Bak Kut Teh Places

I like to eat Bak Kut Teh, especially the herbal type. I also like the meat to be slightly fat. Recently I came across 3 Bak Kut Teh stalls so here's my short review.

Chanced upon this Bak Kut Teh stall in Kovan. There were many articles on their wall and I came to find out that this restaurant was actually opened by ex convicts. Here is my review of the place:

Preserved Vegetables 

Comments: Tastes not bad. Not too overwhelming salty and easy to eat. 

Bak Kut Teh

Comments: At first look I thought it would be peppery type but after tasting the soup, it turned out to be herbal type which was my favorite type. The meat is soft and separates from the bone easily. Soup is re-fillable so don't hesitate to top up. 

Braised Pork Knuckle

Comments: One of my favorite dishes when eating Bak Kut Teh as one of my motto when eating is "if it's not fat, it ain't nice". Anyway I really loved the pork knuckle. The fat "melts" in your mouth as it's really soft. The meat is also tender and not overcooked. Would like a thicker sauce but overall still nice. 

Pork Liver

Comments: The liver is quite soft and the soup is full of flavor. They probably did the liver in a different pot, because the smell and taste would probably kill the main soup taste.

Overall Review: Great place for Bak Kut Teh. Really tasty and fatty meat. They only accept cash.

Like Them Here: Xin Shun Fa

Details of the place: 257 Jalan Kayu, Singapore 799458 / 949 Upper Serangoon Road (5 mins walk from Kovan Mrt)

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2nd stall is the famous Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh. I have never tried the original stall before but I tried the branch at Tanjong Katong road and I did not like it. Here's my review of why I did not like it.

Signature Spare & Pork Ribs Combo Soup $7.50

Comments: Peppery soup, with not much flavour. The meat was very tough too. Plus it was very small, with needing to constant top up the soup.

You Tiao $2

Comments: Normal soft dough fritters

Big Intestines $6

Comments: Was tasty but also quite tough and chewy.

Pig Trotters $8

Comments: Tough, not fat, not much flavor.

Preserved Vegetables $2.50

Comments: So-so only, not preserved enough.

Website: Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh

Details of the place: Outlets

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Then we have Hwa Ji Bak Kut Teh at Boon Tat Street. A small restaurant that is always pack on weekdays cos of the nearby office crowd. Here's my small review:

Signature Bak Kut Teh $7.50

Comments: Very peppery soup. 4 pieces of pork ribs which is quite pathetic, cos it's bite size.

Braised Pig's Trotter $7

Comments: Fat enough and the meat is really tender. Has a great taste to it as the meat is full of flavour.

Braised Intestines $6

Comments: Looked very messy and the intestines were really quite skinny. 

Details of the place: 31 Boon Tat Street, Eagles Center

Mad For Garlic

Had some vouchers for this place, so decided to check it out. A place where every dish has garlic. So if you hate garlic, I suggest you stay away from this restaurant. If not, do check out this nice restaurant.

Garlic Bread Tower $12.50

Comments: A new and special type of garlic bread. Order it for its uniqueness. Firstly it will come as a tower, then the waiter will mash the special garlic spread with the bread inside. He will then slice it into 4 parts and you can tuck in. It has a nice taste, full of garlic with every bite. More garlic taste than butter taste.

Garlic Snowing Pizza $22.50

Comments: Really love the pizza. It is thin and has a slight sweet taste adding a twist to the normal fan favorite Hawaiian Pizza

Seafood Tomato Pasta $24.60

Comments: Didn't really like the pasta. The sauce was quite bland and had a weird spicy taste to it. Seafood was fresh though.

Overall Review: The dishes here are nice, but can be quite expensive. Did not really try many dishes but I would recommend the garlic snowing pizza.

Website: Mad For Garlic
Details of the place: Outlets

Buffet Town

Recently went to Buffet Town for dinner with some colleagues. I must say it has quite a wide spread of local and international food. I manage to try almost 90% of the food and most were quite up to standard. Don't want to make this into a super long post, so I'll just do a short commentary on some of the hits and misses.

Queuing up for fresh oysters.

Crayfish, scallops, live prawns, mussels
Comments: HIT! Really loved their seafood. Very fresh, very sweet.

Chefs opening the live oysters

Oysters

Comments: HIT! Fresh oysters are always very nice

Sashimi Counter

Sashimi Platter

Comments: HIT! Fresh sashimi and they even gave salmon belly

Sushi

Comments: MISS! Nothing special

Onion Soup

Comments: It's a MISS! Quite tasteless.

