J Tean Kitchen’s BKT Pork Burger rocks!

Pork Burgers aren’t really that easily or widely available around here.  What more a Bak Kut Teh-flavoured Pork Burger?  Now, did I twitch your attention on that?  Well, pork-loving folks in Klang Valley now have a good reason to head on to SStwo Petaling Jaya… to J Tean Kitchen.

Now for those of you who have forayed into some “convenient home cooking” by using ready-made pastes, you may recognise the “Tean” here. James Tean, aka “Master Tean” is the maestro behind the highly succesful range of “Tean’s Gourmet” packed pastes. Personally I have been using these whenever some “quick cooking” is needed and Tean’s “Curry Chicken”, “Curry Laksa” and “Prawn Noodles” pastes are some of our favourites.

Photo credit: www.asiansupermarket.com

Way back in 1983, James Tean started producing consumer packs of Bak Kut Teh spices sealed in foil sold under the “Claypot” brand. This stemmed from his passion and decades of experience in “Bak Kut Teh”, developing the finest mixture of BKT herbs and spices. The other range of pastes under “Tean’s Gourmet” followed suit.

So, naturally I was excited when I found out that James Tean has now taken his culinary and food passion one step further by setting up his flagship restaurant – J Tean Kitchen. It serves fusion Bak Kut Teh and injects variants of this herbal concoction in some popular items, like their pork burgers, pork knuckles, pork pies and their J-Soup!

The J-Soup (RM4.90) comes with a layer of freshly-baked puff pastry covering the bowl and you can opt for their signature BKT Soup with mushrooms (no meat) or their creamy Pumpkin Soup with Mushrooms. I like both soups as they are very different – one is the traditional herbal BKT soup and the other is a light refeshing and naturally sweetish thick soup made from pureed pumpkin. The straw, fresh shitake and button mushrooms gave the soup some succulent bites.

Now, coming back to the restaurant, before I proceed further with their culinary offerings, this 2-month old flagship store features a contemporary classic interior with a traditional yet modern theme. The deco is indeed a feast for the eyes: the array of oriental-designed furniture, from a mix of antique opium beds, drum tables & stools, lantern-like hanging lamps, low benches and high chairs from China to modern pieces of glass-topped tables, wooden panelling and benches. I also like the glass wall on one side of the restaurant – allowing plenty of natural light to flood in, giving it a sense of fresh airy spaciousness.

The restaurant also has an alfresco balcony with Chinese opium beds for seating – perfect for chilling out in the evenings.  They have a modern open kitchen concept which allows patrons to observe what the chefs are up to!

So, what is Fusion Bak Kut Teh? Well, for one, their Pork Burgers have some BKT spices and herbs mixed into the meat patties. The flavours of these herbs and spices are not overwhelming, in fact, they do give the burgers a nice piquant twist in terms of taste. They have this long version of the burger (which will be available in their restaurant very soon) using a fried chinese mantou instead of the regular round burger bun. The slightly-sweetish mantou is crispy on the outside while the inside remains soft and fluffy – it’s really good.

Some of J Tean’s signature items like the J-Ribs (RM34.90) and J-Knuckle (RM38.90) have been marinated and pre-stewed with their special herbal spices before being oven-baked till tender. The portions are generous, with sides of potato wedges and salad. Their J-Curry Ribs (RM16.90) are cooked with their signature curry paste and when served with pasta (add RM3), it gives a whole new meaning to “fusion”.

If you are a small eater, go for their “Light Bite” items like their J-Porky Pie (RM19.90) – tender succulent pork belly braised in spices and dark soya sauce with a light fluffy puff pastry on top.

Or go for their Braised Pork with Buns (RM7.90) which I loved! Three fluffy mantous sandwiching pieces of sumptuous braised pork with thick gravy.

OK, so how about the Star Dish – the Tean’s Bak Kut Teh?

Here, the BKT served is of the typical Klang-style… ie, very robust with generous use of herbs and spices, the soup is on the “thicker” side and darker-hued. Depending on the cut of meat selected, prices start at RM10.90 to RM20.90 for Combination Cuts. You have to soak the BKT soup intotheir fragrant oily rice with fried shallots in order to savour the “Total BKT” experience!

OK, we did try 2 chicken items as well…so if that’s too much pork for you, here are some fowl alternatives…

Chicken Burger

Chicken in Wine – wine-lovers will love this as the gravy was really thick with wine and generous use of old ginger gives it a real robust kick! You may need to order a large bowl of rice to go with this because that thick aromatic gravy is really sumptuous!

Those are new items, so, sorry, no pricing yet.

Desserts… we tried a few. There’s the Malacca Rainbow… thick gula melaka with coconut milk and sago pearls and chunks of chewy jelly (this was a tad too sweet), Golden Beach Dessert which is a thick milky pumpkin puree with sago pearls and water chestnut and the Fried Radish Cake which is not really a dessert, I think. It’s more like a snack, I would say.

James Tean, the maestro himself

 

J Tean Kitchen
Lot G-58 Ground Floor
SStwo Mall
40 Jalan SS2/72
47300 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7954-0819
Opens: Daily 10.00am-10.00pm