I have a thing for clear Asian-style soups, served piping hot. So how could I resist when some colleagues wanted to have Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs served in hot broth), even after I had already eaten two dinners within 2 hours? (Long story but in short I had gobbled down a quarter grilled chicken from Nandos, a bowl of assam laksa from Little Penang Cafe, and two spoonfuls of Mdm Kwan’s Nasi Lemak, all located at KL Convention Centre by this point...) A short cab ride from the KLCC later, we made it to Sun Fong Bak Kut Teh at Jalan Imbi just as the skies crashed open and truckloads of rain came pouring down. Perfect weather for drinking soup! Sun Fong is really rather touristy and many Malaysians think that it is overpriced and not as good as other places but it was the most convenient for us.
The version of Bak Kut Teh served here is in the Hokkien style – dark and herbal in taste, rather than the Teochew style (lighter and peppery) more common in Singapore. Our order (about RM24 for a two person serving) came bubbling hot in a claypot packed chock-a-block with all manner of porky cuts and offal: belly, ribs, intestines, liver, kidneys. This certainly made for interesting eating although I contented myself with just drinking soup to save my much-abused stomach. This was pretty gut-warming and the taste of herbs and ginger in the broth was nicely balanced and not too strong as to be off-putting to me, although my personal taste preference still runs towards Ya Hua’s Teochew style Bak Kut Teh. They also sell sachets of their soup mix for cooking at home (10 packets for RM60…pricey!).
Sun Fong Bak Kut Teh: 35 Medan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: +603-2141 4064)
Open from 5am to 12 midnight
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