Post on 29-Jul-2015
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE,BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
FNBE APRIL INTAKE
Group Members : Tay Jit Ying 0319002
Hiew Li Ming 0319941
Tey Thien Hee 0318176
Khoo Ming Sen 0319659
Yan Wai Chun 0319626
Name of Module: English II ( ELG 30605 / ENG 0205)
Lecturer: Ms.Cassandra Wijesuria
Report Title: Comparing Bak Kut The business in Klang
( BEST GOOD TASTE )
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No. Title Page Number
1. Artistic cover 1
2. Cover page 2
3. Table of contents 3
4. Key Summary
4.1 Location
4.2 Research
4.3 Methodology
4-11
5. Report research
5.1 Description of the history of trade
5.2 Description of business
5.3 Comparative Analysis
12-26
6. Recommendations 27-28
7. Bibliography 29
8. Appendixes 30-33
9. References
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KEY SUMMARY
In this assignment, we are required to choose 2 similar businesses at two
different locations. After several discussions and deep thought processes, we
agreed to interview on two famous Bak Kut The restaurants in Klang. Both of the
restaurants are located in Klang but at different locations. The first restaurant that
we chose is called Seng Huat Bak Kut The, which is also known as "Under the
Klang Bridge Bak Kut Teh", because of its close proximity to the Klang bridge and
is renown among Teluk Pulai. We chose Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh as our second
restaurant to be interviewed and is located at the housing estate of Teluk Pulai,
Klang. We then interviewed the owner in both shops to compare the differences
between both shops in terms of history, prices and services.
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LOCATION
KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH
ADDRESS: 27, Jalan Teluk Pulai, Kawasan 6, 41100 Klang, Selangor
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Restoran Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
ADDRESS: Jalan Besar, Kawasan 1, 41000 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
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RESEARCH
-QUESTIONS
Before the day we go to our location, we had done some research about the
questions for the interview tomorrow. Below here, are the questions that we
asked:-
1. When was the business founded?
2. Who are the key founders?
3. What prompted the founders to start this business?
4. What are the main dishes that you sell?
5. Who is your main customer and how old are they?
6. What is the business’ annual revenue figure?
7. How many branch offices/stores do you have (if applicable)?
8. Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent development?
9. Do you have any competitions? Who are they? Who are your top 3 competitions?
10. What do you think differentiates your restaurant with the others in terms of taste and services?
11. Do you think it is easy to run this business and why?
12. What time do you wake up everyday to prepare the food?
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-KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH
Based on our research, we googled for Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh which is
also one of the famous restaurants in Klang. Usually, Bah Kut Teh in Klang
normally opens for during the breakfast and lunch hour. However, I found that this
“Meat Bone Tea” restaurant which so happen to be in the same row as the Teluk
Pulai Bak Kut Teh. It's located at Jalan Teluk Pulai and it opens from morning till
night.
During our interview, Mr. Oan Chee Kian told us about the history of his
shop. In the 70s, Oan Ah Lek started their modest Bah Kut Teh (which is called
“meat bone tea”) business in Teluk Pulai, Klang. It is one of the most popular
dishes served in Malaysia nowadays. The business flourished since then and the
next decade witnessed an increasing of venture into Bah Kut Teh business in Klang
and Port Klang. Thus, he also tells us there are about 600 more stalls/shops of Bah
Kut The in Klang & Port Klang itself. Competition is very intense in this business.
However Mr. Ah Lek is able to strive to be one of the best Bah Kut Teh in town. In
fact, the business was even featured in a few popular food books and magazines.
And today, this business has expanded and the second branch is located in Sentosa
Klang, handle by his elder daughter and her husband, while the main branch by his
son, Oan Chee Kian.
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-RESTORANT SENG HUAT BAH KUT TEH
Based on our findings, Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is also well known as one of
the restaurant which offers the best among the best Bak Kut Teh in Klang. It is
located quite near to the Klang KTM. So it is very convenient to walk from the
KTM station to the restaurant. The restaurant is also said to have 70 years of
history in Bak Kut Teh business and it is real long from their humblest beginning
since 1979, they have been delighted to serve their customers, friends, associates &
visitors from near & far, their authentic Klang, Bak Kut Teh.
The name of Bak Kut Teh literally translates as "Meat Bone Tea". Bak Kut
Teh consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth of soy sauce, Chinese herbs and
spices such as cinnamon, ginseng, star anise, wolfberry, Chinese foxglove and
dried orange peel for hours. Bak Kut Teh is usually eaten with rice or yam rice and
this restaurant also served either individual bowl of Bah Kut Teh with your
preferred cut of meat or the clay pot style which consists of meat, tofu, vegetables,
bean curd and mushrooms.
