Friend’s Bak Kut Teh prime ribs bak kut teh
Friends Bak Kut Teh is probably the only place where you can order bak kut teh in both peppery and herbal styles alongside with tze char dishes like steamed fish, salted egg prawns and more! I was caught aback when the news is released. It’s always either bak kut teh or tze char and never the case where you can enjoy everything all in one place.

Friend’s Prime Rib Bak Kut Teh in peppery style is my pick! The prime ribs are fall apart tender while the peppery soup is lusciously full-bodied. Sharp, fragrance from the toasted white pepper and garlic notes.

Prime Rib Bak Kut Teh ($13) and Bak Kut Teh ($7).
Friend’s Bak Kut Teh herbal bak kut teh
Despite being a herbal bak kut teh fan, I am underwhelmed by this herbal bak kut teh. The herbal taste is barely there and leaves an overwhelming sweetness in the after taste. It was said that the sweetness comes from angelica root (dang gui) and wolfberry. But the sweetness is too much for a bowl of herbal bak kut teh.
Friend’s Bak Kut Teh lamb bak kut teh
Lamb-Kut Teh is definitely instagrammy, taking the huge bone-in leg of lamb as the spotlight. However, it is served in the same sweet herbal broth. The broth is also oilier than the previous herbal bowl.
Friend’s Bak Kut Teh steamed fish
If Friends is not categorized as a bak kut teh outlet, it would be great to visit for some tasty and value for money tze char dishes.
One of my favourite tze char dishes, Thai-style Steamed Sea Bass (S$15) is decently fresh with generous mix of finely-minced garlic and chilli to remove any fishy smell or taste.
Friend’s Bak Kut Teh salted egg prawns
Super value for money of 6 pieces of whole prawns tossed in thick and rich salted egg york sauce at only S$18. Its mildly sweet and savoury, enhanced with some chilli padi , giving a fiery heat. For non-heat foodie, might request to remove the chlli padi.
Friend’s Bak Kut Teh vegetables
Besides the traditional pairings like Braised Salted Vegetable, you can also order Poached Lettuce With Pork Floss (S$8). I like this combination, crunchy lettuce with pork floss chock-full of meaty umami.
Friend’s Bak Kut Teh location
Prominently decked in light wood and turquoise interiors with colourful traditional Straits Chinese tile décor, it’s hard not to Friends Bak Kut Teh cafe. One of my foodie friends had visited one week later, we had very different opinion on both peppery and herbal broth. It seems that Friends Bak Kut Teh is in the midst of changing their recipe.

Promotion until 26 April 2021 : Enjoy Thai-Style Steamed Seabass at S$8 with any purchase of two bowls of Bak Kut Teh.

Budget per person: $12 to $22 per person
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