Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine Review: Malaysian-Style Dry Bak Kut Teh And Sambal Sotong In Geylang

Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine has dry bak kut teh at Geylang

I love Teochew bak kut teh and what it represents to Singapore, but there are times when I yearn for the Malaysian version—you know, the darker, more herbal variety, as well as its sister, dry bak kut teh. Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine, a newly-opened eatery in Geylang, seemed to arrive just as those cravings began to act up.

A quick glance at its menu, though, and it becomes clear that Peng Wang offers so much more than just bak kut teh. We dropped by the eatery to see if the food tastes as good as it seemed on paper.

Food at Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine

Our first dish was, of course, the Soup Claypot Bak Kut Teh (from $9). Upon arriving, its powerful herbaceous aroma hit us right away, and a few stirs revealed a good variety of ingredients. There were slices of pork belly, meatballs, tau kee, some greens, and three pieces of pork ribs.

Given that I was already craving Malaysia-style bak kut teh, the soup here just hit the spot. The herbal flavour was superb—it was simultaneously savoury and sweet, with a hint of bitterness that lent depth to the broth.

The ribs, meanwhile, were also stellar. You’d want them to be juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender, and the ones here delivered exactly that. They aren’t exactly massive in size compared to what you may get at certain stalls, but for most people, they should be more than meaty enough.

Sadly, the other meat ingredients were nowhere as good. I wasn’t enthused by the merely serviceable meatball, and the pork belly slices were even a little too tough for my liking. If only there was an option for the soup to just have pork ribs—they’re tasty enough that I’d pay more for them.

Next up was the Dry Claypot Bak Kut Teh (from $9), which is a relatively rare sight in Singapore. If you’re sceptical of it, I can assure you that it’s just as good as the soup version of the dish.

The same meat ingredients that were in the previous dish feature here, but instead of simmering in soup, they were thickly slathered in a dark sauce. In addition to the same herbal flavours as before, there was the savouriness and sweetness of what seemed to be a mix of sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce. Because of this, each piece of meat in the dish was downright detectable.

While the ribs were just as juicy as before, I thought the pork belly slices were more tender here. This dry version is probably the better option if you’re just looking for great-tasting meat.

Peng Wang offers a variety of claypot dishes other than bak kut teh, too. One of our favourites was the Claypot Sesame Oil Chicken (from $6.50).

The chicken was succulent, and its aromatic and savoury sesame oil sauce made it hard to stop having piece after piece. If there are any dishes that exemplify the phrase “just like grandma used to make”, this was surely one of them.

The Claypot Sambal Sotong (from $9) was another excellent dish. With piquant and highly addictive sambal as its base, the soft and chewy squid was delicious. The sambal’s spicy kick also meant that the sotong complemented the herbal-based dishes from before really well.

Ambience at Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine

Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine has a sparsely designed interior, but is spacious and comfortable enough that your eating experience is uninhibited. The aroma of the herbs does get quite overwhelming in this enclosed environment, however, but if you’re into Malaysia-style bak kut teh, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

The eatery is a nine-minute walk from Aljunied MRT Station.

The verdict

When it comes to herbal bak kut teh, Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine is surely one of the better places out there to serve the dish. It’s also impressive how its other claypot dishes are about as good as the BKT. Check this eatery out if you can!

For Show Luo-endorsed beef noodles to check out, have a look at our Niu Dian review. If you’re more into pig trotter rice, read our Shi Nian Pig Leg Rice review.

Address: 223 Geylang Road, Singapore 389283
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 11pm
Website
Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Jasper Juay.
This was a media tasting at Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine