My foodie buddy, Ian Low has been telling us about Soon Huat bak kut teh 顺发肉骨茶 in Bedok, Singapore.
Soon Huat BKT is headed by Jabez, Chief Chef and owner - an ex-offender who has turned over a new leaf. Soon Huat BKT is staffed by ex-offenders, all appreciative of the opportunity to start afresh with the support of the social enterprise.
We have been looking forward to visiting Soon Huat BKT as we are eager to support it's worthy mission.
We were at Soon Huat BKT for lunch on a sunny Saturday morning. Most of the seats at the simple shop lot restaurant were filled.
Once all our makan kakis arrived, we settled down to the business of BKT tasting.
Soon Huat's bak kut teh is Jabez's own concoction. It is a blend of Jabez's interpretation of Malaysian Klang style BKT and the local Singapore variety with some Johor Bahru influence.
Jabez has been carefully fine tuning this BKT for over two years. It is already well liked by many regulars but Jazeb being a perfectionist still wants to make it better. With the spirit of constant improvements, it will always be a work in progress.
The broth in the clay pot was well bodied, and murky with coagulate. Subsequent complimentary top ups were clearer. The herbal flavours and savouriness were mild.
The broth initially felt unfamiliar but I quickly found it likeable and pleasing after a few spoonfuls. Jabez said that the broth was tuned to appeal to a wider cross section, including children. From the business point of view, this makes a lot of sense.
Personally, I felt the flavours very friendly though a little meek. My preference is for more boldness and a defined personality - either spicy, savoury or herbal.
The pork was tender and undraped from the rib easily. Made with Argentine pork, it was less porky than the local variety. Lovely texture, especially the marbled portions.
The "dry" BKT 干炒肉骨茶 was pork ribs made with the same BKT broth reduced by heat and then stir fried in a clay pot with a blended savoury sweet sauce, dried chili peppers, lady fingers and dried cuttlefish strips.
The dryness made the pork a little stiffer but the savoury and sweet flavours from the gummy gravy were quite pronounced. There were spicy notes from the dried chili pepper tossed together with the pork ribs.
The pork liver in BKT broth.
This simple fried bean curd skin (tow ki) in braising sauce is my favourite of the day. The stack of golden brown fried bean curd skin was drenched in savoury light braising sauce.
Softened by the savoury braising sauce, yet the tofu skin was still crunchy.
The braised pork trotter 卤猪脚 meat was firm while the fats and skin were nicely soft.
I love Soon Huat's braised pig big intestine 卤猪大肠 as it had the right balance of tenderness and bounciness. I wouldn't mind a little nice subtle gaminess (which I enjoy), but couldn't detect any at all from the two pieces I ate. So for people who are squeamish about big intestines because of potential gaminess, this one is perfectly safe :D
The braised chicken wings 卤鸡翅膀 have a nice tender and smooth texture. The savoury flavour clung on the surface of the wings, not quite penetrating into the meat.
The total bill for all the food came to SGD75 for 9 of us.
While we were eating, the friendly boss Jabez, was making his rounds, attentively looking out for the customers' needs.
Once we were done eating, Jabez came to sit with us. He earnestly wanted to hear our feedback as he is constantly on a quest to make his BKT better.
I'll be back because I like the friendly, appealing food here. I also enjoy the earnest and sincere service.
It was a simple meal, and it was not simply that.
Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh 顺发肉骨茶's mission is to "provide ex-offenders a new start in life with a meaningful career".
May I take this opportunity to wish Jabez and his crew the best.
Restaurant name: Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh 顺发肉骨茶
Address: 302 Bedok Road, Bedok Shopping Complex, Simpang Bedok, Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/mpWUf
GPS: 1.331072,103.948365
Hours: 11:00am to 9:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 11 Jan 2014
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