Luke (Hungry Angmo), who has been to ALL the vegetarian restaurants in Singapore, brought Derrick (Sg Food on Foot) and me to what he considers the best vegetarian restaurant in Singapore.

Housed in a 2-storey shophouse, the decor is bright and clean. There are over 500 items on the menu, with Chinese, Malay, Western, and, of course, Indian food. All food do NOT contain garlic, onions, egg, and MSG. The place gets crowded quickly even on a weekday. Reservations encouraged.

The Mysore mutton ($9) blew my mind away. The mock meat (made from mushroom) came apart in shreds gently, mimicking the texture of mutton. The myriad spices created the illusion of real meat. It was spicy at first bite but the heat quickly mellowed.

Another must order was the malai kofta ($10), which looked like breasts. The twin peaks consisted potato, nuts, raisins, pea, etc in a non-spicy buttery curry, an Indian version of potato salad. It had a great texture and a lovely sweetness and nuttiness.

The dum briyani ($10) was pretty fantastic too. The “meat” was made for soy and was moist within. The bismati rice, which could be dry at other restaurants, was fluffy and moist. Even the tangy curry sauce was faultless.

For the sake of variety, we ordered a hawker food, char kway teow ($7.50). This was the first dish that was served, and it awed me. Yes, it didn’t have wok hei and yes, it didn’t have the lardy goodness, but it was better than some hawker versions–a firm bite (slightly past al dente) and a light sweetness with just a tinge of chili.

Generous portions. We three grown men ate till our bellies bulged past our belts and we could only finish half the food. Without us asking, the server took initiative to pack the leftovers for us–great service.

And best of all, the price. Including drinks, we would have paid $50 for three people. This was a damn satisfying experience: delicious affordable food and great company in a relaxing environment. Is this the best vegetarian restaurant in Singapore, as Luke claims? Very likely. I was thanking Luke profusely at the end of dinner for such a great recommendation.

Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant Singapore

19 Upper Dickson Road Singapore 207478
T: 6396 7769
10.30am-10.30pm daily

Rating: 3.973/5 stars

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.