Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is the biggest name in Singapore BKT (if you go by the number of outlets the brand has). Started as a humble push cart stall in 1969, Song Fa has eight outlets now, with the latest in Northpoint, Yishun.
I went to Song Fa BKT's newest outlet at Northpoint in Yishun for lunch today. The compact little shop is at level B-1 just across the road from Yishun MRT station.
The coffee shop style furnishings are comfortable and the ambiance is quite rustic with murals of traditional rubber workers. The tables are pretty close together. Song Fa BKT provides customers with pieces of heavy cloth to cover their belongings like bags (in case of soup spillage, according to the staff).
We had a standard pork rib. At SGD7++ per serving, I thought it is a very reasonable price.
The premium loin rib for SGD9++. I prefer loin ribs as it has more visceral fat making the meat more tender and flavoursome.
There was a lot of meat - plenty even for a guy like me.
The pork was fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy, though half a notch tougher than my preference. There was very little porky sweetness in the meat (which is a plus point for many people who don't like "porky" taste). Personally, I like my pork to have quite pronounced natural porky sweetness and aroma - the kind which I can smell up my nose when I bite into the meat.
The tea colour is medium bodied. It is not overly greasy.
Typical of Singapore Teochew style bak kut teh soup, it's flavour is savoury garlicky peppery, leaning more on savoury from the pork bones, soy sauce and salts. The pepperiness is mild and doesn't bite.
Song Fa is just so incredibly generous with the soup. The cheerful staff goes around constantly with kettles of soup, offering customers with free top ups as they make their rounds non stop. We were offered free top ups even before we started eating (I was taking pictures of my food). We were even offered free soup top up even after we have finished eating 😄 We were offered at least 5 times during the 30-40 minutes that we were at the shop. I am really impressed.
The savoury peppery broth is likeable and we had at least 3 full top ups.
The rice was done light and nutty. I like.
👉 We had a good experience at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh. The service is excellent - actually, the best of any BKT shop that I have tried anywhere in Singapore or Malaysia. The price is reasonable - we were full with just two orders of pork ribs. They are also very generous with the soup top ups - more than we could drink. The soup is savoury garlicky peppery, so it is great if that is your cup of tea. The meat is not porky, so if you don't like "porky" taste, this is perfect for you. This was my first time at Song Fa and I can appreciate now why it is the most popular of Singapore BKT with tourists. Song Fa BKT is very easy to like. I would have Song Fa BKT again, if I want to eat BKT while in Northpoint.
To locate Song Fa BKT at basement 1 in Northpoint, look out for this beautiful mural.
Restaurant name: Song Fa Bak Kut Teh 松发肉骨茶
Address: Basement 1 #B1-48, Northpoint Shopping Centre, Yishun Central (opposite Yishun MRT station)
GPS: 1°25'47.1"N 103°50'08.3"E | 1.429744, 103.835634
Tel: 6257 8616
Hours: 10:30am to 9:30pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 17 Aug 2017
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I feel that they are becoming too commercialised. Their broth is not as good as before and I will feel thirsty after the meal (signs of (more) msg being added)
ReplyDeleteYes, I did feel thirsty but I drank a lot of soup and not sure if it was MSG or salts.
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