TacoCat's TrEats #25: Soup for the Soul 🍜

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Cover image source: timeout.com

Hey Steemit!

I was feeling a little under the weather the other day as I was still getting over a cold, so we decided to head to our favourite Asian soup place; Song Fa Bak Kut Teh!

Source: designgallery.com

So if you've never had bak kut teh before, or 肉骨茶, it's basically a pork rib dish cooked in broth (that is often very peppery). The name literally translates from the Hokkien dialect as "meat bone tea", and at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including cinnamon, star anise, ginseng, fennel seeds, cloves and garlic) for hours.

Source: tidbitsmag.com

Despite its name, there is actually no tea in the dish itself; the name refers to a strong oolong Chinese tea which is usually served alongside the soup in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. It is often served with strips of fried dough called you char kueh (or 油条 youtiao).

Source: livingnomads.com

It's really delicious and I absolutely looove the soup. I definitely recommend it if you're getting over a cold as well since the steam and the warm soup will help to clear sinuses.

There are many different bak kut teh places but my go-to place is always Song Fa. They've been around for a looong time (since 1969!); from humble beginnings in a push cart in Johor Road to 9 outlets in Singapore! They even sell their own packaged hot pot soup base so you know their recipe is legit.

Source: Redmart

The outlet I went to was the one at Changi Business Park, and it was fairly empty at that time. Then again, it was around 5+pm which is quite early for dinner I suppose. On the plus side, the service was really good and the aunties were so nice! 😊

The interior of the restaurant is really unique as well, and totally captures the essence of Singapore in the 1960s. I think it really immerses patrons in the landscape of when Song Fa was born, and also creates the feeling of nostalgia in Singaporeans. I always feel like I'm traveling back in time when I enter a Song Fa.

I believe every Song Fa outlet has a different design as well, so no 2 outlets are the same. However, they all possess the same old-timey aesthetic which I really enjoy.

Anyway, on to the food!
Song Fa offers many different combinations for their soup, i.e. different parts of the meat such as kidney, liver, tenderloin, spare ribs, loin ribs, etc.

We ordered the 2 for 1 combo, where you can have 2 different parts of meat in 1 soup. Specifically, we ordered pork tenderloin and normal pork ribs. The tenderloin doesn't come with bones so I'd recommend it if you're lazy or you have kids.

Source: Chin Chai Jiak

They also serve various braised dishes but I don't think I've actually tried them before. I heard it's good though. My absolute favourite thing about Song Fa is definitely the soup, and the best part: it's refillable! I slurped up at least 3 bowls of soup and I felt much better (and fuller) after that meal. I'll definitely go again the next time I'm not feeling well.

Thanks for reading!
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