Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh with Unique Dark Soup📍Joo Chiat Singapore 新興瓦煲肉骨茶 ☎ 6345 8754

Sin_Heng_Bak Koot_Teh_Joo_Chiat_Singapore_新興瓦煲肉骨茶

Sin Heng Bak Koot Teh has been at Joo Chiat Road since 1983 but this was my first time visiting the famous, popular restaurant 🤭

I live very far away lah....

I normally don't research the restaurant or stall before coming, because I prefer to come with an open mind, a blank slate not influenced by what others said before.

I was in for a pleasant surprise.

Stepping in, I like the rustic, no frills shop lot eatery feel. Formica tables, stackable plastic chairs, bare bones decor, very clean, whirling fans overhead, no air conditioning. Humble, simple yet charming in its own way. This could be anywhere in Nanyang - Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.

I felt comfortable here. It was cool inside even though the sun was blazing outside.

First look at the menu, I was delighted that Sin Heng serve the dark soy sauce type of bak kut teh instead of the pale, so-called "Teochew bak kut teh".

I was happy because the dark soy sauce type of bak kut teh is very rare in Singapore today - I know of only another two or three at most, whereas the pale peppery kind is ubiquitous and synonymous with Singapore bak kut teh.

Two of us shared pork ribs, pig tail and bean curd, all of which came in claypots. Total bill was SG$38, which was very competitive pricing by today's Singapore standards.

The ribs came swimming in a steamy very dark brown watery soup. Six pieces of ribs in the medium size serving. Topped with sprigs of cilantro.

The soup was savoury salty from soy sauce and garlicky with just hints of pepper and herbs. A bit of porcine sweetness from the pork.

Clearly not the typical "Teochew" which is clear / pale and peppery, and not quite "Hokkien" which the taste of herbs is much more pronounced.

It's Sin Heng's own concoction, interpretation of bak kut teh.

Weekend East, 30 May 1997, Page 21

Founded by three sisters Tey Siew Hua, Tey Chui Hua and Tey Sue Hua (with husband Lim See Kuang), the quartet had been cooking bak kut teh since 1981. They opened the #439 Joo Chiat shop in 1983. Run by the second generation now, people have always been curious about their unique concoction but the secrets were never revealed.

I like the texture of the ribs. Fall-off-the-bone tender but not soft. Still had a bit of chew to the bite.

The meat with a bit of visceral fat tasted savoury, infused from the soup with natural porcine sweetness, especially in the fat.

Pig tail in the same dark savoury watery soup with subtle garlic heat and just hints of pepper and herbs.

Texture of the pig tail was just right. Tender chewy skin, tender meat and soft fat with some crunchy tendons. Tasted savoury and sweet from the soup and the pork.