Yong Kee Claypot Bak Kut Teh: Secret Michelin Guide hawker serves herbal & pepper pork bone soup

I’m a Libra. It’s all fun and games until you realise that true to the zodiac’s stereotype, I am very, VERY indecisive. My friends and family can vouch for this whenever we go out – I sometimes take up to 10 minutes to choose a dish and still end up with second thoughts.

Given this, perhaps it was meant to be that I discovered Yong Kee Claypot Bak Kut Teh in Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre while searching for food options in the area. 

This unassuming hawker stall on Level 2 of the Food Centre doesn’t display any certificates of its achievements at the front. As such, it might come unnoticed that the humble Yong Kee Claypot Bak Kut Teh is listed in the Michelin Guide as one of Singapore’s Best Bak Kut Teh eateries.

What caught my attention wasn’t the Michelin-Guide mention, but the offerings on the menu. How often do you find a place selling both herbal and pepper broth for bak kut teh? While most people I know have a clear preference between Malaysian and Singaporean-style pork bone soup, I’ve never really pondered on which one I’d rather have. 

There was no way I would give up the chance to order two variations of a dish. “Wouldn’t it be easier with only one option?” you might ask. Well, it’s convenient but no fun. Besides, why not try both under the same roof while you can?

What I tried at Yong Kee Claypot Bak Kut Teh

Yong Kee’s signature claypot Bak Kut Teh costs S$5 with Herbal and Pepper soup options, and I selected Herbal. You can also pay S$7.50 instead to upgrade it to Set A which includes rice, youtiao and preserved vegetables. 

The same applies to the Pork Tenderloin Soup (S$5), which comes with lean meat instead of ribs. Of course, I had to get this with Pepper broth instead. 

To put it in simple words, this was “good soup”. While not overpowering, the herbally flavour of the Bak Kut Teh was very gao. Its slight sweetness came with strong hints of gui pi (cinnamon), star anise and other traditional Chinese medicine herbs. While Chinese herbal soups aren’t everyone’s cup of tea as they can taste quite bitter, I find them quite comforting.

The peppery soup in the Pork Tenderloin dish wasn’t as concentrated as others I’ve tried. It wasn’t too salty, but it was saltier than the herbal soup. Due to its simpler flavour makeup, I could taste some meatiness alongside the warmth of the pepper and garlic. Although I had been hoping for a more peppery soup, I was glad this one wasn’t chokingly strong.

My mother found both a little too salty for her liking. I did understand that it was a matter of preference though – I tend to overseason my food while she likes to keep it simple.

Fluffy, fragrant and light, the rice was cooked to perfection. It was the perfect carb base to pair with both soups, which were soaked up beautifully by the grains. 

The herbal Bak Kut Teh included pork ribs, some lettuce and a few pieces of tau kee (tofu skin). 

In my opinion, the pork ribs were alright – not too fatty though there was still some attached to the bones. The meat wasn’t hard, but my companions suggested it would taste better if simmered for longer.

The tau kee tasted unsurprisingly of soybean. It had gotten soft from cooking in the hot soup, and while it didn’t fully pick up the herbaceous flavour accompanied the broth nicely. The lettuce didn’t serve much purpose except to provide the tiniest bit of fibre and some colour to contrast the deeper brown hues.

A lone clove of cooked garlic was the only ingredient in the pepper soup alongside the lean pork tenderloin slices.

Despite the absence of any other ingredients, I was quite pleased with the generous portion of pork tenderloin. The slices were perfectly tender and not tough! It was nice not to bother about fat and bones as I directly popped them into my mouth, enjoying their meatiness. They must’ve been marinated beforehand; I felt a silky cornstarch residue on each slice.

If given the choice, I would’ve dumped a load of garlic cloves into the soup for maximum enjoyment. However, beggars can’t be choosers; I sadly had to make do with the lonely one I found in the claypot. It was still nice, though – aromatic, buttery and sweet.

The youtiao (fried dough stick) pieces were just okay; they seemed to have been sitting out for a while. They came chewy and cold, which was a pity but understandable given that this was a bak kut teh stall and not a fritter one. An oily aftertaste was present, but eating them alongside the soup helped to counter that.

I liked that the mei cai (preserved mustard greens) wasn’t overly sweet or salty. Unfortunately, I noticed that its umami and tanginess were also muted, which was sad because it would’ve gone great with the meat. I did like the texture though – the veggies were cooked to softness but also not too much to retain a light crunch from the stems.

Final thoughts

Yong Kee Bak Kut Teh serves good quality soup for sure. Comforting and flavourful, the dishes were a good source of sustenance for my afternoon. The overall fare wasn’t the best, but it was enough to satisfy my appetite and solidify itself as a somewhat reliable place for a meal.

So, which was better? Peppery or herbal bak kut teh? The truth is, I still can’t decide! Each variation shone in its own way, and it was difficult to choose a favourite given the different taste profiles. Meat-wise, I’d go for the tenderloin – it’s hard to say no to such a generous portion of tender lean meat!

Expected damage: S$5 – S$7.50 per pax

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