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Bak Cheng Johor JB Bak Kut Teh @ Desa Tebrau 木清肉骨茶

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First when there was bak kut teh in Johor Bahru, there was Bak Cheng bak kut teh 木清肉骨茶. Bak Cheng BKT is one of the pioneers of JB bak kut teh, and perhaps the most respected and storied one.

Old Mr 江木清 has passed on 3 years ago. His children and daughter-in-law are still serving the 木清 brand of bak kut teh in Taman Sri Tebrau, Gohtong Jaya in Genting (near KL), and in Taman Desa Tebrau (closed).

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A Johor Kaki reader alerted me to the Bak Cheng BKT shop in Taman Desa Tebrau (near to Jusco Tebrau).

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I was at Bak Cheng's simple shop early and joined one of their long time regulars.

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I rushed here because I wanted to meet the matriarch of JB bak kut teh. Grandma asked me to address her as auntie. Ah... then she recalled that everyone, even people at Gohtong Raya calls her "bak kut" so she said I can call her "Auntie bak kut".

So here she is, Auntie Bak Kut, the grandma of JB bak kut teh and granny to more than a dozen and a half grandchildren (still counting).

It's a humbling honour for me to meet Auntie Bak Kut.

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Typical of JB bak kut teh shops, everything - menu, price, business hours - was clearly laid out on the wall at Bak Cheng.

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I started my morning with a bowl of bak kut, you char kueh and simple plain white rice. (I came here alone today.)

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The bak kut had a bit of bite and tender firmness. The meat was tasty - savoury sweet herbal in a light and mild way. The meat fell off the bone easily but not without a bite.

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The broth was light bodied and coloured like Chinese tea. It was mildly savoury, herbal and sweet. Not overly greasy. The soup was drinkable and I love it.

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oh... my.. wet spongy you char kueh soaking with dripping bak kut teh broth is so... delicious! You char kueh is a must when eating bak kut teh ;-D

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Next, I had a bowl of pig tail in bak kut teh broth.

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Did I tell you that the tail is my favourite part of an animal? Only the tail has that combination of bone, meat, fat and skin for that special taste and texture :-D

Bak Cheng's pig tail is done just right for me. It still has a nice bouncy spring in the skin and meat. The fat too has a nice firm spongy bite.

The broth needless to say was great as usual.

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This is a nice place to enjoy JB's definitive bak kut teh. Plenty of free parking and the shop is very clean and well kept.

->> If you love bak kut teh, then you have to try Bak Cheng BKT.

Bak Cheng's Legacy

Eldest daughter's stall 👈 click
Youngest daughter's stall 👈 click
Daughter-in-law's stall 👈 click

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Click on photo for full story ^

My earlier post on Bak Cheng when it was at it's old address at Lion Hotel. The building has been demolished.

Restaurant name: Bak Cheng Bak Kut Teh 木清肉骨茶
Address: 81, Jalan Harmonium 35/1, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
GPS: 1.557455, 103.789056
Hours: 8:30am to 5:30pm (closed on alternate Thurs)

Non Halal

Date visited: 28 Nov 2015 | Reviewed 26 Feb 2023

What other bak kut teh do you like in Johor Bahru?

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4 comments:

  1. Is Crystal BKT at Tmn Sentosa related to this shop or is this their new location?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is the daughter-in-law's shop, I understand.

      Delete
  2. "desa tebrau is mother & younger daughter, taman sri tebrau is elder daughter selling at nite ... son in KL genting . Another one in tmn sentosa called Crystal bkt is sons ex wife" (Info from Danny Wong's Facebook post on 22 Oct 2016.)

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  3. We visited the shop at Harmonium 35/1 at Tama Desa Terbau and was disappointed.
    1. The preserved vegetable - too hard
    2. The soup was too peppery.
    Their standard dropped and no loger the old traditional taste at Lion


    ReplyDelete

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