Best Bak Kut Teh in Ipoh

BKT at Soon Lee's can be decent at best, and seemingly attracting many students from around the block (since there is a high school nearby). On weekends, it would be a little more than crowded, with locals brimming from one end to the other end of the shop. What makes Soon Lee so welcoming to the locals is the sweet and heartwarming BKT broth, filled with mild herb-ish essence and porky goodness. 

When you enter Tung Lok, be expect to be greeted with rushed welcomes from waiters darted in orange shirts, probably running around the store trying to accommodate the packed crowd. It's only like this during peak hours, though. There are menu's written on the wall (all in Chinese) but we'd say just go for the classic BKT soup and maybe if you want to spice things up a bit - there's always a choice of dry BKT. In fact, Tung Lok is probably the earliest store in Ipoh to be selling the dry version of BKT.

Sun Tong's BKT are loved by many due to the traditional taste and usage of herbs. Abundance of herbs (mainly coriander) are used in the broth, with additional coriander toppings which provide a greater oooomphh when eaten. We love the generosity of ingredients here as well. The amount of 'foo chook' and 'tau fu pok' given is almost ridiculous - you couldn't even see the broth, thanks to the ingredients filling the pot to the brim! Here's another extra tip for BKT lovers; do visit on Fridays for the special yam rice serving. 

Tan Kee offers many specialties (totally teasing the guests and newcomers), ranging from the usual BKT - soup or dry, have your pick - steamed fish head, vinegar pork's trotter and Thai-style beancurd (Thai-sik taufu). If you are craving for the dark, strong flavors of Klang BKT, look no further! Tan Kee tries to bring the beloved Klang-BKT market to the heart of Ipoh. As you order your BKT, a prompt choice must be made for the preferred cuts of pork - lean meat, ribs or fatty three layer meat? 

Yum Yum Bak Kut Teh is pretty famous with certain Ipoh-ians. They fit right in the good BKT category simply because of its unmatched taste - rightly mixed with balance between the herbs and the meat and bones. Judging from the number of customers visiting Yum Yum, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it often packed to capacity. Besides BKT, you can also opt for other side dishes, like chicken feet with mushrooms.

The menu at Good Taste's is pretty extensive - they cover the usual claypot style of BKT, with options of preferred meat cuts available. It's hard to decide or explain which parts of meat you'd like but no fret, the shop has an illustrated diagram of a pig with its different body parts labelled. Very amusing and not to mention educational, right? If you're too darn fed up to look at that, you can just ask for BKT with small/big bones. Still loss? No worries, the menu has pictures.