Hua Xing Bak Kut Teh is located at Jurong East within Yuhua Market & Hawker Centre. It was my first time at the hawker centre, but I was able to easily navigate through the place to find the aforementioned bak kut teh stall. In front of the stall were multiple seats, with every customer there having the same thing— bak kut teh.
I love all types of bak kut teh— dry, herbal, peppery— you name it, I’ve tried it. With soup bak kut teh, you get tender, fall-off-the-bone meat, along with soup that warms you to the bone. For me, bak kut teh is more than just the pork soup. It’s also the side dishes that come with it such as salted vegetables, small intestines, and even the pork knuckle. All these together make a hearty meal that I’ll go to sleep dreaming about.
What I tried at Hua Xing Bak Kut Teh
When I approached the stall, a friendly aunty immediately asked me what I would like to eat. I looked around the stall, trying to find a menu that I can order off of, to no avail. I asked her, in albeit broken Mandarin, if she had a menu and she pointed to this sheet of paper.
Looking it over once, the small intestines and salted vegetables caught my eye. As I was accompanied by only one friend, we had to order within our means. At last, we ordered three dishes.
After telling the aunty our order, she asked us where we were seated and brought the food to us when it was ready to be served. The aroma that wafted from the bak kut teh had me salivating.
The Rou Gu Cha (S$5), which loosely translates into pork bone tea, was an extremely peppery brown soup that had three generous pieces of meat. I was shocked by the pepperiness of the soup as I had internally associated brown soup with herbal-style bak kut teh and clear soup with pepper-style bak kut teh. I was totally wrong.
The soup was hearty and warmed my insides. The lethargy from my journey to this hawker centre was immediately forgotten. The pepperiness did mean that the soup was slightly spicy, but it was nothing I could not handle. There were three chunks of meat within which were flavourful. However, the meat could definitely afford to be more tender, but it was still meaty and had a good chew.
Additionally, one can top up their soup using these kettles found around the stall. This meant that I could have as many bowls of peppery soup as I wanted— and I did just that.
The Salted Vegetable (S$3) was decent. Personally, I’m not too sure how one can go wrong with salted vegetables, but their salted vegetables complemented even the plain rice really well. It was salty, savoury, and oily, which was the best part.
For only three dollars, it was a generous portion of Salted Vegetable. This is a must-order at any bak kut teh stall as together with the pork meat, it became a dangerously delicious combination.
The Small Intestines (S$6) were my favourite. The only innards I like are intestines, and these were delicious. They were chewy and were marinated well in dark soy sauce. For only six dollars, a mountain of Small Intestines was served. There was no off-putting bitterness nor gameyness, and was simply a tasty treat.
Hidden within the bowl were also many braised peanuts. They were cooked well, and had a sweet taste to it that meant that it was well seasoned. My companion tried the intestines for the first time that day, and she said that it was not bad.
The meal came with two bowls of rice which were free. I was surprised, as usually shops would charge around fifty cents to a dollar for a bowl of rice. I only had a bowl of rice, and I wonder if multiple bowls of rice would still be free.
The rice was on the drier side, but when paired together with the robust soup and delectable salted vegetables, it provided a good balance.
Final thoughts
As a bak kut teh lover, Hua Xing Bak Kut Teh definitely satisfied me. While it may not be one of the best ones in Singapore, at its affordable price with decent quality, I would definitely come back for a bowl of good soup.
Expected damage: S$5 – S$7 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
Hua Xing Bak Kut Teh
347 Jurong East Ave 1, Yuhua Market, #01-171, Singapore 600347
Hua Xing Bak Kut Teh
347 Jurong East Ave 1, Yuhua Market, #01-171, Singapore 600347