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is also popularly known amongst Klang folks as
"Under the Klang Bridge Bak Kut Teh", because of its close proximity to the
said bridge. They are passionate about Bak Kut Teh, and upholding its culinary
tradition. They love to meet people and make friends from all over the world.
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METHODOLOGY
-HOW WE CONTACH THEM?
We surf their website.
http://www.klanglek.com/
http://www.senghuatbakkutteh.com
Then, we contacted them via the phone number they had provided on their website.
-HOW WE GO TO KLANG?
We went there by KTM and it was cheap and time saving. When we arrived
at the KTM station, we hired a taxi which brought us to the restaurant and had our
interview. After that interview, we walked to the other Seng Huat Restaurant.
Although it was very far away from Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh which is about 1.3km
away. After our interview, we went back by KTM and it was really near from Seng
Huat’s restaurant.
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-HOW WE DO THE SURVEY AND INTERVIEW?
Before the day we go to Klang, we had done some research about “What
question do we usually ask during an interview (food).” We also prepared our
question and wrote it down in a piece before the day of the interview. After we
reached, we told the owner of the shop about the interview and we started
interviewing them. While some of us were jotting down the content, others were
busy recording down the whole process. Last but not least, the questioner.
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Description of Bak Kut The History
Bak Kut Teh is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia and Singapore,
where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew community, and also in
neighboring areas like the Riau Islands and Southern Thailand. It is also popularly
thought to have originated in Klang.
The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and at its simplest, consists
of different cuts of pork meat simmered in a herb based broth for hours. Most
shops will normally use pork ribs, but they are also known to include other cuts of
pork into the herbal broth as well. Despite its name, there is in fact no tea in the
dish itself; the name refers to a strong oolong Chinese tea which is usually served
alongside the soup in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat
consumed in this pork-laden dish. Other ingredients commonly found in a bowl of
Bak Kut Teh are mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, pieces of dried tofu and iceberg
lettuce. However, additional Chinese herbs may include ‘yu zhu’ and ‘ju zhi’
(buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger flavour. Light
and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying
amounts depending on the variant - the Teochew’s version is lighter than the
Hokkien’s. The dish can be garnished with chopped coriander or green onions and
a sprinkling of fried shallots.
Bak Kut Teh is usually eaten with rice or yam rice, and often served
with chinese crullers (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. Soy sauce
(usually light soy sauce, but dark soy sauce is also offered sometimes) is preferred
as a condiment, with which chopped chilli and minced garlic is taken together. The
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meal is not complete without one or two vegetables dishes that are usually cooked
with oyster sauce and dried onions.
There are numerous variants of Bak Ku The with its cooking style
closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical
location. In Singapore, there are three types of Bak Kut Teh. First and foremost,the
most common variant is the Teochew style, which is light in colour but uses more
pepper and garlic in the soup. Besides, the Hoklo (Hokkien), who prefer saltier
food, use more soy sauce resulting in a darker soup. Third, the Cantonese, with a
soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup. In
Malaysia, a dry form of Bak Kut Teh has also recently become increasingly
popular within Malaysia, especially in Klang. Although called dry, the broth is in
fact reduced to a thick gravy, to which other ingredients such as wolfberries, dried
dates, dried chillies and dried squid are added. Unlike the original rib soup, the dry
version has a tangier, sharper taste and is more akin to a herbal stew than the
classical broth. It is often recommended locally in Malaysia as an excellent
hangover cure.
A less fatty variation of Bak Kut Teh made with chicken instead of
pork is called Chik Kut Teh. It also serves as a halal version of the dish catered to
Muslims, whose religion forbids them to consume pork.
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Description of Business
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh
Back in the 70s, Oan Ah Lek started a modest Bak Kut Teh
business in Teluk Pulai, Klang, a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia
nowadays. The business flourished since then and the next decade witnessed an
increasing of venture into Bak Kut Teh business in Klang and Port Klang, and
some say in certain areas in Malaysia. Thus, there is about more or less 600
stalls/shops of Bak Kut Teh in Klang & Port Klang itself. Competition is intense in
this business, however Ah Lek is able to strive to be one of the best Bak Kut The in
town. In fact, the business was even featured in a few popular food books and
magazines.
