Seven years ago, N and bak kut teh got off on the wrong foot. Yes, I mean the Chinese herbal meat soup dish, believed to have been brought from Fujian, China to Southeast Asia, now mostly enjoyed by Malaysians and Singaporeans (both of whom have different versions of it, by the way!)

How did N’s trauma with BKT come to be, you ask? Well, it was partly my fault for not ‘vetting’ his first experience. It was early days of us dating, and I was excited for him to try new cuisine while he was visiting Malaysia – so I simply brought him to a bak kut teh shop close to my house. Unfortunately, the food served there was not prepared well and was very greasy, which left him feeling, in his own words, ‘like I’m gonna have HBP or a stroke’.

We were in Klang recently and I brought up the idea of having BKT again – the authentic one this time, since Klang is synonymous with BKT (they even have it for breakfast)! Thankfully, round 2 was a way better experience.

My chosen spot to reacquaint N with the dish was at the original Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh shop along Jalan Teluk Pulai. It is widely considered an institution in Klang: no mean feat considering there are hundreds of BKT restaurants in town. There’s a much larger branch at Taman Intan, which is where most customers go, but I think we made an excellent choice coming to the original as I really like the simple, old-school vibe the resto has, complete with an open kitchen at the back and a kettle boiling right on top of a gas tank. Despite not having any air-conditioning, it was quite cooling, thanks to the high ceilings.

Portions are calculated per pax, so this is good for two. For the more health conscious, you can request for lean meat only.

We got the half fat, half lean cuts plus offal, which includes pork stomach and intestines. The broth came bubbling merrily in a traditional claypot, topped with fresh veggies. We also got some fried crullers (yao char kwai) which you can dip in the liquid to soak up all the umami.

Definitely one of the better BKTs I’ve had, if not the best.

Unlike the place N tried before where it was akin to drinking a vat of oil, the broth here was light, which allowed the taste of the herbs and spices to shine through. For 2 pax, the portion was very generous – aside from large meat chunks, it was packed full of tofu pok, enoki mushrooms, beancurd skin, and offal as well.

Happy to announce that thanks to the original Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh, N’s faith in BKT has been restored! The problem now? We’ll have to drive to Klang every time the craving hits, coz he doesn’t want to try it elsewhere anymore lol.

TELUK PULAI BAK KUT TEH

27H, Jalan Teluk Pulai, Klang.

**I couldn’t find their opening hours since most of their online presence is at their larger, more famous branch at Taman Intan. But I believe they only operate for breakfast and lunch, closing around 2-3pm.

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