I’m sure everyone in Malaysia has heard of Bak Kut Teh, which literally translates to “Meat Bone Tea”. For the uninitiated, this dish is commonly served as a broth with a complex blend of herbs and spices, making it an explosion of flavors and taste. The meat used can be flexible, however primarily pork is used. A variety of “innards”, meat balls, as well as ribs are found in a single serving.
Those familiar with this dish will know that the place to go to for good BKT is Klang, Selangor. The gNOMes have been to the most famous shop and covered it right here. However this post is to suggest to you an alternative personally recommended by gNOMe 1, Happy Garden BKT!
Completely out of the mainstream, this shop is unknown to many, a hidden gem to those who know of its existence, and a best kept secret of Johor.
Run as a family business, this shop surprisingly offers more than decent Bak Kut Teh. As gNOMe 1 is in Johor Bahru, this is the one place he goes to in order to fulfill his cravings.
gNOMe 1 had one with everything. After waiting for approximately 5-10 minutes, the claypot bowl arrived. A meal for 4 people as gNOMe 1 shared it with his family. The broth was thick and flavorful, with the herbs particularly blending well to produce the right amount of aroma. As black soy sauce is also a common ingredient in “black broth” type BKT, the soy sauce was not overwhelming and provided the broth with the right amount of saltiness. The pork ribs were nice and tender, the meat stripping off the bone with little effort. The meat had the herb flavors absorbed in while retaining its original taste.
gNOMe 1 decided to order side dishes comprising of fried bean sprouts and salted vegetables. Both these side dishes were merely supporting cast on the day. Nothing much to shout about.
Ultimately, to illustrate the level of satisfaction, is a shot of an empty bowl. Like the wise old saying: “An empty bowl means a happy stomach”, gNOMe 1 and his family were very very happy food gNOMes indeed. Satisfied with a good meal after a busy morning. Overall the whole meal came up to about RM 60++ for a party of four.
Verdict: Don’t really want to over-sell it too much, but one should really try this place out if they happen to be near Pasir Gudang. This is a great place for BKT and honestly gNOMe 1 prefers this place to the one in Klang. Again, not trying to over-sell it, but it IS good. Only downside is that they can be rather stingy with the soup, as refills usually come in a measly amount.
How to get there:
Aside from the usual address, they are now on Facebook! Like their page and get a discount (if that promotion is still on)
Address: No. 10, Jalan Jagong, 81750, Johor Bahru
or you can map it here.
The Garden NOM 