When Donald Tsang (former Hong Kong Chief Executive) couldn’t get a bowl of bak kut teh from Ng Ah Sio, Ya Hua prevented a diplomatic embarrassment by opening up the place specially for him.
Founder Madam Gwee Peck Hua, together with her sister, Gwee Guek Hua, worked tirelessly to perfecting the recipe for the finest bowl of Teochew-style bak kut teh, at a stall in River Valley Road. Outram Park Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh first opened in 1973 at the bottom of the HDB flats at Outram Park. When the Outram Park Complex was demolished in 1995, they moved to Havelock Road and then expand to Keppel Road in 2006, retaining the Outram Park Ya Hua name.
Ya Hua’s Teochew-style bak kut teh soup is clear and full of peppery flavour. The soup is tasty and the pepper taste is not overpowering to diners. It came in three versions – pork ribs, spare ribs, prime ribs. 特选正排骨 Premium Spare Ribs used prime ribs of the pork. The ribs were still juicy and tender, not cooked to death like in many lesser BKT stores. Soup can be refilled as many times as you want.
猪尾汤 Pig’s Tail Soup is another of my favourite. When cooked thoroughly, the pig’s tail simply slid off the bones. The fats would all be rendered, leaving behind the skin and collagen. And to eat the pig’s tail, you will need the sweet and savoury dark soy sauce and chopped chilli.
腰子汤 Pig’s Kidney Soup is my favourite BKT choice because I love the crunchiness of the kidney. However you need to clean the kidney properly to get rid of the urine taste from the organ. Ya Hua’s version did not have any residual taste.
油条 Fried Dough Stick is the perfect complement to BKT as the dough absorbs the soup. Unfortunately the dough stick was stale.
No BKT meal is complete without a few other side dishes, like braised pig intestines, dry bean curd, salted vegetables, etc. And the vegetable to go along with all this is Tang-O or chrysanthemum lettuce, with its slight bitterness and freshness unique to this leafy vegetable..
And if pork is not your thing but you still have to accompany your friends for lunch, fret not as there the deep fried seafood ball and sliced fish soup.
Outram Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh features a typical atmosphere of a coffee-shop setting, usually packed during meal times. The turnover of tables is very quick, and the serving is very prompt. No reservations.
Outram Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh 歐南園亞華肉骨茶
7 Keppel Road #01-05/07 PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex
Singapore 089053
Tel : +65 6222 9610
Visited Jan 2024
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