Some recipes are so specific that you can't tamper or change otherwise it won’t be the same anymore. One of those dishes is the Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Stew) which translates to “meat bone tea”. It may not be as popular as Chicken Rice but it is also considered one of the most accessible dishes here in Singapore, there are plenty of food places that offer this dish from hawker’s centers and even in shopping malls.
Last Friday night, I went to the city area to stroll around the Singapore River and after my tiring walk, I went to Song Fa to eat their signature dish… Bak Kut Teh!
It’s been a decade since I last ate in that restaurant so I’m excited to be able to come back and taste one of the best Bak Kut Teh in town.
Before I go on explaining about the food, I would like to explain why it took me a decade to come back even though this place is one of the best. It’s the long queue that I’m not a fan of, a famous place like Song Fa will have queues that will make you wait for almost an hour depending on the time of the day that you go there. A good option is to go there at the last hour of their service to ensure that you will be seated right away.
As soon as I got seated, I immediately placed my order by scanning the QR code that would lead me to their website. It appears that they revamped their ordering system by making the customers key in the items that they want to order, I think it's cool 😎.
The service was fast because it only took them a few minutes to serve my food.
A bowl of pork ribs and soup may seem simple but it’s the taste that makes this dish “Bak Kut Teh”. According to an article published by the National Library of Singapore:
The dish consists of pork ribs stewed with a mixture of fragrant herbs and spices such as garlic, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, and coriander.
The blend of herbs and seasonings makes it a challenging dish to make. On top of that, stewing the pork ribs at the right temperature is also the key that will either make or break the dish. Overdone pork ribs will tend to lose its flavor while under-stewing would be a challenging meat to chew so neither one of those would be a pleasant experience to have.
It’s the right balance of flavor and taste that made Song Fa’s Bak Kut Teh a deserving winner of Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand.
I was satisfied with the meal and was fully energized as well. At this point, after the meal, I headed back home and brought with me a memorable experience of my stroll around the Singapore River and a comforting meal at Song Fa.
Will it take me another decade to come back and dine here at Song Fa? I hope not, I’ll surely be back here soon.
My journey to the world of food.
