Song Fa Bak Kut Teh — prime ribs lunch set ($13.80++)!
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh — prime pork ribs in peppery clear broth, you tiao, salted vegetables, rice, barley drink. $13.80++ weekday lunch set.
Lunch at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh — the prime ribs lunch set at $13.80++. The Teochew-style peppery BKT chain. 😋
What was on the Song Fa branded plates ($13.80++ set):
- Prime pork ribs bowl (top right) — clear peppery broth with 2 large prime pork ribs + whole garlic cloves floating.
- You tiao bowl (top left) — sliced Chinese fried dough fritter pieces, for dipping into the broth.
- Salted vegetables (kiam chye) bowl (bottom left) — chopped pickled mustard greens in salty-sour brine.
- White rice plate (bottom right) — branded SONG FA bak kut teh rim.
- Barley drink in tall glass (top centre) — chilled barley water with brown sugar.
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh (松发肉骨茶) is the SG heritage BKT chain — started 1969 at Victoria Street, now Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised, has multiple outlets across SG + overseas (Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan). The chain’s signature is the Teochew-style clear peppery broth.
Teochew vs Hokkien BKT is the SG bak kut teh divide:
- Teochew (Song Fa, Founder, etc.) = clear peppery broth, light golden colour, dominated by white pepper + garlic. The SG-Singapore standard.
- Hokkien (mostly Malaysian, KL Klang origin) = dark herbal broth, brown-black colour, with angelica + rehmannia + Chinese herbs. Richer + more medicinal.
This bowl is firmly the Teochew clear peppery style = the SG signature.
“Prime ribs” is the chain’s premium cut — the larger meatier rib portions (vs the standard “spare ribs” which are smaller). Generally $3-5 more than the basic version.
You tiao (Chinese fried dough) is the mandatory BKT accompaniment — sliced into pieces, dipped into the broth. The crispy-then-soggy texture transformation is half the appeal. Soaks up the peppery broth like a sponge.
Salted vegetables (kiam chye) = the SG-Teochew BKT side — pickled mustard greens, salty-sour-funky. Cuts through the rich broth + provides the acidic counterpoint. Some diners add the kiam chye to the broth, others eat it separately.
Rice + barley drink = the standard set components. Barley sweet-cooling drink balances the peppery hot broth.
The whole garlic cloves floating in the broth = the Song Fa hallmark — proper BKT uses multiple unpeeled garlic cloves boiled in the broth for hours, releasing the mellow sweet garlic flavour that defines Teochew BKT.
At $13.80++ = the weekday lunch set price. À la carte prime ribs + rice + you tiao usually adds up to $17-20 separately. The set discount makes it the smart lunch order.
Total: $13.80++ = roughly $16 after GST + service.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. Peppery broth had proper white pepper + garlic depth, prime ribs were tender, you tiao for dipping was the texture play, kiam chye balanced the richness. Song Fa heritage hits. 😋👍🏼
