I feel like I haven’t been to Singapore if I haven’t had Bak Kut Teh. What is it? It’s pork rib soup. What I love about it is that the soup has lots of pepper and as a meal it is not too heavy. We have this dish also in the southern provinces of Thailand and in Malaysia but I have yet to try the ones there. I think there will be slight variations. There are lots of places to have Bak Kut Teh in Singapore, but my newest discovery is called “Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha.” It’s a long name. Don’t ask me what it means..

On my previous visits I’d go to the one on Rangoon road, but this trip I wasn’t able to so you can imagine my delight when a good friend told me that there was one not far from the hotel I was staying at. We walked there and it was a mere 5 minutes walk away from the hotel and is located at the base of Tangong Pagar Complex. Mind you, this is not the same as Tangong Pagar Plaza! This one is located on Keppel Road and is open from early morning to late night. They are closed for a few hours in the afternoon though (I think from 3pm to 6pm)

During lunch time, I am told that it is extremely crowded and you have to sometimes wait to be seated. I went at 1pm when the crowd had all gone and it was lovely. No queues, no waits, the food came very quickly. You can choose to have the traditional pork rib soup with either lean or non-lean ribs (of course I had lean) or you could have it with pork belly, fish and a variety of other things. They all use the same soup. I had the traditional one and it was just delicious. The soup was peppery just the perfect amount and having it with rice and the patong go (fried pastry) gave it added crunchiness. We also ordered vegetables which were also good.

Hmm…now I wish I had time to go again. Soup is always good for the soul. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy. (It does to me anyways) Have a good one!