The first…

When I was young, bak kut teh (herbal pork bone soup) was something that was completely unheard of here in Sibu. Even when I was in Singapore in the early 70’s, I did not hear of anybody eating that…or at least, not that I can recall at this point in time. I don’t know who started it or where it started from…but I can positively remember eating it in Kuala Lumpur at some roadside stall along Bukit Bintang (the lane beside Agora Hotel) in the mid-80’s.

I do not remember when it made its first appearance in Sibu either but if I’m not mistaken, the first to break into the scene here was Ah Ling bak kut teh at the coffee shop right next to the back portion of HSBC. It was immensely popular and was always packed every day around lunchtime.

I was in the vicinity the other day and decided to stop by there for lunch. This was what I had…

…for RM8.00, inclusive of a bowl of rice. There were three huge chunks of meat (and bones) and some slices of pig innards, including bits of liver at the bottom of the claypot.

My daughter used to love it a lot and anyhow, we did not have much choice then. I have heard people saying, however, that it used to be nicer but the old man had passed away and these days, the children are the ones that keep the place running…and thus, it is not as nice as it used to be.

Personally, I thought it was somewhat light – not much of the herbal taste and a bit over-peppery and as far as this particular one is concerned, I would very much prefer what we usually cook ourselves at home…

*recycled pic*

I wouldn’t know for sure but perhaps there are others around town that are nicer…