Founder Bak Kut Teh Singapore 发起人肉骨茶

Founder Bak Kut Teh has a huge reputation. It's among the most recognized brands in Singapore F and B, and not just in BKT only. Their signature is their peppery savoury broth and top quality fresh pork.

成立于1978, 发起人肉骨茶在新加坡的美食业里有巨大的声誉。新加坡美食最知名的品牌之一。发起人的招牌是他们的辣咸肉汤和高品质新鲜猪肉。发起人的招牌龙骨是非食不可。



I saw my favourite artiste and role model, the frugal philanthropist Chow Yun Fatt 周潤發 :-D Who can you spot?

Mr Chua Chwee Whatt, founder of Founder BKT was a pig farmer in Seletar until the government closed all pig farms in Singapore in the 1970s. Having to raise his family, resourceful Mr Chua put his expertise in pigs to good use, and came up with his own recipe for bak kut teh. 

As they say about opportunity, when one door closes, another opens. Founder BKT opened it's doors in 1978. 

Hence, we have Founder bak kut teh today - the quality of meat here still reflects Mr Chua's pig farming roots and signature high standards in pork.



Founder now has outlets in Singapore (Balestier Road, Rangoon Road) and Jakarta, Indonesia. At the newest outlet at Jalan Sultan/ Hotel Boss, a good portion of the diners looked like tourists :-D



What my 35 mm lens could capture (without me standing on a chair :-D ). So, this was just part of what we had - we were a party of seven :-D

The prime rib was juicy tender, cooked slightly pink and has a nice firmness to the bite. There is natural sweetness in the meat, and especially in the bit of fat. Founder definitely know their pork as these premium "dragon ribs" were fresh and top quality.



The soup was peppery, though not the sharp kind. I couldn't detect raw garlic but a gentle porcine flavour mixed with mild seasoning kind of savouriness. It's the friendly kind of taste that appeals to a wide cross section. Personally, I like my Teochew style BKT broth to have sharper pepper taste and more pronounced fresh garlic flavour. 



The stubby short ribs were even more tender, more delicious, and sweeter than the more sexy looking prime ribs. For taste, I prefer these stubby ribs than the so-called "dragon bones" :-D.



I like these white plain looking lean meat slices. They were tender and sweet. Much tastier than their plain look suggests.



By the time I am done taking photos, this slice of pork liver was a little stiff but it was obvious that it was very fresh and top quality.



The braised pork trotter has tender meat and soft fats and gelatinous skin. The dominant flavour was savouriness and was a little flat. Still, I enjoyed the skin almost all by myself as the young ladies and gentlemen don't fancy the fat too much :-D



The preserved vegetable was soft and lost a bit of its crunch. It's savoury, sweet and tangy taste helps whet our appetite for more meat :-D



Nice fresh crunchy greens to go with all the meat.



The soft mee suah 面线 is a good choice as they soak up loads of broth and it's own sweetness balances the peppery savoury broth well.



Free top ups of the hot broth are offered constantly by the enthusiastic staff.



Founder BKT serves a few customary desserts.

The young coconut was good! The ivory white flesh was tender and sweet, and I could remove it from the shell just by gentle scrapping.

The ice Aiyu jelly 愛玉凍 is good too. Neither too sour nor too sweet.



In Singapore, it is customary to drink Chinese black tea with bak kut teh.



->> If you want to try a big name Teochew style bak kut teh in Singapore, then Founder is one of your best known options. In my opinion, their soup is likable but their fresh pork is tops in Singapore.

Disclosure: Please note that this was an invited food tasting.





Restaurant name: Founder Bak Kut Teh 发起人肉骨茶
Address: 500 Jalan Sultan, #01-09 Singapore 199020 (3 minutes walk from Lavender MRT station)
GPS:  1.305240, 103.860325  /  1°18'18.9"N 103°51'37.2"E
Tel: +65 68162582 
Hours: 11:00 am - 5:00 am (Daily)  

Non Halal




Date visited: 17 Mar 2016

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