Double Happy Bak Kut Teh

The first thing I noticed at Double Happy Bak Kut Teh was that the pork ribs soup was darker in color compared to the clear soup that is typical of Singapore BKT. Because of the darker color, the soup is tastier but still not as intense as the herb and spice-​focused Malaysian-​style BKT. An order for 2 people comes in a claypot. The pork ribs were tender and lean, but still enough with some occasional fat to help render the pork during the cooking process to make the meat tender. Definitely enjoyed it very much.

Back when Hill Street Food Centre was still around, there was a bak kut teh stall tucked in a little corner on the upper levels. It wasn’t regarded as the best in Singapore but it had a loyal following. One of those was my dad. Like most fathers and sons, we never did get along. But come Sunday morning, we were buddies bonding over a bowl of pork ribs soup and sipping Chinese tea.
Double Happy’s version of this popular hawker fare is the clear, peppery Teochew style. It is light, flavoursome and not oily at all. The pork ribs are always lean with hardly a hint of fat. But the pièce de résistance for me has always been their selection of Teochew styled dry steam fish.
When Hill Street Food Centre was torn down, they relocated to their current idyllic location at Zion Riverside Food Centre along the end of the Singapore River. It is one of mine and the missus favourite food haunts as we can think of few better places to enjoy a quiet Sunday morning breakfast.