Soon after starting Johor Kaki blog, I eagerly went to explore the good food of Pontian in 2012. Asking the locals for recommendations, they pointed me to Ah Hong Pontian Bak Kut Teh. I enjoyed it and am back 6 years later for another taste.
Nothing much seemed to have changed since I was last here 6 years ago. Still the simple bare bones type shop lot eatery.
That unique but very simple board telling customers what is available and what is sold out is still there. As we were at the shop soon after opening, almost everything was available.
Our breakfast like the locals. In Johor, people often have bak kut teh for breakfast.
The tea coloured broth was light and herbal which is the Johor style of bak kut teh. The herbal taste was robust, more than those in Johor Bahru. There's taste and aroma of ginseng and dang gui. Free soup top ups are available.
We had pig tail, meat bone, soft bone - they were done tender but with firmness to the bite. The pork had natural sweetness but overlaid with the herbal taste.
I love Teochew style asam pedas made with Ikan Terubuk (Toli Shad fish) 刺客鱼.
The fish was stewed in a blend of hot and sour spices for hours till the flesh was soft and breaks at the slightest pressure (like canned sardine). Even the bones were soft and can be eaten without any worries.
The soft grainy meat tasted spicy hot, savoury sourish and sweet. The spicy heat was slightly assertive though not overwhelming. Nice.
Even the scales were soft and tasted good.
The house made 咸菜 salt pickled mustard side dish. Crunchy salty sourish with additional savoury sweetness and aroma from lard. Nice.
Information for you 👉 A nice herbal style bak kut teh. But, if I am from out of town, I wouldn't put it high on the food trail eat list as it is not so different from the herbal BKT in Johor Bahru (though a bit stronger). Do try the Teochew asam fish as it is nice and not so common in Johor (have not come across this dish in Singapore).
Restaurant name: Kedai Makan Ah Hong 阿烽肉骨茶
Address: 43, Jalan Bakek, Taman Bakek Jaya, Pontian, Johor
GPS: 1°29'01.6"N 103°23'36.3"E 🌐 1.483776, 103.393418
Tel: +60 12-710 8862
Hours: 7:30am to 2:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 25 Dec 2018
Pontian wanton mee is now everywhere in
Well, since I was in Pontian to try out the original Pontian wanton noodles, I decided to check out the original Pontian bak kut teh as well. My Pontian friends highly recommend that I visit Ah Hong which is a well established bak kut teh shop in Pontian. The busy shop is always abuzz with customers from opening at till it closes at about .
The soup is light and not too oily – it is naturally sweet and has that distinct herbal taste and flavour. The soup actually has a subtle herbal zing which I have not tasted in other bak kut tehs before.
The meat with bones on is just the right firmness and natural sweetness – it is not that drop off the bone kind. At Ah Hong, the bak kut teh is served with good quality steamed rice.
At Ah Hong, the new generation of owners combined the use of technology while keeping to tradition.
Orders are taken, and bills totalled with a wireless iPad.
Meanwhile, this simple old style menu on a board lets customers and staff know at a glance what is available 有 and what is sold out 没有.
The service is friendly, efficient and attentive. I did not want to order any drinks as I have just drank a large juice elsewhere. Despite the crowds, at least 3 different staff members noticed that I did not have any drink and asked me what I would like to drink.
Ah Hong is also well known for its traditional Teochew style asam stewed fish and chicken stewed in rice wine which I must come back for.
Ah Hong is also well known for its traditional Teochew style asam stewed fish and chicken stewed in rice wine which I must come back for.
Restaurant name: Kedai Makan Ah Hong 阿烽肉骨茶
Address: 43, Jalan Bakek, Taman Bakek Jaya, Pontian, Johor (they have a branch in Taman Sutera Utama)
Hours:
Non Halal
Herbal taste. Klang style?
ReplyDeleteMy memory of BKT that I have eaten in Klang about 10 years ago is more soy sauce based and less herbal based.
ReplyDelete