Foodie Paradise

Founder Rou Gu Cha
347 Balestier Road
Opening Hours: 12pm-2pm, 6pm-3am (closed on Tuesday)

Ratings:  5.5/10

About 2 weeks ago, I went hunting for bak kut teh with some of my friends along Balestier Road.  I was hoping to eat at the bak kut teh store that I only vaguely remembered as "the famous one that has air-conditioning".  Somehow, we missed the stall and ended up eating at 333 Bak Kut Teh along Balestier Road.  All five of us came to a unison conclusion - the bak ku teh only tasted average.  The guys were actually still hungry after their meal (or perhaps we were quite disappointed by the place) and we had to adjourn our dinner part two to another place.

(If I were to give 333 Bak Kut Teh a rating, it’ll probably get a 5.0/10)

Undeterred by my previous experience, I went hunting for bak ku teh along Balestier Road again, hoping to find my "famous stall with air-conditioning" this time round.  

This time round, I found the stall.  It was only approximately one block away from 333 Bak Kut Teh. 

The shop opened at 6pm.  I reached the shop around 6.05pm.  The shop was already crowded with diners and plenty of customers were still streaming into the shop.  Just like many of the “notoriously” famous eateries in Singapore, photos of celebrities who had patronised the shop previously adorned the walls of the shop.

In comparison with my "333 Bak Kut Teh" experience, the food at Founder Rou Gu Cha was only slightly better.  Overall, the food tasted average with a few redeeming points that saved it from a 5.0/10 rating.

Liver Soup

Pork Rib (Bak Kut) soup

My main grouse about the Bak Kut Teh is the lack of peppery taste in the soup.  The soup just lacked that aromatic touch to it.  The soup was also a little salty and there was no garlic served together with the soup (hehe…a personal preference).  I prefer the liver soup to the Bak Kut soup.  The liver is savoury.  The bak kut (pork rib) tasted reasonably tender but nothing spectacular.  The only thing that I like most about the soups was that the soups wasn’t oily.

What’s Bak Kut Teh without you tiao (fried dough fritters)?

Preserved Vegetables - another must-have dish when I am savouring my bak kut teh!

You tiao and preserved vegetables are two must-call dishes for me when I eat bak kut teh.  Sadly, they only tasted average at Founder Rou Gu Cha.  (LOL, I’m biased.  If the stall serves great you tiao and preserved vegetables, I am prepared to "close one eye" and give it a higher rating even though the rest of the food just tastes mediocre.  Oh yes, the soup has to be peppery with garlic in them for me to savour.  )

Another redeeming factor of the shop was the lovely pig trotters that it served.   It was just rightly braised.  The pig skin was smooth and the meat was tender.  It was not oily, so you don’t end up getting that disgusted feeling after eating that big pig trotter. 

Twice in a row I have tasted just mediocre bak kut teh.  I need to eat at better bak kut teh stalls in future!