Reviews The Lucky Cat Dumplings & Cocktail Bar

Delicious food, friendly staff, nice atmosphere and great location. Fantastic all round!

Great selection of dishes all of which we received were sensational. Freshly prepared, visually appealing and bursting with flavour. Great location and friendly attentive staff made for a great visit. Definitely worth checking out when you're on Coogee.

A trip to Coogee Beach on a cloudless summer day is always a pleasure, but today the trip becomes a bit more exciting as we feast on dumplings before heading down to the beach.  A stone’s throw away from the golden sands, The Lucky Cat Dumpling Bar moved into busy Coogee Bay Road in late 2018, specialising in nothing but dumplings.

I think I've found dumpling heaven in Coogee at the newly opened The Lucky Cat.

As a dim sum lover, I was curious to try the dumplings at this new kid on the block which offered something a bit different. The Lucky Cat has all of your traditional favourite dumplings plus some re-invented ones with a creative twist. I highly recommend ordering a few different dishes to share (which is what yum cha is all about) so you can try a bit of everything.

You can order a la carte from the menu or choose options such as the 2hr bottomless yum cha & bubbles package ($89) or a 4-course yum cha & glass of bubbles menu ($69). There is something mouth-watering for every foodie and dumpling lover. Whilst you relax and enjoy the smooth sounds of jazz (on Friday and Saturday nights) right on the beach while sipping on a craft beer or one of the many tempting cocktails such as the cherry blossom martini (which is what I had, it was beautiful in taste and presentation).

The venue has a sleek, sexy fit-out and décor, with the surrounding walls decked out with bright neon lights and not to forget, the waving lucky cats. There is a fully stocked bar stirring up the latest cocktail, the perfect accompanied with your food. There is also an upstairs dining section complete with it's own bar and an intimate terrace if you're after alfresco drinks and dining.

We tried the following delicious items off the a la carte menu (my top picks are indicated with an asterisk):

Pork, garlic and chive chilli wonton* - The meat inside of these wontons was juicy and well seasoned whilst the chilli infused broth it came in gave them a good fiery kick which I enjoyed.

Curry chicken dumplings* - When these came out of the steamer to our table, I could already smell the aromatic spices. The dumplings were full of flavour, you didn't need to dip them into any of the chilli sauces at all as they were so tasty on their own.

Red prawn seafood dumplings* - A signature dish here, these are no ordinary prawn dumplings! Firstly, the dumplings are presented in a vibrant pink pastry wrapper which already offers intrigue when presented at the table. The prawn inside the red dumpling pastry is encased in a tasty, spicy (curry) flavoured filling which amplified the taste of these dumplings.

Pan fried mixed veg dumplings* - I usually order vegetarian dumplings for the 'health' factor to balance out the meat heavy ones and so I didn't expect too much taste from these when our waitress recommended them. Boy, was I wrong. These dumplings have to be one of the tastiest veggie dumplings I've ever eaten. They were packed with not only mixed veggies but there are some glass noodles inside as well which provides an extra textural element and taste. They were also substantial in size, very filling.

Yellow scallop and prawn seafood dumplings - these dumplings are almost equally as good as the red prawn. Encased in a bright yellow pastry wrapper, there is a juicy scallop and prawn inside.

Shanghai soup pork dumplings - good, standard Xiao Long Bao dumplings and I prefer mine with a slightly thinner pastry skin.

Pan fried pork dumplings - a tasty meat dumpling.

Peking duck pancakes - they were slightly on the smaller side, but as we had so many other dishes to try, it was actually a good thing that these were on the smaller side.

Chicken and mushroom dim sum - a decent dumpling.

Bok choy in oyster sauce - needed some greens to balance out the rest of the dishes, this was tasty and well seasoned.

And for drinks:
Cherry blossom martini - for a fun, sweet and girl cocktail, try this cocktail which is decorated with a scattering of pretty flowers. One that is picture-worthy.

Lychee lime fizz cocktail - if you're a lychee fan and don't like your cocktails too sweet, this is the one for you.

Whether it's a catch up with the girls or date night (or you really like waving lucky cats), put this place on your list of destinations to check out in Sydney.

Note: I dined as a guest of the venue. All views and opinions expressed are my own.