Malaysian Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh in Taipei 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶

All three biggest brands of Singapore bak kut teh were in Taiwan by 2019 but Malaysian bak kut teh shop Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶 squeaked in ahead of them, securing a foothold in Taipei since 2017. Till today, Wonderful Papa is still the only Malaysian style bak kut teh shop in Taiwan.

Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh owner 李志權 used to own Ming Tien Food Court Bak Kut Teh stall 明天肉骨茶店 in Taman Megah in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. He started selling bak kut teh since he was 13 (first helping out at his uncle's stall). 李志權 moved to Taipei in 2017 after his son married a Taiwanese lady.



李志權 and son 李濃慷 set up 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶 stall in a Taipei night market. But, business wasn't good as locals were unfamiliar with Malaysian herbal bak kut teh. Sometimes, they sold just 2 servings for the entire evening and had to throw away unsold bak kut teh.

When the night market itself closed, 李志權 and son moved 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶 to a shop space, betting their life savings on it. They persevered, upped their game. Personally hand picked their herbs from all over Taiwan and also went to the market to choose the best fresh local pork for their bak kut teh. Slowly, business started to improve through word of mouth. Media features also helped to boost awareness and business grew by leaps and bounds.

Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh's savoury sweet herbal broth is brownish with dark soy sauce and over 10 Chinese medicinal herbs. In the broth are fresh pork ribs, pork belly and other meat and bone parts.



They also have the stir fried "dry" version of bak kut teh which is popular in Malaysia. The same pork ribs, bones etc in a pot, add some broth and dark soy sauce. Together with shredded dry cuttlefish, garlic, lady's finger, white pepper and dry chili pepper, everything is stir fried until the soup / sauce is dried, caramelised and infused into the pork. The dish tastes robustly savoury sweet and spicy.

One of Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh's signatures is their peppery pork maw soup sweetened with bang kuang (jicama turnip). This is also a common stall / restaurant dish in Malaysia.

Seeing that locals like chicken, 李志權 came up with chicken bak kut teh. They also have a seafood (no pork) version with prawn, squid, fish and abalone etc. All these variations exist in Malaysia (though they never caught on to challenge mainstream pork bak kut teh).

李志權 also came up with a bak kut teh steamboat with lots of cabbage, the way locals like their hot pot. Now, Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh even have lu rou fan (stewed pork rice) to go with their meat bone soup.

What is the difference between between Singapore and Malaysian bak kut teh?

History of Singapore bak kut teh

Singapore bak kut teh has a clear looking soup which is made by boiling prime pork ribs with garlic and white pepper in water. The soup tastes savoury garlicky peppery with sweetness coming from the pork ribs. Singapore bak kut teh shops often give free refills of soup.

History of Klang bak kut teh

Malaysian bak kut teh is best represented by those in Klang town. The broth is viscous, brown in colour from dark soy sauce. Just a bit of herbs. Taste is savoury from the soy sauce, sweet from the pork and a trace of Chinese herbs. The preferred bak kut teh cuts in Klang are usually from pork leg or shoulder (not from pork ribs). The bowl often comes half filled with soup at most, and there is definitely no refills in Klang.

The Big Three Singapore bak kut teh in Taipei

Restaurant name: Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶
Address: No. 18-1, Juguang Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 22042
Nearest MRT: Xinpu (Blue Line)
Tel: +886 2 2258 6052
Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm (Monday off)



Date: 24 May 2020