Since the day I had the Klang ‘special’ bak kut teh I was dying to try the Puchong dry-style bak kut teh for comparison. So last week after running some errands on a typical Saturday morning, eatgod and I decided to stop by Yap Chuan DRY bak kut teh for lunch.
The shop is easy enough to spot as it is a corner lot and it has a large signboard which says ‘Restoran Yap Chuan Bah Kut Teh’ (duh). Ask anyone living in Puchong about bak kut teh and they will most definitely pick out this shop in Puchong Utama. The shop is so famous that it even shows up on the Malaysian Malsing map at 02° 59’40.5″ N, 101° 37’16.0″E! Oh ya! The shop name is actually pronounced “yip chuen” and doesn’t sound anything like the way it is spelled so if you are asking for directions try to get the name of the shop right!
When eating bak kut teh one can never do without yau choi – vegetable in oil and since it was just the two of us, so we ordered the standard yau choi, one serving of the standard bak kut teh and another serving of the oh-so-famous Yap Chuan dry bak kut teh. For the standard version we did without the pork belly and intestines and asked for an extra helping of soup. Usually the extra soup served to customers are the virgin soup – those which have not been boiled with meat and is usually served with yau char kwai and pan-fried tofu. Yap Chuan however serves the real deal, the soup which was boiled with the meat with 100% flavor.
One sip of the soup and you’ll be hooked for sure! The bak kut teh soup is a potent mix of herbs and spices, strong enough to give you that extra kick but not too strong till you curl your toes. We couldn’t help sipping the soup and took it together with the rice. I was so engrossed with the soup that for a moment there I totally neglected the meat and the dry version!
Redirecting my attention to the dry version which was their specialty, I found that Yap Chuan also uses pork tendons & ligaments as their main ingredient. The rest of ingredients are similar; okra, dried prawns and dried chili but still Yap Chuan’s dry version is more aromatic and the taste is fuller. There must be something in their gravy which makes it so special. Puchong Yap Chuan dry-style bak kut teh definitely trumps the Klang version!
The pork knuckle meat, tendons and ligaments were so juicy and tender that they practically melted in my mouth! One of the pieces that made it to our pot was this huge chunk of skin and kuckle. *slurp* yummy :) eatgod was on a diet so I had the privilege to finish it. The taste was just heavenly and to wash down the thick gravy with a spoonful of bak kut teh….absolutely orgasmic!
A spoonful of bak kut teh makes the gravy go down…
…makes the gravy go down…
…makes the gravy go down…
a spoonful of bak kut teh makes the… oops… sorry had a Mary Poppins moment there. I thought most of you would still be staring at the chunk of gebu-ness and imagining it in your mouths melting away :p
Anyway Yap Chuan is so famous that it is constantly packed with people, so packed that they had to hire an army of waitresses to tend to the tables. When traffic is low you can see them in idle mode near the back of the shop chit chatting away. Initially we thought they were from Mainland China as they spoke Mandarin and looked kinda like Mainland Chinese but to our surprise they spoke Hokkien in the local dialect so we had to rule that out.
Just imagine them defending themselves, “We may LOOK like Mainland Chinese, SPEAK like Mainland Chinese, but we are definitely NOT Mainland Chinese!” and some time later in a land far far away, the local newspapers will publish that they were all acquitted of being Mainland Chinese!
What Others Say
At first I preferred the soup version. But the more I ate the Dry Bak Kut Teh, the more I like it. It takes a while before you are hooked on it lol
- Vkeong
What makes this restaurant famous is its Dry Bak Kut Teh because this Chinese specialty is normally served in soup. Overall, it was indeed a good place to eat though we felt that the price was slightly expensive considering the size of the serving
The Dry Bak Kut Teh was done to almost perfection, hands down the best version I have tasted, compared to even Klang’s version. On the whole, Yap Chuan serves one of the BEST dry version of Bak Kut Teh out there, and a passable soup version.
- J2Kfm
The Dried Bak Kut Teh is nice. better than the one in Equine Park, Seri Kembangan. Worth for a try. :)
There’s nothing much to say about the soup Bak Kut Teh. Pretty standard stuff. The star of the night of coz is the Dry Bak Kut Teh. Prices are BKT standard (and somehow BKT is never cheap) but the serving is on the smaller side. I doubt I’ll return for another visit.
It’s not everyday that we sit down to a meal fit for a king, and cooked by one too. The wait, though not particularly long, was excruciating, thanks to the scents that drifted over from neighboring tables.
What say you? If you have been there do let us know what you think by dropping a comment and rate the place!
how can i miss to taste the food you post! Lets “test drive” the claypot again
haha datuk you havent try before rite? hmm..but then high cholesterol wor…..kekeke
i like bah kut teh.. but not those spare parts.. kinda geli =P
kenwooi: </srong>Ken, spare parts are the best! You don't know what you are mission out on haha. Anyway did you do a review on Puchong Yip Chuen? If yes I can add it to my What Others Say column
Voted. :)
J2Kfm: Thanks for voting J2Kfm. Keep up the good work. I like your reviews a lot! :)
I find it a bit too fatty for my liking..:P
JFOOK: Haha its not just fats but tendons and ligaments. Good for reconstructing bad joints :)
voted. thanks for included my view in your post!
nice blog! :))
yintse: You are welcome. Do rate the other reviews if you have been there k? Thanks!