Today, the business has expanded and the second branch is located in
Sentosa Klang, handle by his elder daughter and her husband, while the main
branch by his son, Oan Chee Kian. Surprisingly, this 30 years old plus shop was
not as crowded nor as pretentious as the others. No waiting for tables, no rushing to
sip your cup of tea and certainly no problem with parking because this row of shop
facing Jalan Teluk Pulai, is located right in front of a residential area.
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh serves the usual Bak Kut Teh in clay pots, or
in bowls, according to your preference. The huge yet tender chunks of meat were
greatly appreciated and the soup was tasty with a signature Klang Lek’s Bak Kut
Teh taste. This particular Bak Kut The restaurant shop is also famous with their
Bak Kut Teh served with freshly cut pig innards.
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Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh or well known as "under the bridge Bak Kut
Teh", because of its close proximity to the Klang bridge, is one of the popular
restaurant in Klang serving Bak Kut Teh since 1979.The business has expanded
and the second branch is located at Kepong Utara while the main branch is handled
by John Lee, the third generation.
Bak Kut Teh consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth of soy sauce,
Chinese herbs and spices such as cinnamon, ginseng, star anise, wolfberries,
Chinese foxglove and dried orange peel for hours. Bak Kut Teh normally served
with rice and side dishes such as "yau char kwai" (golden-brown deep fried
dough), vegetables, tofu and fried tofu puffs. This restaurant served either
individual bowl of Bak Kut Teh with your preferred cut of meat or the clay pot
style which consists of meat, tofu, vegetables, bean curd and mushrooms.
At Seng Huat, the concept is slightly different. Entering the corner
shop lot right beside the pedestrian-cum-vehicles bridge, you won’t fail to notice 1)
the crowd, 2) the guy (or lady) chopping up a storm, picking on pieces after pieces
of meat, and serving them rapidly in bowls for consumption without the bells and
whistles of golden mushrooms, balls, innards and such.
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Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
i. Competitors
Fortunately there are a dense of Bak Kut Teh which is located 3.7 km from Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh.
Located 4.5km away, there is another four Bak Kut Teh Store.
ii. Brief descriptions of competitors
1. Ah Her Bak Kut The
Strength
Shop is almost like the usual food courts, semi alfresco with a zinc roof on top, plenty of electric fans, and no walls.
Get to choose the cut that you like, there’s intestine, big bone, small bone, 3 layer pork, stomach, ribs, and more.
Full of intense herbal flavor that is somehow not
1. Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh
Strength:
Famous for its broth.
Never dilute their broth with water.
Unadulterated, authentic Bak Kut.
Weakness:
Stinginess in providing extra broth.
Comparative Analysis
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overpowering
Weakness
Only get 1/3 bowl of soup
Last bowl of Bak Kut The will be sold out before 8.30 p.m.
2. Ah Chee Bak Kut The
Strength
Thick flavour but not as spicy as usual dry bak kut the.
Offer fried stingray as side dish.
2. Restaurant Kee Heong
Strength:
has been operating for over 30 years.
become a childhood memory for many adults who live in Klang.
loved for the aromatic herbal fragrance in its Bak Kut Teh broth.
3. Restaurant Weng Heong
Strength:
Soup is prepared in claypot
Signature dish is the very
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interesting Sea Cucumber Bak Kut Teh.
Sea cucumber is deliciously springy and chewy
Weakness:
the sea cucumber alternative is expensive.
4. Soon Seng Bak Ku Teh
Strength
It uses portable stove to keep the soup warm.
Meat is tender Wet gravy for rice
Weakness
Some meet were overcooked
It is not dry enough for some people
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5. Hok Lai Bak Kut Teh
Strength
Chinese crullers (“Yau Char Kuai”) is abundant.
Soup isn’t too thick nor watery.
Served with mushrooms
Meat is fresh
iii. Competition
Strategies
1. Pricing
Price at around RM 15 to RM25 per person which is consider very cheap.
At around RM20 to RM30 per person, depending on the customer appetite which is quite reasonable.
2. Advertisment
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Featured on internet, blog, websites
Favourite choice among the local neighbourhood
Featured on internet, blog, websites
Featured on newspapers and Taiwan and local TV programme
Renown among the locals especially Chinese
3. Signature Dish
It is famous of its pork intestine which is chewy and claimed to be a must-try-food for the customer. They also combine chicken and pork meat in the claypot to gives the customer a brand new taste.
