Good Taste Chef - Klang's Bak Kut Teh in Ipoh?!

Normally associating good Bak Kut Teh with Klang, or Subang Jaya, or even Kepong, (OK, don't throw tantrum yet if your favourite BKT is not mentioned. Where else?) one wouldn't even think of savouring hearty Bak Kut Teh in good old Ipoh.

But things started to pick up recently. Remnants of shattered BKT fairytale seems a little distant now (you should hear, or rather, read some of my previous mishaps, in some of Ipoh's BEST BKT .... but more on those in later posts. Or in the next life. Hah!).

Believe it ... or not. Though I'm lapping up the story with a pinch of salt myself. :)

Anyway, on June 20th (if I'm not mistaken ... very hard to memorize conversations nowadays. grey matter seeping out like no tomorrow), Good Taste Chef Restaurant opened its doors to the fidgety/choosy community of foodies in Ipoh.

Shades of the original BKT from Klang, with dark soy sauce as condiment. But sadly lacking in terms of oil drizzled on the rice.

The restaurant is located at the glitzy new Glamour Square in Bercham of Ipoh. The dining area is separated into two sections, the air-conditioned indoors which can seat a sizeable crowd, or one can choose to dine al fresco on the outside. Not a very smart choice, considering the warmer than usual weather, paired with the unsuspecting rainfall.

Brimming with ingredients. ... almost overflowing. The soup can be replenished for free without limit, hence no worries if your claypot runs dry.

Priding itself to serve Klang's authentic BKT, they are in fact a branch from the original at Jalan Kapar, Klang, and another branch at Kepong.

The menu (yes, a MENU) is extensive, covering the usual claypot style of BKT, whereby you can choose your favourite cuts of meat (there is even a diagram of a pig, with different parts highlighted and labelled! how cute & educational), OR you can choose to have your BKT in a bowl (remember Seng Huat's, anyone?), with a serving of BIG bone, or SMALL bone.

No idea what they are? Don't fret, every single item is vibrantly photographed and displayed in the menu, so you don't have to guess what in the world they are.

Curry Fish with Ladies Fingers (Okra)

They're running a promotion now, slashing prices off their set meals. A set for 2-3 pax is priced at RM25.50, which includes a claypot of Bak Kut Teh, a claypot of curry fish, a serving of blanched vegetables, rice and Chinese tea.

Let's see how the BKT at Good Taste Chef stacks up against the REAL Klang Bak Kut Teh. The soup is thicker, wholesome and more flavourful (with heavier tinge of herbs) than the average watery, diluted BKT commonly cooked up elsewhere. The cuts of half fat-half lean pork meat, and ribs were complemented with sides of 'foo chook' (beancurd sheets), lettuce, and the optional You Tiao/Yau Char Kwai/Cruellers (RM1.50). Other than the You Tiao being slightly salty, the entire claypot of goodies came out pretty satisfying. And extra brownie points for the omission (or extremely low level) of MSG, or flavour enhancer. Least we did not reach for our tea like thirsty camels at the end of the meal .....

Braised Chicken Feet with Dried Chillies (RM3.90)

The curry fish was piquant, sour and resembled assam curry in stead of the usual lemak version. But equally as good, though they could improvise on the annoying boney bits. Almost every chunk of fish came with a tiny (or not so tiny) piece of bone. Hmm ... I wouldn't want to spoil my dining experience with spitting out bones every few seconds.

Good Taste Chef also offers various side dishes, from vinegar pork trotter to meat balls, as well as braised chicken feet, and pig's offals/intestines in BKT soup base. The chicken feet was delicious, the gelatinous parts seeping into the dark, slightly spicy broth, resulting in a gooey and thick gravy. Too much gravy for the rice ensued, with the BKT, and curry already drenching my bowl.

Blanched Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Fried Shallots

And a plate of compulsory greens. Else you won't be running to the washroom anytime soon. ;)

The place is gaining momentum, with families trickling in for dinner one after another

Verdict? STILL a notch below my favourite Teluk Pulai's Bak Kut Teh , but definitely one of the better ones in Ipoh. This place CAN go far, if only their promotional sets continue. Hehehe, I'm all for cheap foods in Ipoh, hence don't laugh ......

Note : The Bak Kut Teh comes in DRY version as well. So, another reason to throw caution to the wind, and pig out at Good Taste Chef!

Location : Good Taste Chef @ PT187104 (8G and 9G), Glamour Square, Persiaran Selatan 20, Taman Bercham, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel No : 05-547 1219.

Opening hours : 10.00am - 3.00pm, and 6.00pm - 10.00pm.

Closed on Mondays.

Here's a GOOGLE MAP of the place.

Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh in Klang - One of the Oldest Around ...

Still reeling from that hangover? Long weekends, peppered with so many offdays = FUN. If only we have summer/winter holidays as well. Wouldn't that be ideal? :)

Felt bad to have snapped the uncle while riding a bike ... but no flash, no worries.

One of the oldest Bak Kut Teh (BKT) in Klang, the town seemingly synonymous with BKT, traffic jams and erm, the Indian street, Seng Huat is commonly referred to by the locals as THE Bak Kut Teh under the bridge, in the older part of Klang town.

The 2nd or 3rd generation of the legacy that is, Seng Huat

Klang houses an astounding number of outlets selling BKT. From wet to dry, from traditional to the modernized versions, and served in porcelain bowls, to claypots.

