Food Blog | Hing Kee Bak Kut Teh | Kepong | Kuala Lumpur

Suddenly felt like having Bak Kut Teh over the weekend, so was about to pop over to my usual spot in Sri Hartamas, but I just had this temptation to look for some eating spots in Kepong - and lo and behold, I stumbled upon a bib gourmand receipient - Hin Kee Bak Kut Teh!

I would probably describe this place as organized chaos, as there’s a lot of things happening, but I actually think the service and the time for dishes to arrive is actually pretty quick.

They’ve actually been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand Award - which is a symbol from Michelin that they offer high quality food at a reasonable price - in 2023, 2024, and most recently, have been renewed for 2025!

Is it Halal?

I mean I have this segment here just because I do this for all Malaysian eateries, but really? Are you really here to check the halal status on a Bak Kut Teh spot? No, this is not halal. Their signature dish is literally a pork bone soup dish that is far from halal, so stay far away from this spot, my Muslim friends!

Where it Is

I would best describe it as being near Aeon Metro Prima (which is also near the Metro Prima MRT station). I would go as far as to say it’s a good option to park at Aeon itself - although it isn’t THAT difficult to find a parking spot in the few shop blocks behind. It’s just that on the main road itself, naturally, you aren’t going to find much parking.

Funnily enough, there are two branches of Hin Kee from what I see. This is a review of the main branch - which is pretty big. It stretches quite a few shop lots and you will see their Michelin Bib Gourmand award in clear view no matter where you sit, so you’ll know if you’re at the right place!

Address: 121, Jln Kepong, Metro Prima, 52100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Operating Hours:

Wednesday - Sunday | 3pm - 2:30am
Monday | Closed
Tuesday | 11:30am - 2:30am

What it Costs

What I would describe what we had would be a typical meal for two people here (maybe a bit on the more side). My girlfriend did initially make the comment asking if we were actually going to be able to finish everything, but we finished everything fairly comfortably (Editor’s note: I do kind of eat the equivalent of 1.5 / 2 average people if I need to, so just do note that). This is how our bill looked:

If you had to ask me, portion-wise, you’re getting fairly good value for money still. I can’t envision going to another Bak Kut Teh shop in KL and getting it for significantly cheaper, so I think for just the novelty of trying a Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded Bak Kut Teh, I wouldn’t say you’re paying a significantly higher premium.

How it Tastes

Naturally, I think the first question would be: Dry or Soup Bak Kut Teh? My answer is that they are both really good, but I probably favour the soup one just because maybe I’m a bit of a Bak Kut Teh purist that appreciates the soup Bak Kut Teh.

I would say it isn’t as strong as some other Bak Kut Tehs, but it is really clean tasting, but still has a nice meaty flavour to the broth (I would say it isn’t as herbal as some others that I’ve tried). Naturally, a bit salty and you’re going to be thirsty afterwards - but it’s not something I’m going to act like it is not something I’m not expecting.

I really like the fact that the meat really comes straight off the bone but doesn’t disintegrate straight away. The cuts of meat are pretty decent, and overall, I think it’s a decent bak kut teh. You can ask for them to add soup and they actually do give an extra bowl of soup for the You Tiao alone (?) - because otherwise I’m not sure if they gave it to us preemptively to add to our bak kut teh, but anyways, you can ask for more. Nothing that special about their you tiao, so I won’t really comment on that.

The dry bak kut teh’s main points would be that it is super flavourful, the Chinese dried squid is something that really makes this dish pop, and the fact that I really love the char on the meats and how it spills over into that delicious sauce for this dish. I personally like fatty cuts of pork belly, so I enjoyed that part of this dish!

Their 玻璃生菜 Bō lí shēng cài - or glass lettuce if directly translated - surprised me slightly, because I was expecting a more thicker sauce. The sauce is actually almost soup-esque, when maybe I like the sauce a bit thicker with just that oyster sauce. Not a big complaint, just something I noticed because I feel most other restaurants just let it be thick and make it really flavourful.

I had the You Fan (or oily rice) just to see what exactly it was, as I did see some reviews saying it was very fragrant but I feel maybe it should have been stronger in flavours? But I guess what am I expecting out of a RM3 bowl of rice?

Star Rating

7/10. Is this the best Bak Kut Teh I’ve ever had? Probably not. But is this a place that I would bring people to try? Most definitely. A good midnight supper, a good place to bring people to try their first Bak Kut Teh - especially because there’s the novelty of it being a Bib Gourmand Receipient.

I maintain that I think it’s a good bak kut teh in it’s own right, just probably not a spot I’ll come every month or anything like that.