can’t believe i am going to write about bak kut teh again. but was on my way to klpac when i noticed this corner lot shop next to dynasty hotel that was packed to the brim with people. and that is enough to intrigue me to return to check out what the attraction was. despite having only eaten bak kut teh a few days earlier, my friend was eager to try this so we quickly found ourselves a seat.
due to the crowd, waiting time was considerable. but drinks and side orders, i.e. yau char kway (fried dough crullers, 油条) and beancurd puffs were served first, followed by the piping hot herbal broth about 15 mins later. mushrooms, fu pei (beancurd skin?), lettuce leaves were all dumped in together with our choice of cuts. there was a tinge of sweetness to the soup to begin with, due to the strong herbal taste. yet that quickly changes as you sip more of the soup. despite the fine looking broth, it had a bitter aftertaste. the chunky meat filled me up very quickly too and a little on the lean side, which provided rather tough & dry meat. the yau char kway clearly wasn’t fresh as it reeked of old cooking oil.
well, i guess the verdict is just that this place is not worth the hype. just different tastebuds, i suppose, judging from the crowd. there’s nothing spectacular about the food, nor is it bad. though i would suggest that you try hard to find a seat in the confines of the corner shoplot as you might find the fragrance of your bak kut teh soup losing out to the powerful stench of the sewers if you end up sitting outside like we did.
Kedai Makanan Ban Lee 万利肉骨茶餐室
222, Jalan Ipoh,
51200 Kuala Lumpur
other reviews:
– the malaysian food review
– backstreetgluttons
– tummythoughts
she, the epicuriousgirl. 
lotsofcravings said
had this eons ago..and i m a stone throw away (well a bit more then that) at work..but never got back to try..remember this as the thicker version i.e hokkien version not the clear soup as in the KL version..
epicuriousgirl:i’m ok with both versions, as long as they’re good!
tankiasu said
You mean you never even heard of this BKT restaurant before this?! You’re not a KL person aren’t you? They used to be real good, until it becomes a tourist trap in recent years. 😦
epicuriousgirl: haha, nope daryl, i’m not from KL. Born & bred sarawakian.
Julian Gan said
I feel that it doesn’t matter what the soup’s style is (clear or thick herbal version). From experience and comments from hundreds of friends and relatives from KL and Singapore, those in KL and Singapore still can’t compare to Banting and Klang. I tried a couple of so-called “famous” BKT shops in PJ and KL, and felt that my money had better use elsewhere.
makanan said
It seems many food in Ipoh are extremely delicious. I want to try them once in my life.