Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine: Shiok Malaysian-style claypot bak kut teh & 16 other claypot dishes at Geylang
If you think of bak kut teh in Singapore, you would usually associate the flavours being peppery and light. Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine does up a perfect herbaceous and sweeter version that caters to the masses in Singapore.
Geylang seems to be the up-and-coming “Malaysia” of Singapore, with many establishments selling Malaysia’s local fare. Like Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine and J.B Ah Meng, many restaurants are starting to bring in the taste of Malaysia for the lazy who do not want to cross borders.
I came across the opening of Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine from social media and I figured to satisfy my bak kut teh cravings here. Freshly new to the scene, they opened the Geylang outlet in the beginning of Jan 2023. Their other outlet at Bukit Batok opened a few months before that.
They specialise in familiar claypot dishes, like Claypot Sesame Oil Chicken (S$6.50) and Claypot Crayfish (S$28). They have 16 dishes on their menu, so if you’re an indecisive person, you’re definitely going to have a difficult time making a choice when you pop by!
Their main branch, which is air-conditioned and spacious with wide tables spread out across the room, is located humbly along the shophouses of Geylang Road.
What I tried at Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine
While I heard good things about their dry bak kut teh, I went ahead to try both versions (soup and dry).
My first order of business: Claypot Bak Kut Teh (Dry). Priced at S$9, the cost is essentially comparable to bigger chains like Song Fa Bak Kut Teh or Old Street Bak Kut Teh. It might even be cheaper!
For some reason, the whiff of smokiness that came along with the sizzling hot claypot made this dish even more appealing. Not to mention, it was presented in extremely vibrant colours— red from dried chillies, green from the lady’s finger, and cream from the many cloves of garlic.
I was taken by surprise with the meat in the bowl. Coated with a luscious dark brown sauce, I knew I was in for a treat. The bowl contained 3 huge pork ribs and many pieces of pork belly.
The pork ribs were so tender that it literally fell off the bone as I picked it up with my chopsticks. This is an indication that it had been braised to perfection.
I am not the biggest fan of pork belly but wow, look at their portions! What you see in the photo isn’t even all, as I was unable to balance so many pieces of fat and juicy pork on my spoon.
These were chunky pieces that were comparably as big as my thumb. Need I mention how delicious it was too? Glazed with the savoury sauce that coated the whole dish, it has an underlying hint of black sauce that makes it super addictive.
Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine’s meatballs were not at all gamey or hard. In fact, these handmade balls were so tender, it was very easy to pop them into my mouth.
I chose to have Vermicelli (S$1) instead of Rice (S$1) because I wanted to try something different. Bak kut teh is usually paired with rice but the chewy noodles gave me a different experience— it was as if I ordered pork noodles when I paired my noodle soup with the pork ribs!
Further, the bowl comes with a herbaceous broth (akin to the broth that cooks the soup rendition of bak kut teh). If you intend to order the dry bak kut teh, I would recommend this clever pairing as the soup could make your dish wetter when it gets too dry for your liking.
The Claypot Bak Kut Teh (Soup) (S$8) comprised of the same ingredients of pork belly, pork ribs and tau kee.
The only difference that this version had as compared to the dry one was the inclusion of tau kee and the lack of lady fingers.
What I enjoyed most about this was its incredible broth. Unlike Malaysian versions that retain a slight hint of bitterness, this was herbaceous but it left a sweet aftertaste. For those who are trying to convert the pepper bak kut teh fan to become herbal lovers, this would be a good one to introduce.
Side note: the soup is refillable, so go crazy!
I got my dining partner and I a side of Claypot Sambal Prawns (S$9) to share.
The sambal sauce was thicker in nature, almost alike to nonya curries.
While I thought that this dish fell short in comparison to the mains, I still very much enjoyed it. The prawns were slightly overcooked, but probably because of how hot the pot was and I left it untouched for a while.
Despite its flaws, its saving grace was the generosity of prawn heads and prawns in the claypot bowl. I couldn’t even keep count!
Final thoughts
After finishing all my dishes, I left very satisfied. For prices that are comparable to bigger chains, it is incredibly worth it to dine at Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine with their big portions.
I would totally revisit this place just for their bak kut teh, and try out the rest of their claypot dishes. The next time I’m back, I’m bringing my sister who is the biggest hater of the herbal version— I’m determined to convert her!
Expected damage: S$8 – S$15 per pax
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