I had a hard time finding this place, that I actually got lost and walked frantic looking for it. Like a gem that you have to work for hours, this Singapore based restaurant has opened their first branch in the Philippines. This is Rong Hua Bak Kut Teh which has been franchised in the Philippines by Silver Lush Food Corporation, a company involved in bringing in international food brands in the country.
Bak Kut Teh literally means Meat Bone Tea which would reprise much of the ingredients of this pork ribs soup. This is founded by Chua Ah Hua and Rong hence the name. I have officially designated a new pin here on Google Maps but if you can't find that, try the Teleperformance McKinley West because it just sits on the middle part of the two buildings. (Don't go to the Asiatown marker in Upper McKinley because that's where I got lost).
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| You can also choose Madrone in McKinley West because it just sits in front of the Rong Hua Bak Kut Teh Restaurant. It's also pretty outside so take lots of photos! |
We went inside and sat down, it could accommodate around 40-50 people if I'm not mistaken. It's still new so it doesn't smell like a chinese tea house of sorts, just usual new furnished shop.
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| We were served the Cua Pao first, which had smooth nice fatty slices of pork, tidied up in a steamed white bun and lettuce. They have a dipping sauce with this which was more like honey. I liked it a lot. |
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| The secret of Bah Kut Teh is the broth, this was made for hours together with cinnamon barks, star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, coriander, pork bones and Sarawak White Pepper which made it a little spicy. I guess it's why Singaporean favors this as their comfort food because it's homey, a thing that you could curl up with on a rainy day. |
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| The Bah Kut Teh was soft and had nothing fancy, it was a good thing we had a bowl of rice nearby. Honestly I thought it was going to be overwhelming but no, it's not too oily and not too murky, it was light and had a small spicy kick from the peppers I mentioned earlier. |
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| This is the tofu skin which had ground pork inside. I love this with anything, just order this before the Bah Kut Teh so you don't have to eat too much later on in the show lol |
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| I don't eat chicken feet so I passed on this one but look at it, it's a good version of those things you get in chinatown |
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| Tried this Sliced Smoked Duck if you want something nice on top of white rice, I had a few of these. The roasted thing outside makes it sweet and very savory. Check blood pressure at home lol |
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| I love tofu so much that I had a few servings of this together with the savory ground pork on top and the soy based gravy. |
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| To end the meal, they got us this really mean Panacotta which had Avocado I think, or maybe pandan hints too. It was good until someone ate it in less than 2 minutes. |
If you're raring to have a taste of authentic Bah Kut Teh in Manila, this is the place you can get it. There are other items in the menu which you can also try like the throng of seafood (I'm allergic) that they have like Abalone, pig innards soup, even fried chicken, just make sure you get a drink which you could perfectly pair with it. A glass of ice cold Coke would do.
You can check out Rong Hua Bah Kut Teh on IG @RongHuaPH for all the food you might want to see. It's waiting for you, try this legit restaurant now!
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