Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh 新悦来肉骨茶 is one of Singapore’s best Malaysian-style Herbal bak kut teh with more than 40 items on their menu. They are newly opened in Singapore at Jalan Besar with bak kut teh secret recipe from Johor Bahru that is used for three generations from Auntie Yue Lai.
新悅来肉骨茶 Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh is made with herbal soup base available in three sizes S, M, L from $8.80 onwards for a personal size. The herbal bak kut teh is a dark rich herbal broth made with more than 10 types of herbs such as the precious Dang Gui (当归) aka Female ginseng and Dang Shen(党参). Dang Gui is said to promote blood circulation and Dang Shen said to enhance vitality.
Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh is located at Horne Road in Singapore near Jalan Besar. Upon entering, you can smell the aroma of the herbal soup permeating the entire restaurant. This Chinese restaurant serving Malaysian Herbal style Bak Kut Teh has a show kitchen at the shop front where you can see every dish cooked before your eyes. They also proudly display branded cans of razor clams, button mushrooms and wine used in their cooking.
Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh menu consist of more than 40 items from their signature herbal bak kut teh soup, signature dry bak kut teh to claypot dishes, braised dishes, vegetables, sides dishes, hot tea and homemade drinks. The price starts from $2 to averages of $12 for most of the dishes, which is pretty affordable. For sharing claypots, the price starts from $16.80. These are mostly cooked in claypots and served piping hot. The claypots aid in retaining the steam and heat from the open flame stove top so the food remains warm while you enjoy it.
The interior of this Malaysian style herbal BKT Chinese Restaurant is laid out with traditional solid carved wood furniture with marble slab inserts. It gives off a homely vibe, peaceful almost like a teahouse or a shop house in Malaysia where you can gather casually for some home cooked food with love ones and friends. The chairs with the marble inserts are cool to the touch and have lovely marble grains.
新悦来肉骨茶 Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh menu and price is as above. The highly recommended dishes are those with chef hats. There are several unique dishes such as the scallion rice, steamed seabass with salted black beans, fried tofu, fried prawn roll and lala soup, simple but very comforting home cooked style dishes served here.
Herbal Bak Kut Teh (from $8.80) comes in 3 sizes – small for single portion, medium for 2-3 pax sharing and large for 4-6 pax sharing. The Herbal Bak Kut Teh claypot comes with various ingredients in a rich and dark herbal soup base made with Dang Gui, Dang Shen and several other herbs and spices.
The BKT ingredients are pork ribs, pork belly, pork balls, liver, stomach, tau kee and button mushroom. The pork belly are cooked till tender and holding together soft meat with laces of melty pork fats and some crunchy soft bones. Dip these into a sauce made with raw minced garlic, red chilli, sweet and salty dark soy sauce for more kick.
You can also add on more ingredients such as fish maw ($3), razor clams ($3), pork slice, kidney, button mushroom ($2) and enoki mushroom ($2) for more shiokness and variety. The fish maw pictured above soaks up the rich herbal soup with a springy tender texture. The fish maw is rich in proteins and collagen, it is believed to be good for the skin too.
Dry Bak Kut Teh ($9.80) comes in single portion only. It has a variety of ingredients such as pork belly, pork ribs and okra stir fried in dark soy sauce with garlic, ginger, chilli oil. The meats are caramelized, glistening in a bitter-sweet glaze and with undertones of sweet wine.
Braised pork knuckle ($12) is simmered in a sweet and savoury sauce. The skin is soft and melts in the mouth type. The soft and tender ring of pork knuckle meat falls off the big pork bone like butter. With a good balance of soft lean meat, gelatinous tendons and melty pork skin, this is another well done dish to try here. It is a collagen powerhouse in this braised pork knuckle claypot.
Here’s Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh reviews after trying most of their chef recommendations and some of our favourite bak kut teh dishes. The prices are pretty affordable with these flavourful dishes. Claypots are served piping hot straight from the show kitchen next to the main dining space. You can see the steam billowing from the claypot for quite some time as the service crew sets down the bak kut teh claypot on the table. The herbal aroma definitely whets my appetite and I can’t wait to dig in. For a complete bak kut teh experience, get a hot tea pot with various choices of tea such as Aged Pu Er, Jasmine or Nanyang Oolong.
There are a few dishes that left a strong impression and make a return trip a confirmed one. The braised small intestines ($8) that are so soft and powdery with the pastry white custard inside the intestines. The intestines are tender and soft to the bite. The chef mentioned that they sealed the two ends of the intestines when cooking to ensure the pastry custard stays in the intestines during the cooking process. Must try!
Lala soup ($12) are stir fried in ginger and sesame oil and topped with some aromatic browned garlic oil. The ginger flavour gravy with a concoction of garlic, sweet and briny clams and a generous splash of cooking wine makes this dish another must try.
Ginger and wine chicken($12) is a nourishing dish that is commonly cooked as a Chinese confinement dish for new mothers. It is said to have health benefits such as promoting blood circulation and invigorating the body. This dish is cooked with lots of ginger and cooking wine and some very tender chicken. The aromatic gravy is savoury with sweet and umami notes.
There are also various dishes that we tried and liked such as the claypot braised chicken feet, sesame chicken, steamed seabass fillet with salted black bean soya sauce, handmade fried prawn roll, fried chye poh egg, blanched lettuce, preserved vegetables and even the braised peanuts. If you are craving for home cooked dishes, Malaysian style herbal bak kut teh soup, dry bak kut teh that is affordable, this place is truly a hidden gem in Jalan Besar serving all that. This Johor Bahru style herbal Bak Kut Teh is now in Singapore at Horne Road. Do try Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh 新悦来肉骨茶.
Address of Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh :
64 Horne Rd, Singapore 209072
For reservations, pls call: 6513 6464
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday – 11am to 9pm
Saturday, Sunday & PH – 8am to 9pm
This CNY season they are open daily except for CNY Eve till 2pm.
Brought to you by Xin Yue Lai Bak Kut Teh 新悦来肉骨茶