Makan Spotlight: Bak Kut Teh

If you are a big fan of super peppery bak kut teh, then Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh is the spot for you. This stall has been at Rangoon Road since 1988, dishing out bowl after bowl of heavenly pork bone broth from a recipe dating back to the 1950s. The brand has since branched out to two more outlets in the island – and even all the way to Taiwan – and the fame means that the bak kut teh here is costly. But we'll gladly pay for that rich, spicy soup with its fall-off-the-bone pork ribs. 

The walls at Legendary Bak Kut Teh (South Bridge Road) are plastered with celebrities – which you can take as an indication of the quality of bak kut teh you can find here. The establishment is actually from the same family that runs Founder Bak Kut Teh, a huge and well-known chain in Singapore. The daughter of the original owner of Founder now runs Legendary – and it holds its own. They cut no corners, using only Sarawak peppercorns and juicy Indonesian pork ribs for a punchy, robust bowl of peppery bak kut teh every time. 

Balestier Bak Kut Teh is known to many as that supper spot – you know, the one to go to after a wild night of clubbing. Nothing like some aromatic soup to bring you back to your senses. The bak kut teh here has the same pungent kick of peppercorn and aromatics, but is somewhat tempered by the addition of sugarcane. Get the prime rib bak kut teh with fried dough fritters, and try some of the sides (braised trotters, salted vegetables) and zi char dishes too. 

Another haunt of late-night revellers (back when partying till late was still a thing) Outram Ya Hau Bak Kut Teh also commands a decent lunch crowd of office workers. The Teochew-style pork bone soup is deceptively clear, but packs a mean pepper kick – you're bound to work up a sweat in the non-airconditioned space. The pork ribs are pretty tender, but it's the side dishes – braised peanuts, salted vegetables, fried dough fritters, tofu – that shine. 

Sitting on Joo Chiat Road is Sin Heng Claypot Bak Kut Teh. For those who are torn between the peppery Teochew-style broth and the herbal Klang-style bak kut teh, you'll be glad to know that this establishment serves up both. We're still partial to the peppery version, which has soup that comes darker than usual. We recommend crushing the super-soft garlic heads into the soup to deepen the flavours further. Come with a hungry belly, because the zi char dishes like fuyong omelette and baby kailan are simple but great-tasting too. 

Don't diss the chain stores – if the snaking queues that form well before lunchtime are any indication, Song Fa's Bak Kut Teh is definitely one of the best in town. Its peppery bowls of pork rib soup are best enjoyed on chilly days but locals are just as happy to slurp down a bowl on a scorcher. The soup's free flow and best enjoyed with a range of sides, including steamed groundnuts, vegetables coated in oyster sauce and pork trotters stewed in a herbal gravy.