We tried the viral cheese bak kut teh — culinary atrocity or pure tacky goodness?

You’ve seen the title and also you’re most likely going “Cheese bak kut teh. That’s just downright wrong”. Yes, however earlier than you throw stones at me, hear me out. It took all my willpower to drive to Setapak within the efforts to smell out the one and solely restaurant in Kuala Lumpur which served this blasphemous tacky concoction— B.A.J Restaurant.

As I made my method to the restaurant, I seen that for as soon as, my ravenous urge for food (and lactose-intolerant abdomen) was overcome with dread. Gingerly, I took my seat and positioned my order. There have been loads of wonderful-sounding dishes on the menu however my thoughts was made up. 

I used to be right here for one factor and one factor solely. The Cheese Bak Kut Teh. 

What I attempted at B.A.J Restaurant 

For these of you who’re curious to know the way this tacky concoction was made, let me spill the beans. The chef first begins by cooking recent okra slices and pork chunks in a claypot. It is then blended with a spicy bak kut teh sauce earlier than being sprinkled with a beneficiant quantity of mozzarella cheese. 

After what appeared like an eternity (it was simply 20 minutes), my Cheese Bak Kut Teh (RM16.90) arrived with a plate of rice on the facet. And for an excellent minute, I simply sat there inhaling the quite overpowering perfume of the scorching cheese. While you is perhaps postpone on the considered mixing an old-school dish with cheese, I’m happy to report that the cheese is paired with the dry model of bak kut teh, not the soupy sort. Feel higher? 

True to its title, smothered on the items of marinated pork was a blanket of melted cheese. The once-milky-white-cheese now had a charred look to it. This gave it a stark visible distinction of darkish brown pork chunks, and hints of inexperienced from the okra towards the melted cheese. 

Of course with regards to melted cheese, the rule is to all the time eat whereas sizzling. After all, there’s nothing’s extra unappealing than chilly, clumpy cheese. So I wasted no time and tossed the cheese together with the pork, scraping each little bit of cheese that caught to the edges of the claypot. Finally, the second I’d been ready for, (let’s be trustworthy, you too), the cheese pull check. 

I readied myself for the Insta-worthy cheese pull and proceeded to carry the cheese coated pork as excessive as I may. Yes, the cheese pull was as wonderful because it appears! The delicate, gooey cheese stretched on for half an excellent ruler’s width earlier than lastly snapping off. 

Right after, I topped it with plain rice and took a chunk. Right off the bat, I famous that I couldn’t style the standard bak kut teh notes. This was a fairly disappointing begin. After all, what’s bak kut teh with out the complicated interaction of varied Chinese herbs and spices? 

To add to that, I seen I needed to pair small bites of the pork with big parts of rice to assist steadiness out the sturdy style of the cheese coated pork. And at one level, I had plain stringy cheese (which by then had marinated with the bak kut teh sauce) with rice. That itself was a barely disturbing reminiscence to my tastebuds. 

Thankfully the saving grace of the dish was the pork meat that was extraordinarily tender and never as salty as I assumed it might be. In the tip, like most cheese dishes, I discovered myself feeling very jelak after consuming nearly half of the meal. Attempts to clean down the tacky richness with inexperienced tea didn’t assist both. 

Final ideas

As I sat there blankly staring on the half eaten bowl of Cheese Bak Kut Teh, my lactose-intolerant abdomen feeling not too good, I puzzled— how a lot cheese is an excessive amount of cheese?

Would I return once more? Specifically for the Cheese Bak Kut Teh? No, as I actually consider it’s a enjoyable dish to strive as soon as and solely as soon as. B.A.J Restaurant gives all kinds of sumptuous-looking dishes at very reasonably priced costs, so I’d advocate you strive these as an alternative. 

Now I’ve a query for you— are you sport sufficient to strive the Cheese Bak Kut Teh? 

Expected harm: RM17 – RM20 per pax

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