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A Bak Kut Teh Farewell…

December 11, 20202297 views0

Kee Hiong Klang Bak Kut Teh at People’s Park Centre – It was already their last week of operations in Singapore when I got to know about this place.

A friend of mine from Malaysia had shared with me that the bak kut teh in this store is one that he tried in Singapore that tastes almost like the ones he had in KL.

Perfect weather for a Bak Kut Teh! 🌧

So with 2 days to go before they close for good, we decided to go check them out. It was a chilly, wet morning, the perfect weather to down a hot soupy bowl of bak kut teh. We arrived at People’s Park Centre, just around lunchtime, there was a light crowd, but we soon got ourselves a seat.

Quickly, we placed our orders. A serving of Klang cuts soup, dry bak kut teh, and a couple of side dishes – 油条 (dough fritters), braised peanuts, and braised bean curd skin.

Klang styled broth. 😋

So what’s so special about Kee Hiong’s bak kut teh? Well, typically in Singapore, the broth you get is pepper-based, really spicy. The one served at Kee Hiong is the Klang style, a dark coloured soup boiled with a variety of Chinese medicinal herbs.

But do not be mistaken, it’s does not taste bitter, and is not full of weird medicinal taste. Instead, the broth is rich, aromatic, and flavourful, absolutely mouthwatering!

Although it is still not as rich as the ones I had in Malaysia, it’s really close. Dip the pieces of dough fritters into the soup to soak up the essences, and you’ll have yourself a really delicious side dish to go along with the meal!

The soup is so good that we had four refills! And not forgetting the beancurd skin, it is terrific as a side dish as well. However, personally, I still prefer the dough fritters soup combination as a side dish.

The dry version of the bak kut teh is also different from the typical ones we find in Singapore. The first time I had dry bak kut teh was in Puchong, Malaysia.

I fell in love with this type of bak kut teh and would order it whenever the opportunity arises.

The version they have in Kee Hiong is a mixture of pork ribs and pork belly. It is infused with the deep, intense flavours of dried shrimps, chillies, ikan bilis and okras (ladyfingers)… Oh! The ladyfingers! I love them so much! Many people don’t like okras, but I bet they’ll change their mind once they have this!

I dare say it’s the best in Singapore! 👍🏻

Overall, I must say that this is one of the best Malaysian bak kut teh I had in Singapore.

As we finish the meal, I felt a tinge of sadness as I wished I had known about them sooner. Unfortunately, their last day of operations is on 30 Nov 2020, and by the time you read this post, they would most probably be closed.

This version of bak kut teh will be hard to find in Singapore.

It is sad to see them go, and I’ll definitely miss it a lot.

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