A Short Love Letter to Bak Kut Teh in Kota Kinabalu

There are dishes you eat and dishes you fall in love with. For a lot of people in Kota Kinabalu, bak kut teh is firmly the second kind. A pot of pork and herbs simmered for hours, eaten with rice and a pot of tea, it is comfort food in its purest form, and KK does it very well.

The name is a small joke at the expense of newcomers. Bak kut teh means meat bone tea, yet there is no tea in the bowl. What there is, is a deeply savoury broth, dark and herbal in the Klang style you mostly find here, built from a long list of herbs and spices that give it its colour and its aromatic depth. There is also a clear, peppery style for those who prefer clean heat over herbs.

What makes a great bowl is patience. The broth cannot be rushed or faked; it is hours of real bones breaking down into something rich. The best shops have simmered the same recipe for years, and you can taste it. The ribs fall off the bone, the pork belly melts, and the supporting cast of beancurd, mushrooms, and youtiao soak up the broth beautifully.

For a first-timer, do not overthink the order. Start with ribs and lean meat if offal makes you nervous, or go for the mixed version and find out what you like. Dip the meat in the dish of dark soy with chilli and garlic. Tear your youtiao into the soup. Sip the tea between bites to cut the richness. The whole meal is built to balance, and once it clicks, you understand the devotion.

Timing matters too. In many places bak kut teh is a breakfast or brunch thing, and the best cuts sell out by afternoon. The good shops are usually busy, unglamorous, and run by people who have made the same broth for a decade. That is exactly why they are worth seeking out.

If you want specific recommendations on the stalls that do it best and what to order at each, I put together a guide to where to eat bak kut teh in Kota Kinabalu that points you to the bowls worth your time.

Go hungry, be a little brave with the cuts, and let a proper KK bak kut teh shop convert you. It almost always does.

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