Tom Yum Soup

Comments: Mixed feelings with this one. Maybe because I prefer with milk in it. But still not bad.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Comments: It's a MISS! Totally tasteless.

Chicken Soup with Wintermelon

Comments: It's a HIT! The soup super tasty.

Laksa

Comments: HIT! Very tasty, very nice.

Chicken Rice

Comments: Mixed feelings with this one. Rice fragrant but chicken too dry.

BBQ Taupok, Carrot Cake, Satay, Shishamo and Fried Rice

Comments: Satay HIT! The rest is a MISS!

Fried Vegetables with chicken and fish

Comments: HIT! The ingredients are fried ala teppanyaki style. Lots of flavor

Carbonara

Comments: HIT! The sauce and noodle tasted nice, but the bacon burnt. Overall still nice.

Tempura, baked corn, spicy baked cod fish

Comments: HITS! Tempura was nice as it was straight out of the wok.

Baked Salmon Fish Head

Comments: HIT! Marinated well, cooked well, taste well too.

Meat of the day: Pork
Comments: Miss! Very tough. 

Pizzas

Comments: HIT. Very tasty but makes you full easily. 

Aglio Olio

Comments: MISS! Very dry and tasteless. 

Ice Kachang

Comments: They provide the ice, you put your own syrup and all. Their atap chee was very hard.

Overall review: Compared to most other restaurants that sell buffet, this place for $42 on a weekend rate is quite worth it. The food is of good quality. The only thing I don't like is that you have to queue a long time for the oysters. But if you want it fresh, I guess good things come to those who wait.

Website: Buffet Town

Details of the place: Raffles City, #B1-44E 
To make a reservation: 6837 3793 

Li Bai

Located in Sheraton Towers is this award-winning restaurant: Li Bai. They serve really good dim sum, however the pricing is a bit steep, considering its location to be in a 5-star hotel. Below are a few dishes ordered while I had lunch there with my family one afternoon.

Tapioca Chips

Comments: Their appetizer dish, nice crispy chips.

Foie Gras

Comments: Cooked really nicely. Melt in your mouth and nicely marinated.

Pork Bun With Crispy Skin 3 for $4.80

Comments: Comparable to Tim Ho Wan's bao, but theirs had more filling.

Steamed Chicken Feet in Special Sauce $4.20

Comments: Delicious, well marinated and cooked nicely. Has a sweet taste and melt in your mouth feeling when chewing on it.

Steamed Scallops Dumplings 3 for $6.60

Comments: Not bad, sweet tasting and nice.

Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimp $6.80

Comments: The skin is silky smooth, the prawns are big and fresh. Could not ask for more.

Steamed Rice Rolls with Char Siew $6.80

Comments: Skip this, just go for the prawns, unless of course you prefer char siew

Steamed Pork Buns 3 for $4.80

Comments: Normal tasting

Deep-fried Soft-shell Crab with Salt and Pepper $12

Comments: Quite oily and a bit burnt. A bit expensive at $12.

Deep-fried Crispy Goose Rolls $8

Comments: This was really nice. Worth the order. Crispy with nice fillings

Deep-fried Crispy Prawn with Mango 3 for $6.90

Comments: Not bad, a favorite dish that's why we ordered it. 

Steamed Crystal Dumplings with Mixed Vegetables $4.80

Comments: Did not really like it, maybe because the mixture of vegetable fillings was quite contrasting.

Steamed Chicken "Siew Mai" with Fish Roe 4 for $6.80

Comments: Normal. The scallop dumplings tasted better

Steamed Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce $4.20

Comments: The meat was quite tough. A bit disappointed

Deep-fried Crispy Scallop Rolls 3 for $6.60

Comments: This dish is REALLY REALLY REALLY NICE. A must order. Not expensive but JUST NICE!

Baked Canadian Cod with Ophiopogon Root and Honey $15

Comments: The dish is simply Amazing. The fish is cooked perfectly with that honey glazed taste. You don't even have to bite it. It just melts.

Braised Spinach Beancurd with Golden Mushrooms and Conpoy $8

Comments: So-so dish. Order only if you like beancurd

"Forgot what's the name of this dish

Comments: Nice dish with fresh and delicious fish.

Steamed Stuffed Fish Maw with Shrimps Paste $10

Comments: Don't waste your money ordering this. Nothing special and not much taste even with the sauce.

Overall Review: Nice food overall but expensive. Nice ambience too.

Website: Li Bai Restuarant

Details of the place can be found in their website.