Johor Bahru has many bak kut teh shops (more than in Singapore perhaps because it's a bigger part of people's diet here than south of the Causeway). There are many bak kut teh brand names and the best known one in JB is probably 顺发 (Soon Huat spelt various ways) with over twenty branches all over the city.
This is the mother of all Soon Huat bak kut teh shops dotting JB. It's the original parent shop along Jalan Sutera Satu opened by Mr 程 and wife Ms 孙 in 1975.
Forty one years on and 20+ branches (and counting) later, Ms 孙 still helps oversees operations at the Jalan Sutera Satu shop (Taman Sentosa) now run by her son Leong. All Soon Huat outlets are owned and run by family members.
The extremely busy lady boss graciously paused for a photo and quick chat 😊
The bak kut teh is finished with intense charcoal fire just before sending out to waiting customers. I love the smell of burning charcoal as it reminds me of my grandfather's kampung kitchen in old Potong Pasir on the muddy banks of Kallang River.
The restaurant is small inside, so it's packed during peak hours like Sunday brunch.
Customers spill over onto the five foot way outside.
Full house at the small air conditioned section too.
The price list is prominently displayed high on the wall inside (2016 prices). Shoon Huat's pricing is competitive.
The steaming hot broth was clear and watery. The savoury, sweet and herbal flavours were slight too. None of the pepperiness of the Singapore Teochew style. A lot less herbal than both the KL city or Klang style. So, for those looking for your kicks in the broth, it may be a little too mild, too neutral. Free top ups of broth were gladly provided - just ask any of the service staff who are very busy but will respond earnestly to customers.
I love pig tails. This was so very delicious. The pork was very fresh, so I can taste the porcine sweetness from the juicy fat, skin and meat. Everything was tender to the bite, and together in the mouth they form a creamy juicy sweet ball of meat, skin and fat.
The fall-off-the-bone tender (neither mushy nor stiff) pork ribs.
肉根 sweet lean meat with tendon was tender with bandy strips that were gummy and bouncy to the bite 😋
For sides, we indulged in a small claypot of fresh pork kidney and liver flash cooked in bubbling hot dark savoury sweet sauce.
Soft spongy crunch with kidney's unique flavour and savoury sweet sauce. Delicious 😄
We like Shoon Huat's preserved vegetables because it is crunchy and cooked in a sauce which is not overly salty or sour. It also has a nice porcine flavour from lots of lard. We could even enjoy this without rice because it is gentle without any sharp taste.
Our total bill came to RM57 for the bak kut teh, side dishes, rice and barley drinks (2016 price).
👉 Johor Bahru has very many bak kut teh shops. Check out this original 顺发 flagship shop in Taman Sentosa that has the most BKT branches in Johor. Fresh pork in clean tasting, mildly savoury broth with subtle herbal notes.
Restaurant name: Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh 顺发肉骨茶
Address: 11, Jalan Sutera Satu, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.490861,103.767779 / 1°29'27.1"N 103°46'04.0"E
Tel: 019 778 0709
Hours: Daily 8:00am to 8:00pm (closed at 5:00pm on Monday)
Non Halal
Date visited: 9 Jan 2012, 13 Mar 2016
✍ 9 Jan 2012. Shoon Huat bak kut teh 顺发肉骨茶 in Taman Sentosa is an established favourite among locals and Singaporeans. Shoon Huat's sign board says the business was founded in 1975.
Shoon Huat is one of over twenty 顺发 franchisees with English translation of 顺 written in various ways such as Soon Huat, Soong Huat, and so on.
Shoon Huat’s style of bak kut teh has pieces of ribs and meat served in steamy clear tasty soup with button mushrooms. It doesn’t have the "medical hall" aroma of herbs, the peppery taste nor the dark / black sauce that we find in the other styles.
At Shoon Huat, the meat is a little firmer than the others that I have eaten. The meat sticks to the bone a little more tenaciously than that in other stalls. So much so that I had to leave some meat on the bone uneaten despite my best efforts.
(There is no need to talk about those button mushrooms ;P )
But there is one thing about Shoon Huat bak kut teh that stood out. The soup is the tastiest and the most drinkable that I have ever experienced. The soup is light tea colour, sweet, and only slightly salty. It has very little of that herbal or peppery flavour we find elsewhere.
Shoon Huat offers free flow of soup. When one of the staff made his rounds topping up customers’ soups, I found myself automatically asking for a top up even though I had already finished eating the meat. I couldn’t resist getting another helping of soup to drink.
A clay pot of bak kut teh for two at Shoon Huat costs RM16 (2012 price).
The soup alone is enough to bring me back to Shoon Huat.
Restaurant name: Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh 顺发肉骨茶
Address: 236, Jalan Sutera 1, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.490861,103.767779
Hours: Daily
Hours: Daily
Non Halal
Date visited: 9 Jan 2012
The owner tried to save$ on MSG soup, they are very stingy to top-up soup. 1st top-up = add half soup, half water, 2nd top-up=add quarter soup,3 quarter water. don't believe, go try it out.
ReplyDeleteNow they ever charge if you top up soup
DeleteDon’t so cheapskate la. Buy one order want to drink how many time sia?
ReplyDeleteBeen eating this for 20 over years, today found the their standard dropped and service bad. Will not come again.
ReplyDelete