without that freezing chill some cafes inflict on you.
The menu is broad. Japanese food, Korean dishes, and local favourites like mee goreng and hokkien mee, all built on plant based ingredients.
The Food at Lucky Cat Cafe: Tasty Japanese Vegetarian Dishes and More
This is where Lucky Cat earned my attention. I ordered more than I should have, mostly out of curiosity, and I’m glad I did.
Tofunagi Maki: A Flavorful Maki Roll with Grilled Tofu and Enoki Tempura
The Tofunagi Maki is the signature dish, and I understand why. This maki roll is built around tofu and seaweed skin layered to mimic unagi, wrapped with Japanese cucumber and crispy enoki tempura, a little mayonnaise, and a kabayaki-style teriyaki sauce glaze.
Here’s the thing. The first bite genuinely read as tender unagi. The seaweed skin gave that slightly chewy, savory pull, and the sweet teriyaki sauce did the rest. The enoki tempura added a fine, crisp crackle running through the middle.
I tried the Tofunagi Don too, the same idea served over fluffy rice. The battered exterior stayed crisp on the first few bites, soft underneath, slick with that sweet teriyaki sauce. My one gripe: leave it too long and the tempura softens as it drinks up the sauce. Eat it while it’s hot.
Konjac Sashimi Platter: A Clever Plant-Based Take on Raw Fish
This was the dish I was most skeptical about, and the one I keep thinking about. The konjac sashimi platter arrives looking unsettlingly like raw fish, pale slices fanned out with soy sauce and wasabi on the side.
The konjac sashimi is smooth and bouncy, springy in a way real fish isn’t quite. With a dab of wasabi and a dip in soy sauce, the flavor leans convincingly fishy. It’s not sashimi, and it doesn’t pretend to be once you chew it (the texture is more spongy than silky), but as a piece of plant-based invention, it’s clever and oddly satisfying.
I’d say this one splits the room. If bouncy konjac jelly isn’t your texture, you’ll struggle. If you’re curious, it’s worth ordering once just to experience it.
Lucky Tendon: Deep Fried Vegetables and Mushrooms Over Fluffy Rice
For something warm and comforting, the Lucky Tendon was the steadier pick. This bowl features deep fried mixed vegetables like broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes, along with tofu, vegetarian ebi, and monkey head mushroom, all served over fluffy rice and finished with a sweet teriyaki sauce.
The monkey head mushroom had a lovely meaty bite, and the rice underneath soaked up the sauce nicely. The vegetarian ebi read more like soy fish cake than shrimp— not bad, just not quite what it claimed.
Local Favourites: Mee Goreng and Hokkien Mee
Lucky Cat Cafe also serves local vegetarian favourites like mee goreng and hokkien mee, made with yellow noodles and flavorful sauces. The mee goreng had a pleasant spicy kick balanced with garlic and onion, while the hokkien mee was savory and satisfying, making these dishes worthy additions to the menu.
Sides and Drinks: Vegan Potato Salad, Aonori Fries, and Yuzu Rose Black Tea
I added the vegan potato salad as a side. It was rich and tasty, not overly flavored, making it a great appetizer. The aonori fries came in a generous portion, dusted with seaweed and crispy to the last bite—a real crowd-pleaser.
To drink, I chose the yuzu rose black tea. The black tea base kept it from going too sweet, and the yuzu gave it a clean, citrusy lift. The floral notes from the rose added a subtle fragrance that paired well with all the food.
Other Noteworthy Dishes: Shiitake Cream and Cheese
Though I didn’t try it myself, the shiitake cream and cheese dish was ordered by the table beside me and disappeared fast. This dish features grilled shiitake mushrooms topped with a creamy cheese sauce, combining the earthy flavor of the shiitake mushrooms with a rich, sweet creaminess that sounds delicious.
Service at Lucky Cat Cafe: Friendly, Informative, and Unpretentious
Service was warm and unfussy. The staff were friendly, happy to walk me through what was vegetarian versus what had vegan options (If you would like to know the difference between vegetarian versus vegan, click here to learn more), and patient with my many questions about textures and ingredients like konjac jelly and mock meat.
There was no rush, no upselling. Just someone who clearly knew the menu and wanted me to order what I’d actually enjoy. When I asked about the konjac sashimi, I got an honest answer rather than a sales pitch, which I appreciated.
It’s the kind of quiet, capable service that suits the room. Nothing performed. Everything sincere.
Value and Practical Information for Your Visit to Lucky Cat Cafe
For what I ate, the value held up. Most people will spend somewhere around S$11 to S$20 per person, and portions are filling rather than dainty.
The aonori fries alone could feed two, and a single rice bowl left me comfortably full. For creative, made-to-order vegetarian food, that feels fair. You’re not paying a novelty premium for the cat theme, which I half-expected and was relieved to avoid.
Practical Information
Address: 35 Hougang Avenue 3, #01-02, Hougang Community Club, Singapore 538840
Opening hours: Roughly 11:00am to 8:15pm, closed Wednesdays (timings vary slightly, so check before a special trip)
Average spend: Around S$11 to S$20 per person
Reservations: None. Lucky Cat Cafe is walk-in and takeaway only
Nearest MRT: Hougang MRT, with a short walk or bus ride to the community club
Parking: Available around the estate, between the nearby block and the community centre
Best Times to Avoid Crowds
Go on a weekday, either before the lunch rush or in the quiet mid-afternoon stretch. Weekend lunch and dinner are the busiest, and because the space is small, a group during peak hours will likely wait.
Pro tip: Order the deep fried dishes first and eat them straight away while the enoki tempura still snaps, then move on to the soup. It makes a real difference.
Final Thoughts: Why Lucky Cat Cafe is a Must-Visit for Vegetarian Food Lovers
Lucky Cat works because it has personality without leaning on it. The food does the heavy lifting, and the best of it is genuinely creative, flavorful, and tasty.
If you love Japanese food but want to explore vegan options, this cafe is a rare find in Hougang Community Club. From the konjac sashimi platter to the lucky tendon and tofunagi maki, each dish showcases how plant based ingredients can be transformed into delicious, satisfying meals.
Go if you are:
A vegetarian or vegan looking for inventive and tasty Japanese vegetarian cuisine and Korean dishes
Curious about how far mock meat, konjac jelly, and shiitake mushrooms can go in recreating seafood and meat flavors
After a casual, affordable meal in a relaxed neighborhood setting that feels like a cozy cat cafe
Maybe skip it if you:
Dislike mock meat or bouncy konjac textures
Want traditional Japanese flavors done classically
Need a spacious, polished cafe for a long sit-down
What I’d order again: the tofunagi maki, the lucky tendon, and a yuzu rose black tea to keep things light. The konjac sashimi platter I’d order for the experience, at least once. I came in skeptical and left full, both in stomach and in that small, satisfied way you feel after a place surprises you. For a quiet vegetarian restaurant inside Hougang Community Club, that’s no small thing.
Have you tried the tofunagi here, or braved the konjac sashimi? I’d genuinely like to know how it sat with you.
If you enjoyed this review, head over to Food Reporters SG for more honest takes and similar articles on Singapore’s dining scene.