Must-eat in Singapore: Mildly peppery & delicious – the famous chain “Bak Kut Teh”

Text & Photos byUnrestrained (Bu Ji)

Bak Kut Teh is a must-eat Southeast Asian dish when visiting Singapore, and you’ll spot this delicacy on streets and at various hawker centers. Many Singaporeans enjoy it for breakfast, just like how people in Tainan might have pork rice, beef soup, or milkfish soup in the morning – feels so nutritious!

Among the many Bak Kut Teh shops, Unrestrained heard that Song Fa Bak Kut Teh has flavors that really suit Taiwanese palates, so of course he couldn’t miss it on this trip to Singapore. Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is a well-known chain eatery in Singapore with five branches. This time, Unrestrained visited the one near Clarke Quay. In fact, there are two Song Fa outlets near Clarke Quay, but don’t worry – they’re both very easy to find because their locations are just two or three houses apart.

▲%The staff said business is especially good during weekends and holidays, and the eatery is packed.

▲ The entrance already exudes a strong oriental vibe, with Spring Festival couplets posted as well.

When Unrestrained arrived at the shop, it was around 2:30–3:00 PM, after the peak lunch hours, so there were still a few empty tables available for him to sit down right away. He heard that if you come during regular mealtimes, the wait can be quite long.

▲%The place wasn’t particularly busy at this off-peak hour, so there was a relaxed atmosphere.

▲ A corner inside the shop.

According to Wikipedia, “Bak Kut Teh originated in Malaysia, became popular as a snack in Singapore, and later spread to other Chinese communities such as China and Taiwan... The common styles of Bak Kut Teh can be divided into three types: the Teochew style (lighter in color, but with more pepper in the broth, giving it a stronger peppery taste); the Hokkien style (darker in color, with more dark soy sauce for seasoning, resulting in a stronger herbal flavor); and the Cantonese style (with Chinese medicinal wine added to enhance the efficacy).” Song Fa Bak Kut Teh belongs to the Teochew style, known for its strong peppery flavor.

Without further ado, let’s check out the menu. The soups are the main highlight (since everyone comes here for Bak Kut Teh), and there are also side dishes, braised items, and teas. Many Singaporeans pair their Bak Kut Teh with youtiao (fried dough sticks) and a bowl of rice to fill up. But on this occasion, Unrestrained and his friend weren’t very hungry, so they only ordered a bowl of pork rib Bak Kut Teh.

▲ The menu.

▲ Pork rib Bak Kut Teh is the shop’s signature dish – a must-order.

▲ The shop also sells tea bags that customers can take home to brew themselves. A box of 10 bags costs 22 SGD (about 506 TWD), and single bags are also available.

▲ Next to the seating area, there's an appliance that looks like a sink, but it's actually for customers to add hot water for brewing tea themselves – not for washing hands.

In Singapore, everything comes at a cost. Items that are usually complimentary in Taiwanese restaurants—like drinks, water, or wet wipes—are all paid extras here. When the server brings the bowls and plates, they’ll also place a pack of wet wipes on the table, which come at a price – 0.2 SGD per pack. If you don’t want them, you’ll need to ask the server to take them back, otherwise you might end up like Unrestrained, who didn’t notice and ended up paying extra at checkout...

▲ Wet wipes, 0.2 SGD each (about 4.6 TWD).

After a short wait, the pork rib Bak Kut Teh finally arrived. Next to the bowl, there’s also an empty bowl provided so that diners can put the bones from the ribs into it, making it more convenient to enjoy the soup.

▲ An empty bowl is provided next to the Bak Kut Teh bowl for placing the eaten ribs.

Honestly, whether it’s a small or large bowl, the price isn’t cheap—but it’s definitely worth trying!! At first glance, when the small bowl arrived with just a little bit of soup and three bone-in pork ribs, Unrestrained thought, “Is that it? It doesn’t look like much, kind of like Taiwan’s herbal pork ribs.” But it was so much more than that.

▲ Pork rib Bak Kut Teh – Small bowl 7 SGD (about 161 TWD), Large bowl 9 SGD (about 207 TWD).

But after taking a sip of the soup, Unrestrained realized that Song Fa’s Bak Kut Teh is nothing like Taiwan’s herbal pork ribs. The broth is rich but not greasy, with a savory taste that carries a noticeable peppery kick, offering a certain level of spiciness that’s still within an enjoyable range.

Additionally, you can taste hints of Chinese herbs and garlic, but neither is overpowering—you won’t catch their strong scent just by getting close to the bowl. Otherwise, Unrestrained wouldn’t have liked it as much. It’s really smooth and drinkable, so he finished the bowl quickly and even asked for a refill. The soup is free to top up, as many times as you’d like. Since it’s not every day you’re in Singapore and the price of a bowl of Bak Kut Teh isn’t cheap, might as well go for a few extra refills and enjoy it to the fullest XD.

While paying the bill, Unrestrained also bought a box (10 packets) of Bak Kut Teh tea bags to bring back to Taiwan as gifts. These tea bags make excellent souvenirs—they’re tasty, authentic, and save luggage space. Each package contains two tea bags, sold for about 50 TWD, and can brew 2000CC of water, enough for four or five people. Actually, thinking about it, it’s not that expensive either.

▲ Bak Kut Teh tea bags – 2.2 SGD per pack (about 50.6 TWD). Buying a box of 10 doesn’t make it any cheaper at 22 SGD, but you do get a box and a paper bag.

After a satisfying meal, Unrestrained walked toward Clarke Quay and, after passing roughly two buildings, spotted another Song Fa Bak Kut Teh branch at the corner – where a queue had already started forming at the entrance.

▲%That’s the other branch.

▲ Another outlet.

※Related Information
Store Name:Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
Address of the Clarke Quay Shop House branch visited this time: 17 New Bridge Road
Other Branches:http://www.songfa.com.sg/cn/outlets.html
Official Website:http://www.songfa.com.sg/cn/index.html

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