Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh is one of several coffee shops selling bak kut teh (pork ribs soup) in the Gaya Street (加雅街) area of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Yu Kee has been in business for more than 40 years.
Yu Kee serves a wide selection of pork or pig innards for its bak kut teh. When more than one dish are selected, they will be served in small bowls separately instead of mixing and boiling all in one pot. Serving in smaller portions allow more varieties to be ordered and ensure consistent amount of meat per bowl.
I usually go for pork ribs only when having bak kut teh — since “bak kut” means “meat with bones” and “teh” sounds similar to tea in Hokkien — and is my preferred way of tasting the dish with you tiao (fried dough).
A meal at Yu Kee comes with Chinese tea in a teapot automatically, unless otherwise specified. It has been a long while since I last seen Chinese tea being served along with bak kut teh — which is the traditional way of consuming the pork ribs soup.
The broth has a prominent herbal taste but not too strong, not oily nor salty either. The pork ribs are tender and separate from the bones easily.
After a meal, try a Sabah-popular coconut pudding for dessert at Yu Kee. The cold and refreshing coconut-flavour pudding in a pandan coconut can be eaten with the coconut’s thin layer of flesh.
Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh caters mainly to evening diners and is opened for business after lunch hour — from 2pm.
Address:
Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh (佑记肉骨茶)
7, Jalan Gaya, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
2pm - 9:30pm | Closed on Monday