Restaurant Yun Heng: Lala bak kut teh — Trying out bak kut teh with a seafood twist in Klang
If there’s one dish that represents Klang, it would have to be bak kut teh. And who doesn’t love bak kut teh— but what about its seafood rendition: the lala bak kut teh? Yes, you read that right. Everyone’s favourite herbal soup just got a fishy addition. So I set off to Klang (where else could this mysterious dish be?), my stomach growling and towards Restoran Yun Heng, which apparently paid homage to lala bak kut teh.
The famed bak kut teh shop was supposedly tucked in a standard coffee shop housed in an industrial lot. From the outside, I could see no sign nor smell the signature herbal bak kut teh scent. I began doubting myself— was I in the right place?
I gingerly walked by all the stalls attempting to find which was the bak kut teh one, and then tucked at the side, I noticed a vertical-looking stall with giant pots and little claypots bubbling away on stoves. The signs behind were all in Chinese characters, but this had to be it.
There also was the owner of the stall skillfully preparing the bak kut teh orders with his chopsticks. I mumbled the words bak kut teh and lala and opted for the soup version before I was told to take a seat.
While waiting for my lunch to arrive, I noticed that many diners at the coffee shop were having the lala bak kut teh as well. This was a reassuring sign.
What I tried at Restoran Yun Heng
Within 10 minutes, my one portion order of Lala Bak Kut Teh (RM22) arrived— a plate of fluffy rice, a small plate of cut green chilli, along with the extra order of crispy yu char kway— because I can never have enough of these delicious fried strips of dough. It was a mesmerising sight, needless to say. The soup was still furiously bubbling, and with it emanating an intoxicating aroma.
I wasted no time and eagerly spooned the broth into my already salivating mouth. It was a perfect balance of heat, herbal notes, and a really strong seafood sweetness from the lala. The usual headyness from the bak kut teh was even more intense with the addition of the lala and what I guessed was rice wine. I took a bite of the pork and it was simply perfect— tender with a good ratio of pork fat to meat.
The lala was sweet and paired perfectly with the hot rice. I greedily grabbed more of the yu char kway and tossed it into the broth. Once the dough had soaked all the herbal goodness, I chucked it into my mouth. It was juicy, flavourful and with a slight crispness still intact. It didn’t take me long to wipe the entire plate clean.
The portion was definitely plentiful: lala, chunks of pork, chopped canned mushrooms, tofu puffs, and my ultimate favourite, fried beancurd skin. Here’s where I admit that I had no issues polishing off the entire bowl. At my final bite of rice, I definitely had no qualms about Klang claiming reign over bak kut teh— it’s undoubtedly well-deserved.
Final thoughts
Bak kut teh inhaled and as I prepared for the long drive home, I wondered if people were accepting of lala in bak kut teh. But judging from the number of patrons, I didn’t think that was an issue. Plus, the meat was cooked to melt in your mouth, with its sweet flavours infused into the thick and savoury broth. And at RM22, it was definitely worth the price.
But if you are of the few who think that the addition of lala in your traditional herb-infused broth to be blasphemy— I urge you to come to Restoran Yun Heng and make that decision for yourself.
But if you’re a purist, you can always stick to the original Bak Kut Teh (RM18). After all, how can you travel all the way to Klang and not consume bak kut teh? Now that in my opinion is blasphemy.
Expected damage: RM18 – RM22 per pax.
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