Restaurant Name: Hwa Ji Bak Kut Teh 华记肉骨茶
Pricing: $$/5
Food: ♥♥♥/5
Ambience: ♥♥/5
Service: ♥♥♥/5
Location: 31 Boon Tat Street #01-01 Eagles Center
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays from 8:00 to 21:00
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays from 8:00 to 21:00
Located conveniently in the heart of Singapore's Central Business District, Hwa Ji Bak Kut Teh seems to be the only eatery selling BKT in the area. Hence the lunch crowd can be quite overwhelming on a normal working day...
The monsoon season has begun and every day has been a rainy day :(
Hence this is the time we have soupy cravings.
Now, just a brief background introduction as to what on earth is this thing called Bak Kut Teh?
Brief Introduction
Bak Kut Teh (BKT) is a Hokkien (Chinese dialect) term which literally translates to "Meat Bone Tea". BKT originated from Malaysia by Chinese coolies and workers of Hokkien origin. The simplest version of BKT consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a broth of herbs and spices (including star cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours. BKT itself contains no tea. This dish is traditionally served alongside with strong oolong Chinese tea and hence that was what its name suggests - "Meat Bone Tea".
BKT is usually eaten with rice and often served with fried dough fritters (油条). The meat is often dipped in a mixture of dark soya sauce, chilli padi and minced garlic.
This dish claimed to be consumed by coolies as a tonic to boost their health.
In Singapore, there are 3 variants of BKT:
- Teochew Style: The broth is light coloured as more pepper and garlic is used
- Hokkien Style: The broth looks darker in appearance as more soy sauce is used
- Cantonese Style: In an attempt to promote their soup-drinking culture, medicinal herbs is added to create a stronger herbal taste
Ambience
The place is tidy and it is a small eatery that is air-conditioned. You can imagine it as a cozy corner in a Food Court - nothing fanciful about the decor / furnishing.
Oh yes, they serve breakfast too!
Food
We ordered 2 types of BKT - Signature BKT & Pig's Stomach BKT. Hwa Ji serves the Teochew style of BKT - clear broth with the peppery taste.
The fried dough fritters ain't crispy enough (perhaps it was not freshly fried) :( Da Rabbit loves crispy dough fritters!! But its OK since the essence of this eatery lies on their BKT...
What Da Rabbit Likes
Pig's Stomach Bak Kut Teh
Its chewy chewy in the peppery broth. The staff refills our broth readily once it has depleted.
Pig's Intestines
If you are adventurous enough, you might wanna try the Pig's intestines :) Its really chewy (tasted better than abalones in my opinion) and the soy sauce complements the intestines perfectly. However, you have to eat it together with rice, otherwise it might taste too saltish!
Overall
The service was satisfactory but not the best - don't expect to be treated like a royalty since this ain't a fine-dining restaurant after all.. Will come again as it is the only place around my office area which serves BKT. We spent S$24.30 in total and that pricing is considered reasonable in a CBD area.
P.S.
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