Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh

My husband loves these 二十年老店 (stalls that have been around for over 20 years). He’s also been on a look out for herbal BKT since most of Singapore offers the peppery soup base.
The stall offers a huge variety of zichar dishes but really wanted to try their herbal soup BKT. It came simmering in a claypot with 2 larges pieces of pork rib. The soup is ⁸⁄₁₀ in terms of herbal-​ness, clear and doesn’t feel heavy. They’re also very generous with their mushroom portions and refills.
There are 19 fans here so despite not being ac-​ed, it was still very comfortable. We really enjoy the long opening hours too — 7am to 4am the next day, when do they sleep?!
Good for couplea and groups up to 6 pax.

I love this place. I have been three times now at various times of the day (mainly later in the evening…) and each time I enjoyed the claypot delight. The staff are friendly and recognised me on my return visits and knew exactly what I wanted — great service. The youtiao is not the finest, although not an issue as it is being dipped in the soup anyway… on it’s own I would not be happy.
The last time I went, they only had 2 x ribs left, so I was given some lean pork meat instead, which I thought was good. Come later in the day for a richer soup base. Remember this is the herbal version, although you can make it peppery by adding there pepper on the table if you wish.
I have been told this place is very packed, and I know it is still lively at 11pm — always a good sign, so avid the «standard» dinner times. Do not forget it is closed Mondays to avoid disappointment.
A great local place in this awesome neighbourhood.

I love this neighborhood herbal bkt joint. I stick with their normal clay pot bkt as all the extra ingredients in the special bkt don’t sway me much. I guess you can say I’m somewhat of a bkt purist; I just like the pork ribs!
They do have an extensive menu outside bkt so you can also find items like omelettes and such. I love how they have 2 baskets of chilli: one with big slices and less seeds, and another with smaller pieces and a lot of seeds. A nice way to choose your heat!
As they’re almost open 24 hours (they close between 430 – 730 am) it’s a great spot for all day dining or late night eats. They do get very busy during peak hours so come in a little early if you’re not a fan of queueing!

According to a food list by another internet publication (Ahem: Yahoo), this is among the top 10 Bak Kut Teh Place in Singapore (Rank #6). Founded in 1983, Sin Heng serves the Hokkien herbal Bak Kut Teh. The house favourite is definitely the Special Bak Kut Teh. Served on a Clay Pot, which many people believe intensifies the flavours, the Special Bak Kut Teh contains the pork spare ribs, innards (although I’m personally not a fan, if eaten alone, I think this gives dish that great flavour), vegetables, mushrooms, etc. Serve this dish with rice or youtiao and your in heaven
Depending on who you are, you’re either a peppery clear soup Bak Kut Teh kind of guy or the Herbal Soup Bak Kut Teh aficionado. As such, I don’t think it’s a fair to compare Sin Heng with famous pepper clear soup Bak Kut Teh powerhouses like Founders, Song Fa, etc, but rather fellow Herbal Soup Bak kut Teh restaurants. Sorry Sin Heng, in my opinion, Leong Kee Bak Kut Teh in Geylang still has the best Herbal Bak Kut teh in Singapore. Nevertheless, Sin Heng delivers an amazing Herbal Bak Kut teh. Best of all its in my neighborhood of Katong and is open 24 – 7. Will I come back??? Absolutely and I still do!!!
Seriously, Yahoo, how can you not have Leong Kee Bak Kut Teh on your list!

Reasonable price with good selection of tze char menu. Taste of the food here has never disappointed a grew-​up-​in-​Katong person like me. Feel the labour crunch when I heard they r no longer offering own-​cooked barley drink.

Not too far away from the Katong Laksa war zone lies an unassuming restaurant with its façade completely open like a hungry mouth. Do not underestimate this literal hole-​in-​the-​wall. Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh proves that appearances are merely that: appearances. Their meat bone tea will keep you coming back for more, regardless of how fancily decorated an eatery of a nearby competitor is.
Their Claypot Bak Kut Teh is an altered version of the classic recipe. It is peppery with a sophisticated layer of spiciness. As opposed to the strong and direct in-​your-​face spicy found in fast food restaurants, Sin Heng’s spicy is married with herbs, creating an earthy flavor. The cilantro brings a freshness to balance out the pepper and meat. My only complaint: why was there only one soft clove of garlic in the bowl? It is forgivable as the servers made their rounds with free refills on soup.
Sin Heng’s Special Bak Kut Teh is a custom recipe. Think of it as the grandchild of your classic meat bone tea. Have a sip and immediately you notice it is lighter than the standard bak kut teh. Though the servers will not disclose the specific ingredients used, your taste buds won’t lie that it contains more herbs and less pepper than their Claypot Bak Kut Teh.
Of the two meat bone teas devoured, the Claypot Bak Kut Teh tastes like the evil twin. But in a delicious, heavy way. As for me I prefer Sin Heng’s Special due to its herbal fragrance.

This is more the Malaysian style bkt than our local style. Don’t go expect the white pepperish bkt, their version is more with dark soy sauce.
I liked the Mee sua but didn’t like the clay pot noodles. Partial to the bkt.
They do offer a lot of other Tze char dishes apart from bkt. Plus they open till 4am with free parking.

Bak Koot Teh… (Meat Bone Tea) is something really confusing for me. There was a time I was really naïve thinking this is really a tea and of course I realize now it is really a soup.
A soup suppose to eat in the morning? As breakfast? But Sin Hen is open from 7:30 am — 4:30 am so I guess any time is good for Bak Koot Teh.
We shared a Hokkien’s style BKT which was quite bland in taste with no complexity but I love the fresh chopped chili I can just sprinkled all on top of my soup. I could not really taste the herbal taste in the broth much. Maybe the Teochow has a better kick since it is more peppery?
Sin Heng is the only Bak Koot Teh I tried during my visit in Singapore so I don’t really have any other to compare.
But I think it is going to be a pass for me next time when I am in town.

This little bak kut teh place was not very crowded on the Thursday afternoon when I was there, which according to my friends is quite unusual. We ordered a large bowl of prime ribs bak kut teh to share — the soup here is quite brown in colour but not the herbally sort, and not too peppery and quite tasty. The meat is soft and comes off the bone easily, yum!
Parking can be tricky — if you’re lucky you’ll find a space in their private carpark (strictly for patrons only), or if not try going a little bit later in the afternoon when it’s not so crowded… this place is open all the way till 4am!

This 24 hours Bak Kut Teh restaurant is perfect for a meal be it lunch, dinner or late night/​early morning supper. Their speciality, Bak Kut Teh comes piping hot in a claypot with peppery notes and tasty soup which never disappoints. My favourite is the Prime Ribs Bak Kut Teh, all comes in small to large portions. The restaurant includes a variety of additional ‘zhi char’ dishes, the prawn paste chicken is a must try. Beware, the carpark outside the restaurant is very strict on the patrons-​only rule, and a guard will sometimes come around to ask for car plate numbers to identify any parked cars that are not patrons. Non-​patrons’ cars will be clamped.