Bak Kut Teh Hin Hock Poached Fish in Tampoi Johor Bahru 兴福肉骨茶 · 淡杯烫鱼

✍️16 Apr 2024. Hin Hock 兴福 in Tampoi started as a bak kut teh stall four decades ago. Today, it is an icon of JB food but not because of bak kut teh 🤭

Hin Hock at Tampoi is a hyperlocal but bright and comfortable place. No air con but spacious, airy, with lots of whirling ceiling fans overhead. Ample free carpark space but can be challenging during the lunch peak, so come here at 9am - 11am to avoid the lunch crowd.

Boss Ah Hock is very proud of his bak kut teh and will always encourage us to have it everytime we visit him.

It is the herbal type with a stronger herbal taste than most herbal bak kut teh anywhere in Malaysia. Not quite my cup of meat bone tea but it has its fans, especially folks who like licorice.

The thing I keep coming back to Hin Hock for is their poached fish (not steamed). Ah Hock started serving this on the suggestion of a customer. Today, this is the main draw at Hin Hock.

We can choose the fish that we want at the counter. They are always fresh.

I tried a few different types of fish over the years, and feel the humble tilapia is the best suited for Hin Hock's unique style of preparation.

The fish cooked by dunking in boiling water is splashed with a soy sauce blend, then smothered in a mountain of freshly fried chopped garlic.

The tilapia flesh is soft tender, and infused with the savoury sauce which brings out its natural sweetness. No, I never had any fishy taste or earthy taste from tilapia at Hin Hock.

Always good 👍

The crisp gold brown fried garlic is savoury slightly bitter, which complements the sweetness of the fish well.

Sambal over 帝王苗 Malabar spinach. Quite a mouthful to say Malabar spinach, so we always say 帝王苗 (tee wang meow) 🤭

帝王苗 is quite "meaty" leafy, soft crunchy and subtly sweetish. The vegetable is blanched and then blanketed with Hin Hock's thick mildly savoury and spiced hae bee hiam or dried shrimp and sambal chili blend.

Quite nice.

Jiggly soft tofu with savoury sweetish minced pork and fermented bean paste.

Not bad too.

Braised pork leg.

Did this fun video of our JB day trip which featured Hin Hock, amongst others. Unscripted and many things were said in jest.

I have been to Hin Hock many times and have another post about them 👈 click

Stall name: Kedai Bak Kut Teh Hin Hock

Address: 72, Jalan Dato Mohammed Seth, Taman Tampoi Indah 2, 81200 Johor Bahru

Tel: +6019 779 3434

Hours: 8:30am - 3pm (Mon off)

Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jRph7BpzqDVu7GdK8

Join 76K followers of Johor Kaki

Written by Tony Boey on 16 Apr 2024

🎗 To ensure neutrality, this blog is powered by passion and voluntary contributions from appreciative readers to Tony Boey Johor Kaki PAYNOW 96888768 in Singapore $.

Johor Kaki mailing list

✍ 19 Apr 2013. Hin Hock bak kut teh 兴福肉骨茶 is famous for its BKT (of course) and also for their awesome steamed poached fish. I have been wanting to blog about Hin Hock bak kut teh for a long time and finally made it today, thanks to my JB friend Foong.


Previous premise. New shop, larger and cleaner just 20 paces away.

It's easy to miss Hin Hock bak kut teh because this weather beaten sign is inconspicuous and usually partially hidden by parked cars. The dining area is also difficult to spot when one is just driving by. (Anyway, Hin Hock is moving soon has moved to new premises but it will just be nearby - 20 steps aways.)



Ah Hock has been running Hin Hock bak kut teh for over thirty forty years with his wife and is now assisted by his son (in the background).



Foong and I shared this steamed poached tilapia fish. It was the best tilapia I have ever tasted whether in Malaysia or Singapore. The whole large fish half submerged in a drippy dark sauce was smothered in a blanket of savoury fried garlic and chopped spring unions. The tender fish was juicy and meaty, and there was not even the slightest hint of fishiness nor earthiness. Between ouhs and ahs... Foong and I finished this fish pretty fast.



The sauce was savoury and not overly salty. The sauce tasted so delicious, it was drinkable to me. Hin Hock reminded me of the legendary Chan Sow Lin steamed fish in KL which was my favourite when I was living there for a few years. (Of course, Chan Sow Lin's signature is their steamed Song fish head i.e. a different dish.)



The success of Hin Hock is based on one simple little secret - fresh fish from Pontian.



Customers get to pick and choose the fresh fish they want like it is in a fish market.



The other secret is this fried garlic.



Ah Hock's son dousing the fish with generous doses of Hin Hock's signature sauce and piled in huge heaps of fried garlic and chopped spring unions.

The cooking area which is out in front is a frenzy of activity.

 

Ah Hock making bak kut teh for the large lunch crowd.



Serving the braised pork knuckles.



Ah Hock cutting the pork.



Perfectly done three layer belly pork.



Cooking the popular tofu.



Pig's tail boiling in a clay pot.



Ah! Shall come back for this awesome steamed Ikan Merah and other great food below at Hin Hock.



The simmering braised pork knuckles in a clay pot.



Sweet potato leaves.



Tofu.

Hin Hock bak kut teh is a 5 out of 5-star eatery. If you are a fish fan, come and try it and I am confident that you too will be impressed. I will be going back to Hin Hock bak kut teh soon to try their other dishes and blog about it :))

->> To me, Hin Hock 兴福 and their unique poached fish is one of the old names and dishes that define the good food scene in Johor.

My second post on Hin Hock 👈 click

My post on how I like their bak kut teh 👈 click



Restaurant name: Kedai Bak Kut Teh Hin Hock 兴福肉骨茶
Address: Jalan Dato Mohammed Seth, Tampoi, Johor Baharu
GPS: 1.496813,103.702429 / 1°29'48.5"N 103°42'08.7"E
Hours: 08:30am to 3:30pm (Mondays off)

Non Halal



Date visited: 19 Apr 2013 | Reviewed 9 Aug 2022

👆 Click to return to JB Best 100 page