Best Bak Kut Teh in the West – Joo Siah Bak Kut Teh

I always prefer the Malaysia style herbal bak kut teh if given a choice. However, at anytime i will still easily choose any Singapore bak kut teh over other dishes. It is still one of my favourite Singapore food. I count myself to be incredibly lucky to be born in Singapore where i can have a good meal at the hawker centers for under $10. We often take this for granted but this becomes very apparent when one is away alot.

Patience is gold

I went back to the Joo Siah Bak Kut Teh at Jurong east which is one of the best bak kut teh in the West. However, the theme this time seems to be the word patience. I had to wait for quite a while due to the very limited parking lot at the small carpark . Although there is the multi-storey carpark beside, it is rather tight for a SUV so i chose to wait instead. After waiting for the parking lot, next was to queue to order as you can see that it is very popular. Then after ordering, it is back to waiting again for the food to be prepared. Think i waited another 15-20 mins after order so patience is key here.

So how does it taste?

I wanted to order the 龙骨 but they ran out so i just ordered the normal one. The taste is super pepperish but tasty though the meat is soft and tender. Problem with the pepperish style is that you start to perspire and nose start to run making it quite a messy meal.

I also planned to order the pig trotter but they just ran out unfortunately. The auntie said have to wait for another 40 mins as they are cooking the new batch so i ordered the braised pork belly instead.

Bak kut Teh must always come with bean curd or else i will feel something is missing. It is probably also to lessen the guilt of an all meat meal by pretending that this is a vegetable dish.

Next is the kidney which i think is not for everyone but i love the internal organs. I was told that kidney needs to be wash properly or else there will be a “funky” smell (urine smell).

They made the wrong serving as we ordered just the pork loin meat without the mee sua but decided to just have it anyway instead of having it changed since they were so busy.

So is it worth the wait?

I was just trying my luck when we are about to go and asked if the new batch of pig trotter is ready. Lucky me, it was just ready and i ordered takeaway the fresh batch of pig trotter for dinner. The meat is really tender and the sauce is not too sweet. Pig trotter goes best with rice so my low carbo diet just went out of the window. Only 2 things will cause me to break the rule, one is pig trotter and the other is curry. How can you not have white rice when you eat these dishes? It will be so incomplete. I will for sure go back again since it is so near my place but perhaps go at the low peak period as patience is not one of my best virtue.