Nestled along the busy streets of Sentul, which resembles a mini Little India, you’d stumble upon The Black Cat Café. It’s an eclectic space which is ideal for vegans and vegetarians. It’s decorated with the owners’ personal collection of antiques and china that they’ve collected from their travels around the world.
Café owner Ambika grew up vegetarian and found it difficult to find restaurants or cafés with a wide variety of choices. Plus, she is not a person who favours mock meat (which is the case with plenty of vegetarian cafés in KL), and wanted to cater to KL-ites with a similar dietary requirement.
That’s how The Black Cat Café was formed, with an emphasis on wholesome vegetarian meals which are far from bland. The eatery does not use any artificial flavourings or additives and they offer vegan and onion/garlic free options.
Additionally, Ambika also runs a health centre which is conveniently situated right across the café. Her aim is to nourish the body both internally and externally.
By its name alone, you might assume that the space is actually a cat café but the only cats you’d find here are the plushed ones that are placed in each corner of the café.
The team was inspired to name their space The Black Cat Café after their trip to France where they chanced upon an iconic poster of a black cat. Evidently, this left a mark in them.
Also, as a cat lover, with 13 cats of her own, Ambika wanted to have a feline-inspired space of her own.
First up, we tried the café’s specialty: the Moringa Fruit Juice (RM7.90). It’s a refreshing and healthy beverage with a slew of vitamins and antioxidants in them. What’s unique about this drink is how Ambika grows the moringa leaves in her own garden!
After one sip, we felt rejuvenated and we would suggest having this on a hot day.
The Broski Iced Coffee (RM12) is an absolutely perfect antidote to a dreary morning. It’s a rich coffee which is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The bitter coffee is met by a silky smooth vanilla ice cream and makes for a perfect morning pick-me-up with a sweet kick.
Also, we tried the Coconut Cucumber (RM11.90) which sounds like an odd combination. But it’s actually an excellent thirst quencher, what with it being a combination of 2 refreshing elements.
In their attempt to be kinder to Mother Nature, The Black Cat Café doesn’t serve their drinks with plastic straws anymore and has opted for reusable bamboo straws. You can even purchase your own reusable bamboo straw at the café.
As for meals, we tried their Nasi Kerabu (RM 10.90). The rice is coloured naturally with butterfly pea flowers. The vegetarian element can be found in the Indonesian curry where young jackfruits are used to replace meat. We found it to be quite unique and though the texture is no match for meat, it’s actually pretty juicy and is able to absorb the curry flavours fairly well.
Besides the rice and curry, there is also some tempeh fried with spices and a tomato salad on the side.
The Tacos (RM12.90) arrived next with a side of Mexican rice, corn chips, and tomato salsa. The filling of the wrap is tofu with two types of vegetarian cheese. The dish would have probably been more appetising with an accompanying sauce but it’s an ideal option for vegetarians who still very much enjoy their tacos.
Being a crafty baker herself, we were served with Ambika’s special: a plate of Vegan Eggs that looks exactly like regular eggs.
Jelly is an apt description of what this dish tastes like. The eggs are made out of nutritional yeasts, almond milk, potatoes, turmeric, and carrageen instead of agar-agar to keep that similar eggy consistency. Though this did not taste identical to eggs, it’s a pretty good effort and is pretty filling, what with the potatoes used. A+ effort for getting the looks down right though.
We saved the best main for last: the Nasi Lemak Pizza (RM 24.90). This year in particular, there has been plenty of nasi lemak variations in KL and we frankly did not have high hopes for the nasi lemak pizza. Why ruin a perfectly good pizza, am I right?
The Black Cat Café proved us wrong with their thin crust pizza which is topped with rice, toasted crushed peanuts, cucumbers, sambal and cheese. The combination actually works well together and you can barely taste the pizza base as it’s extremely thin.
We ended our meal with Ambika’s signature homemade desserts: the Eggless Butter Cake (RM6.90) and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice (RM3.90).
We were in dessert heaven. Who would have thought that eggless desserts would actually taste this good? Considering how it’s pretty hard to find good eggless desserts in KL, it’s nice to have the option at The Black Cat Café.
The Eggless Butter Cake has a pretty light texture. If you’re a fan of butter cakes which are airy and fluffy, rather than dense, you would enjoy this slice of cake.
And don’t get us started on the Chocolate Peanut Butter slice! It took care of our chocolate cravings and is super indulgent. In fact, it tastes exactly like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – only difference is that it’s eggless.
The Black Cat Café has proven itself to be a perfect hideout for cat lovers and vegetarians alike. Whether you’re trying vegetarian food for the first time or you’re a seasoned vegetarian food lover, you’d find your match here at the eatery.
Our picks would definitely be the Nasi Lemak Pizza, and for desserts, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice.
The Black Cat Café
Hours: Mondays-Saturdays: 11am-9.30pm. (Closed on Sundays).
Address: B-0-11 Viva Residency, Jalan Suppiah Pillay, Kuala Lumpur
Website: The Black Cat Café
This article is written in collaboration with The Black Cat Café.
