Part 2 of my “Singapore Food” tripping took me to Song Fa Bak Kut Teh.

When I travel,  I try to make it a point to eat the signature dish of a town, province, or country that I visit. As a Filipino, I know all too well that our signature dishes (adobo, sinigang, etc.) can be done in a variety of ways and this will be true no matter which place I visit. Still, eating Bicol Express made by a Bicolano will be a better experience than eating one made by someone from a different province.

The first country I ever visited outside of the Philippines was Singapore, a year after my sister found a job here in 2008. From then until now, I have always wondered what “local” food Singapore offers; as a country that is home to a variety of cultures, one could easily mistake a neighboring country’s signature food as Singapore’s own. After visiting the country multiple times before settling down here in 2015, I have been able to at least differentiate those with a Singapore flair, even if the dish didn’t originate from Singapore.

This is a multiple part blog series where I explore these “local” food for you to try when you visit.

My friends based in Singapore usually get together to treat friends who visit. On my first trip to Singapore without my family, I met with these friends who took us out to eat at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh in Clark Quay. Back then, we had to queue for a while even if there were two branches on the same street separated by a couple of stores. I recently visited the same branch and found out that it was easier to queue when you’re alone. I guess it also helped that it was 2 PM on a Monday afternoon.

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh in Clark Quay. No, I didn’t ask the guy to bow, it was just weird timing.

Song Fa is one of the more popular bak kut teh restaurants around. I learned through their website that it started out as a pushcart back in 1969, and has since grown to multiple stores across the country. Both stores on New Bridge Road (right across Clark Quay Central) have a nostalgic ambiance – something that they try to maintain to let their customers experience the classic taste of the dish as if they were eating off their original push cart in the 60’s.

Bak kut teh is a Chinese soup dish that is widely popular in Singapore. My friends brought us here back then precisely because we wanted to try “local” food. It apparently directly translates to “meat bone tea” and it actually makes sense when you taste it.

Song Fa’s Pork Ribs Soup (SGD 7.00) with a side of Braised Beancurd Skin (SGD 3.50) and plain rice (SGD 0.60)

I had the SGD 7.00 Pork Rib Soup that had three ribs and a disappointing amount of soup, before I remembered soup refills are unlimited. They have a SGD 9.00 version on their menu, which I assume would have five ribs. I also got the braised beancurd skin because I love beancurd roll dimsum, and I thought this would have the same taste. As a Filipino, rice was inevitable.

Service was fast, which was not surprising because they are probably cooking bak kut teh continuously throughout the day. The beancurd skin looked like it was just strained of from where it was braised.

Clean bones!

As I said earlier, the direct translation of bak kut teh makes sense when you taste it. The soup is like an herbal tea, but with the essence of a pork broth. The garlic gives it a nice character, while a strong peppery taste massages your throat when you take a generous sip. I think it has a bunch of other spices but these are the two I can easily determine. The meat did fall off easily, and I could easily finish it off using chopsticks. They have a small bucket for you to put all your bones in so that your bowl will have more space for soup refills. I didn’t have water to wash down my food, but the four soup refills I had did the trick.

For Filipino friends, this dish is basically bulalo, but with pork ribs instead of beef. And you know we love us our bulalo soup.

There are a couple of sauces on every table, one of which looked like a viscous soy sauce that tasted sweet and salty. I’m not sure what it was for, but my appetite channeled the college version of me as I squeezed the sauce on my rice to add flavor. I’m sure you do that too every once in a while.

The braised beancurd skin was just as I imagined it – beancurd roll without the meat inside. I don’t know if one is supposed to dip it on the sauce I put on my rice, but I liked it as it is. The beancurd skin was cut thinly, and was soft and juicy when you take a bite of

Come for seconds: Definitely. It’s a place one can frequent – prices are affordable, service charge is acceptable, and the taste is just classic. It’s the Singapore version of your favorite bulaluhan.

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