✍️27 Nov 2023. Hopped over to Ah Lek Bak Kut Teh in Johor Jaya Teratai after errands today.
We reached here near closing time of 2pm and Ah Lek BKT was still busy. Haven't been here for a few years, no thanks to Covid 19 but so glad that Ah Lek BKT is back to its heyday.
Auntie 余 is still helming the restaurant with her daughters and relatives. Ah Lek BKT is still a family run restaurant with only this, one and only outlet.
Auntie 余 founded the restaurant with her late husband, the legendary Ah Lek. (Why are Johor bak kut teh legends so flamboyant? 🤭 The other that comes to mind is Bak Cheng.)
Some things hasn't changed these nearly half century, at Ah Lek BKT they still use charcoal to cook everything, including their rice today.
Another thing that hasn't changed is, they still serve everything in small ceramic "cockerel" bowls. No claypot here.
Coming near closing time, we could only get a bit of this and that instead of an entire bowl of our desired cuts 😬 Last two pieces of pig tail for three of us 🥹 (The best time to be here is 11am.)
Anyway, it was still awesome.
The soup was savoury with traces of Chinese spices (including hints of pepper) and had a round viscous body. It had a rich blend of savoury, spice and porcine flavour and aroma. (It's at the opposite end from the watery peppery type of BKT.)
The meat released its grip on the bone when it is tucked gently but it was not mushy fall-off-the-bone soft-tender. There was a slight gentle just-right bite which I much prefer over mush or stiff texture. The moist meat had a blend of savoury and porcine sweet taste infused from the soup.
They still had sufficient "powder" intestine to make a bowl. They were done nicely and right but not something I can eat a lot of.
Even the humble kiam chye or salt pickled vegetable was very well done. The pickled mustard still had a subtle juicy crunch. There's a layer of lard and slick which added alluring porcine flavour and aroma. The kiam chye tasted savoury, sweet, tangy and lardy.
The family are very nice, "chin chai" folks. Asked for soup, and got a refill. Considering the amount of ingredients and fire needed to make this soup, I thought it was extremely generous of them.
Asked for garlic and got this 🤭
Our total bill came to RM92.
If you love bak kut teh, Ah Lek is one of the iconic shops you need to check off your JB bucket list.
Restaurant name: Ah Lek Bak Kut Teh 亚历肉骨茶
Address: 49, Jalan Teratai 2, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru
Tel: +6011 5856 1885
Hours: 8:30am - 1:45pm (Thurs & Fri off)
Written by Tony Boey on 28 Nov 2023
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✍ 25 Oct 2016. Ah Lek bak kut teh is one of the old Johor Bahru 老新山 brands of BKT. Ah Lek bak kut teh has been around for 43 years. The first 20 years in downtown JB, sharing the same charcoal stove as Ah Hua kway teow thng. And, the next 23 years here in Johor Jaya Teratai.
亚历肉骨茶是老新山一个四十多年历史的老字号. 有不少忠实的老顾客. 用的猪肉品质好, 很新鲜. 汤头用骨头熬的, 有浓浓的甜香味道. 还有微微的药材味和胡椒香. 肉煮了比一般的稍微结实一些, 不过有 qq 的, 很有趣的口感. 味道又鲜甜. 我没试过以前的亚历肉骨茶, 不过对现在的亚历肉骨茶我们喜欢. Johor Jaya, Jalan Teratai 2, 早市, 星期四&五休息.
Ah Lek's wife and two daughters run the shop now (Ah Lek, the founder has passed on). The shop still cook their bak kut teh and rice with charcoal just like during the old times.
Ah Lek is at the relatively quiet section of Taman Johor Jaya. Most of the customers here are local and regulars. The space in the corner shop is large and it is airy inside. Ah Lek used to have a substantial Singapore clientele when it was in old JB town. Over the years, some have reconnected with Ah Lek BKT even after it has shifted much further north from the Causeway.
Ah Lek BKT has die hard fans and folks who said that the brand has seen better days. This is the first time that I am eating Ah Lek bak kut teh.
We started with a mix bowl of pig tails and ribs (RM10).
The BKT broth is quite heavy bodied with a mainly porcine savoury and slight herbal notes. There is also a subtle peppery taste - the only one I came across in JB. I like this broth.
The pork is cooked a little stiff, giving the meat firmness and a bit of spring to the bite. Folks who like their pork soft and tender may find this too "hard". I like my pork tender but I also enjoyed this pork with a QQ mouth feel.
I like the gentle, natural porky sweet taste of Ah Lek's bak kut teh.
We enjoyed this BKT, so we ordered a second bowl of the same things i.e. tail and rib.
Same QQ bite with nice porky sweetness in a savoury broth with slight herbal notes and subtle pepperiness.
The obligatory salted vegetable (RM4) was ok, perhaps a bit flat tasting. I'll use that money to upsize my BKT order next time 😀
Our total bill came to RM26 plus rice and drink. Next time, I shall try Ah Lek's popular braised pork trotter as well.
3-Star (out of 5). One of my preferred bak kut teh shops in Johor. The heavy body broth is mainly savoury bone broth with gentle herbal and peppery notes. The fresh meat is relatively stiff but I like the firm springy bite and porky taste.
Restaurant name: Ah Lek Bak Kut Teh 亚历肉骨茶
Address: Jalan Teratai 2, Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°32'09.7"N 103°48'37.4"E | 1.536022, 103.810394
Hours: 8:30am to 2:00pm (Thurs & Fri off)
Non Halal
Date visited: 25 Oct 2016
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