There are several foods which I feel don't quite make the best for takeaway menus.
Bak Kut Teh is one of them.
No doubt it is a dish that can be consumed anywhere and one should be paying more attention to the flavors of the soup than the container in which the soup was served in, but somehow, the (herbal) soup tasted a little different during that one time when we did a takeaway.
It wasn't because the food wasn't good.
The stall in Geylang that I bought it from is quite a renowned one.
It might have been that this sort of soup just doesn't taste well when eaten out of a plastic bowl- I don't know- but we didn't order it as a takeaway again.
The next time we had bak kut teh was when HA was over and dine-in was permitted again.
Friends know that I've long proclaimed my preference for the herbal (Klang) style of bak kut teh, but in recent months I have come to appreciate the peppery-white Teochew style of bak kut teh too, and whilst I do know that there are a couple of good places around town, especially along Balestier, I'm not very particular when it comes to the subtle difference between one soup and another, so I simply go for whatever's convenient at wherever I am.
Interestingly, Song Fa seems to be at most of the places that I tend to go to.
Especially my weekday haunts- which is a great thing- because they've got this offer of a fantastic weekday lunch deal.
It's a set with three selections that you can choose from.
The one I often go for includes a bowl of bak kut teh, a bowl of youtiao, a plate of braised peanuts (or preserved vegetables), a drink and a bowl of rice all in at $12.00.
It makes for a comfortable, affordable, heartwarming afternoon meal.
One thing that charms me about Song Fa is how they've recreated the old-school coffee shop atmosphere.
They've put in quite a bit of effort- the tables are arranged close together like they would be in coffee shops, there's some sort of hot water kettle (decor) at each table, you sit on heavy, square-shaped dark wooden stools to have your meal, and appropriately designed shelves reflecting the era hang on the walls.
They're relatively fast with service here.
And the food is always of consistent quality.
Three ribs in each bowl, the ribs are of almost equal size, with a texture so tender that I'm able to simply twist the meat off the bone using my chopsticks and dip it into the soy sauce.
The youtiao and braised peanuts are wonderful too.
Not only do they add a bit of (snacky) fun to the meal, the youtiao makes for a great complement to the clear, peppery soup and the peanuts add a bit of oomph to the clean-tasting rice.
I've learnt to eat braised peanuts with rice.
I've also learnt that to make crispy, soup-flavored youtiao you have to dunk it in the soup for no more and no less than three seconds.
Any less you'll be eating plain youtiao, any more you'll have soft mushy youtiao.
I've experimented. :)
You might have noticed that I haven't written much about the soup.
I don't intend to.
This soup is the soul of the meal.
This soup is what you come to eat bak kut teh for.
No words are needed to describe it.
Other than knowing that a bowl of warm, stimulating, comforting soup is exactly what you must have on those days when the stress levels are high or when the days are damp, rainy and cold.