18-05-2025
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh vs Pacific Emporium: Mainstream chain or hotel does it better?
In this instalment of my comparison series, I'm pitting the well-known chain Song Fa Bak Kut Teh against the upscale Pacific Emporium at Pan Pacific Singapore.
On your personal foodie checklist, what elements make up a solid bowl of peppery bak kut teh? Is it determined by the tenderness of the pork ribs, or does the flavour and heat of the broth matter more to you? As for me, I place equal importance on both.
I'm sure Song Fa Bak Kut Teh needs no introduction. But if you're like me and can't even remember the last time you stepped foot inside, here's a quick recap. It began as a humble pushcart stall in 1969 and has since flourished into 14 outlets across Singapore. It has also earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing for 8 years — impressive!
I'm sure when most of you swing by Pan Pacific Singapore, you'll directly head up to level 3 where Edge resides and miss out on Pacific Emporium. Located at the ground floor lobby, this place serves Western and local-inspired cuisine.
At Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, the small sized portion of the Pork Ribs Soup costs S$8.80++. To have a more balanced meal, we ordered the Pork Ribs Lunch Set A (S$13.80++) which came up to a total of S$16.55 nett (not the cheapest, for sure).
It comes with 3 pieces of pork ribs in soup, golden-brown fried youtiao, plain rice, and your choice of either salted veggies or peanuts.
Pacific Emporium's Peppery (S$26+) was beautifully presented on a wooden board, with a retro-looking bowl containing 4 pieces of baby back ribs and tofu puffs soaked in a thick broth. By the side was a bowl of steamed jasmine rice, condiments, and dough fritters.
Maybe it was because Song Fa was my third bak kut teh stop of the day, but after just 2 spoonfuls of soup, I was already complaining about the lack of pepper. My colleague, Dean shot me a look of disbelief, as if I'd gone bonkers.
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True enough, after 2 more sips of the broth, the slow, peppery burn began to make its presence known. My tongue had probably gone numb by then! Flavour-wise, it was well balanced, with bold notes of garlic coming through as well. It was light enough to keep sipping on without feeling overwhelmed.
Oh, Song Fa also offers free refills of piping-hot soup at no extra charge. Score!
The soup at Pacific Emporium had a richer light brown hue, with a thicker, collagen-like consistency. This became even more evident as the soup cooled, forming a thin film on the surface.
The soup was robust and flavourful with pronounced notes of garlic. Though the pepper notes were there, I wished it had a stronger kick. We later learned that the hotel had mellowed down the pepperiness to suit the palate of tourists. Maybe there should be an option to dial it up for locals, too?
That being said, the soup might start to feel a little jelak and heavy for some after a few mouthfuls. If you wish to have additional soup, there will be an extra charge of S$3 — fair enough, considering it's in a hotel setting.
Some have mentioned that the ribs at Song Fa can be a little on the tough side. However, that wasn't the case for me. I was blown away by how tender and flavourful the meat was. Perhaps the chefs at the Chinatown Point outlet are more skilled?
The baby back ribs pieces at Pacific Emporium were massive. The chef shared with me that they've recently adopted a new preparation method: the pork ribs are sous-vide for 24 hours before being simmered in the broth.
The ribs were the epitome of tenderness, requiring almost no effort to chew. It was a lot softer than the meat served at Song Fa. Honestly, if I had just come from the dentist with all my teeth extracted, I'd still be able to handle the meat here. It was also well marinated — 2 thumbs up!
The fried dough sticks at both establishments were well executed. But if I had to pick a winner, it would be the one from Song Fa — thanks to its slightly soft centre, compared to the crispier version at Pacific Emporium.
When I was a teenager, I wondered what the big fuss about bak kut teh was. I mean, it just looked like boiled pork ribs in broth at that point of time (yawns).
However, this dish involves dunking the meat into the mix of condiments, sipping the peppery broth and feeling the gentle burn, taking a bite of the crispy youtiao, then soaking it in the soup. This isn't just something to fill your stomach, it's a complete experience.
Similar to the previous laksa battle, this was a very tough fight between both sides. Pacific Emporium really exceeded my expectations by serving one of the softest pork ribs I've ever had although the ones at Song Fa were pretty tender, too.
For the soup, the version at Song Fa was lighter yet more peppery. It was a pity that the broth at Pacific Emporium was toned down in pepperiness to suit the tastes of many tourists. It's definitely a spot I'd return to, and you can bet I'll be asking for the pepper dialled up!
After much deliberation, we crowned Song Fa Bak Kut Teh the winner, but only by a narrow margin.
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