Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh – Old School Street Side Restaurant Serves Teochew Style Bak Kut Teh

Recently, I visited Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh to satisfy my bak kut teh craving. It was my first time visiting this restaurant and I’m glad to say I had an enjoyable meal here.

Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh

Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh is an old school restaurant at Seng Poh Road (Tiong Bahru) known for its delicious bak kut teh.

They serve the local Teochew style bak kut teh which is clear and peppery. Most Singaporeans seem to prefer this version compared to the herbal style bak kut teh that is more popular in Malaysia.

Old Tiong Bahru is run by Mr Xu and his wife Ms Judy Zheng, both in their 60s. The restaurant’s history can be traced back to the 1930s, when Judy’s parents came to Singapore from China.

To make a living, they opened a street-side stall at Wayang Street (now Eu Tong Sen Street) in Chinatown, selling Teochew porridge and various other side dishes, including bak kut teh.

They eventually moved to Tiong Bahru and focused solely on selling bak kut teh. And this was how Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh was formed!

Today, the restaurant is run by Mr Xu, Judy, and a group of loyal staff who has been with the business for decades.

In 2019, this restaurant even garnered national attention when former Singapore minister George Yeo and former ROC president Ma Ying-jeou had breakfast together here.

Menu

Note that the restaurant serves two types of pork ribs: Long Gu (龙骨) and Pai Gu (排骨).

Long Gu is the part of the rib cage nearer to the spine. It is more fatty, tender and flavourful than Pai Gu, which is located further away from the spine. Long Gu is also thicker than Pai Gu.

One way to tell if the meat is Long Gu, is to look at the bone’s cross-section which is round instead of flat.

For Long Gu, Old Tiong Bahru uses fresh pork from Indonesia which is never frozen, while the Pai Gu is frozen pork from Brazil.

Therefore, if you enjoy eating pork, you should definitely go for Long Gu! The quality is significantly higher than Pai Gu, but it only costs $2 more.

The menu also offers standard bak kut teh side dishes like pork trotters, pig stomach soup, braised peanuts, pig kidney soup, etc.

There is also a variety of tze char style dishes like kangkong, fried omelette, clams, prawns, etc.

Strangely, the menu does not have prices indicated. To get an idea of the prices, you can check out the dishes I ordered below.

Street Side Dining

Old Tiong Bahru is an old-school eatery where customers dine on wooden tables by the road. Eating here evoked a sense of nostalgia for me.

The murals across the road gives the place a hipster vibe too.

The staff were polite and our food arrived fast. Most importantly, the staff provided free soup refills frequently!

Bak Kut Teh (排骨)

Unfortunately, when I arrived at 6.30pm, the Long Gu was already sold out. Therefore, I ordered the Pai Gu Bak Kut Teh ($7).

The pork ribs are boiled in a pot of soup until they have just the right amount of tenderness. Garlic and pepper are also added during this process.

As for the bak kut teh stock, it is prepared separately by simmering pork bones and meat at high heat for at least four hours. No MSG is added.

The pork ribs broth is then added to this slow-cooked bak kut teh stock to produce the rich and slightly cloudy bak kut teh soup.

I found the soup to be especially addictive! Thanks to the meticulous cooking process, it was robust and peppery with a velvety smooth texture.

The pork ribs were quite tender and juicy too, with the meat coming off the bone easily.

Lean Meat Bak Kut Teh

The wife ordered the Lean Meat Bak Kut Teh ($7). They use the same bak kut teh soup for this dish so it is equally tasty.

The lean meat slices were very juicy and flavourful, though I felt they could have been more tender.

You Char Kway

The You Char Kway ($1.50), or You Tiao, was a little disappointing. It was not crispy at all and there wasn’t much flavour to it too.

Perhaps this was because I had come at the wrong time? The restaurant actually makes their own You Tiao fresh from 10am onwards.

Therefore, if you arrive before 10am, or if the you tiaos are sold out, you will be served with the outsourced you tiaos; which was probably the case for me.

Sambal Kang Kong

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the Sambal Kang Kong ($8) tasted!

The aromatic sambal sauce was feisty and flavourful, complementing the crunchy and fresh kang kong perfectly.

This is one of the best kang kongs I’ve tried in Singapore so far.

Beancurd Skin

I also ordered one of my favourite bak kut teh side dishes, Tau Kee ($3.50), or Beancurd Skin. Unfortunately, Old Tiong Bahru’s version was bland with an unpleasant plastic-like texture. Skip this.

Conclusion

I had an enjoyable meal at Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh! It was a great experience to dine by the street and enjoy one of the best bak kut tehs in Singapore. Pro-tip: the best time to eat here is around 11am. If you go too early, the bak kut teh soup will not be as rich, and the you tiao will not be ready yet. If you go in the evening (like I did), the soup will have a very rich flavour but the Long Gu will be sold out. In addition, a younger crew takes over from the long-time staff from late afternoon onwards.

Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh
Address: 58 Seng Poh Road #01-31 Singapore 160058
Phone: +65 6223 3075
Opening Hours: | Tues to Sun 6.30am – 9pm | Closed on Mondays |