The older version of BKT does not incorporate a lot of herbs, hence the darker, and thicker soup with HUGE chunks of meat, ranging from the belly to the ribs, and even a WHOLE piece of rib. Personal interests come to play here, as some prefer the commercialized version in claypot, with lots of ingredients such as mushrooms, pork balls, vegetables and stronger herbal aroma,

The paper cuttings dated some 10 yrs ago ... testament to its popularity transcending generations?

At Seng Huat, the concept is slightly different. Entering the corner shoplot right beside the pedestrian-cum-vehicles bridge, you won't fail to notice 1) the crowd, 2) the guy (or lady) chopping up a storm, picking on pieces after pieces of meat from the 'cauldron', and serving them rapidly in bowls for consumption. Yup, without the bells and whistles of golden mushrooms, balls, innards and such. (But of course, you CAN request for extras)

Single portion for RM6.50

The meat was tender, fall-off-the-bones type (if you order ribs), and delicious. You have to request for chopped garlic if you're one who can't live without them. Some older outlets DO NOT serve chilli padi (bird's eye chilli) nor garlic as they claim the condiments 'spoil' the natural sweetness and flavour of the pork. One such outlet is nearby, a street away, somewhat related to Seng Huat, yet even older. Yup, something of Jurassic proportion.

The soup base was not as addictive as Teluk Pulai's version. You can't really taste the herbs as obvious, in comparison. The rice was not drizzled with much onion oil as I'd preferred, and only sprinkled with miniscule amount of fried shallots. Gimme a whole bottle of them, anyday!

Mixed Pig's Innards (RM6.50)

The stomach, intestines and whatnots came separately, in a rather big serving. If you're eating alone, refrain from ordering a bowl to yourself, as after the 10th piece of intestine and stomach, I felt a bit 'jelak' from all the unwanted parts.

Overall, the place came short of my expectations. Or probably I was expecting too much from Klang's (over)hyped BKT? =)

Location : SENG HUAT BAK KUT TEH @ 9, Jalan Besar, Klang.

Klang's Famous Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh

A colonial building ... possibly Klang's municipal building?

Klang town is notorious/infamous for a few reasons. The traffic jams. The un-clean surroundings. And the traffic jams. Oh, did I repeat myself there? ;)

A touch of royalty ...

But of course, this town, situated around 30km from Kuala Lumpur, houses the royal palace for the Sultan of Selangor, and one of the busiest (if not THE busiest) port in Malaysia, Port Klang. It is also one of the world's busiest seaport.

A boy cycling past the gate of the palace

Soon to be granted city status, Klang is rapidly developing, and flourishing, indeed a future force to be reckon with, in terms of tourism and development.

But of course, Klang is famous for one specific dish. Even the most un-foodie of Malaysians are able to correlate Klang with Bak Kut Teh, a herbal soup concoction with various pork cuts, from ribs to lean cuts, and tenderloin, and served with various type of vegetables.

Side view of Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh

After tasting several of Klang's best offerings, Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh in Taman Intan, Klang (opposite of Jusco Bukit Raja, but DO NOT cross the busy highway, you're just walking into your own grave!!!) managed to impress me time and again. Even boo_licious, Joe, kySpeaks and several others agreed.

Opens for breakfast and lunch only, the place is packed on most days

Choose your brew

The place is packed on most days, typically on public holidays and weekends. Unlike Ipoh's Bak Kut Teh outlets, here you pick your own Chinese tea, brew them with a steaming kettle of hot water placed on strategic locations, and wait patiently for your serving of Bak Kut Teh.

Normally, the person sitting nearest to the kettle would be automatically in-charged of brewing and pouring tea for everyone on the table

Yau Char Kwai - Chinese crullers

Most outlets serve mediocre Yau Char Kwai to complement the fragrant herbal soup. But not in this restaurant. The flavourful fried dough/breadsticks are crunchy, and soak up the soup really well, providing squirts of aromatic herbal aroma with every bite.

White rice with fried shallots

The white, fluffy rice served with Klang's Bak Kut Teh is different from other states. Firstly, the rice is drizzled with fragrant oil, and the sprinkling of fried shallots on the rice is a good enough reason to consume the rice on its own.

Claypot brimming with porky-licious cuts

You can pick your preferred cuts of pork, from the usual 'bun fei sau' (half lean-half fat) to pork ribs, and tenderloin to 'yat chi kuat' (a whole bone, resembling chicken drumstick). Innards are served as well, and you can choose golden mushrooms ("kam cham ku") and additional "foo chook" (beancurds) if desired.

Soon to disappear in minutes ...

The fragrant herbal soup, not overpowering, but not as diluted as some restaurants' offerings. You can request for unlimited top-up of the soup, for free. A wise option, considering even without the meats, eating the rice with soup alone is a feast in its own right. Delightful, and warming concoction of Bak Kut Teh, possibly THE best in Klang, and even Malaysia.

Front view of the shop

Total for 4, including drinks and rice = RM39. We ordered a portion for 3 person, as this was BREAKFAST after all. Oh, and here in Klang, you can even opt for HALF portion, eg. 1.5 portion if you're eating with a friend, particularly with small-eaters.

Location : Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh @ 32, Jalan Batai Laut 5, Kawasan 16, Taman Intan, 41300 Klang. Do refer to the other bloggers' posts for directions.