Insists on preparing Bak Kut The in the traditional way which comprised of meaty pork ribs long-stewed with soy sauce, spices, and Chinese medicinal herbs. Some of the herbs that go into the dish are cinnamon, ginseng, star anise, goji berries, chinese foxglove and dried orange peel.
4. Quality of Service
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The owner is extremely friendly as he sits down with his customer occasionally to chit chat while sipping tea with them.
The owner pays full attention in preparing the Bak Kut Teh to serve the customer as soon as possible.
iv. Obstacles faced by the new business owner
Not many people are willing to wake up at 5am every morning to prepare the soup and it requires a lot of efforts to achieve the taste that most of the customers prefer.
New business owners are faced with tight competitions from the restaurants around that area and this in turns forced new owners to lower the price of their food in order to attract more customer. They must also come out with their own specialty in order to compete with the old stores.
The Summary of The Similarities between two restaurants
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Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh Similarities Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh Main Products Sell Bak Kut Teh
5 employees, all of them are part of the owner’s family
Workers 7 employees, mostly are foreigners
Shortsighted Future Plan Shortsighted
One branch which is located in Sentosa Klang, handle by his elder sister and her husband.
Current BranchesOne branch which is located in Kepong Utara, Kuala Lumpur
The Summary of The Differences between two restaurants
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh Differences Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
Oan Ah Lek, the owner’s
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father started the Bak Kut Teh business in Teluk Pulai, a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia nowadays. Mr Oan first started this business in 1981 in Klang, and now they are still remaining in Klang. Competition is intense in this business because there is a lot of Bak Kut Teh shop in Klang, but Ah Lek is still among the best Bak Kut Teh in Klang town.
Founder And History
The owner’s grandfather was migrated from China to Malaysia and started doing some small business. His father then started this Bak Kut Teh business since 1979. It is quite hard to start a business but after a few years, they succeed and became famous, there are a lot of tv shows who interviewed them.
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh is located in Klang. It is located beside the housing area.
Address:Jalan Teluk Pulai, 41100 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Locations
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is located at Jalan Besar which is very near the Klang KTM Station.
Address:Klang, No.9, Jalan Besar, 41000 Klang, Selangor Daru Ehsan, Malaysia.
Inner organ of the pork is the signature dishes of this shop, rice, vegetables, oil sticks, Chinese tea.
Types of products sellPork Bak Kut Teh, rice with scallion, vegetables, oil sticks, Chinese tea and deserts.
Whole day, 7.30am - 9pm Business hour Half day, 7.30am - 12.30pm, 5.30pm - 8.30pm
This shop is operated by his own family. Two generations are currently operating the restaurant.
Business operation
Started by the owner’s grandfather, currently only the owner and his wife are operating this business. The staff are all hired.
About 150 customers on weekdays, fluctuating to 300 during holiday or weekends. Number of customers
About 200 customers on weekdays, and up to 500 customers on weekends.
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The locals and the neighborhood
Targeted Market The locals and tourists.
Featured in personal internet blogs only. Media
Featured in a lot of Tourist Travel Handbook, internet blogs, newspaper articles and also tv show.
They tried to create new dishes, such as ‘Fried Fish’ and also retain their own traditional dishes. However, we also tasted and realized the difference in soup than others because they use chicken and pork to cook the soup instead of just pork.
Combating Competition
They only focus on their own traditional taste ad not trying new taste. it is because the customers like their traditional taste of Bak Kut Teh.
This shop has clean walls, fans, relatively modern shop design and situated besides housing area.
Restaurant Layout and Atmosphere
This shop is slightly older than the Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh, the wall is yellowish in color and the paint is fading away.
Conclusion
According to the interview and some researches that we had done in these two Bak Kut
Teh shops, we can conclude that even though they are selling the same things, ‘ Bak
Kut Teh ’, but they are completely different in some ways. Both of them are famous to
the locals and featured online, but there are plenty of differences among each other. For
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example, Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is more homely, authentic and has older atmosphere.
However, Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh is more modern and cleaner compares to Heng Huat
Bak Kut Teh.
Besides, both of them are located in Klang but they are quite far from each. Seng
Huat Bak Kut Teh is very near to the Klang KTM Station as it only took us 2 minutes to
walk from the shop to the station, and this is the main reason why more tourists will visit
them. On the other hand, Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh will have more customers from the
neighborhood as it is located besides the housing area.
Moreover, the taste of Bak Kut The from these two shops has a lot of differences.
The soup of Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh uses pork, spices, cinnamon, dried orange peel
and some Chinese medical herbal ingredients to cook, which gives the taste of
traditional Bak Kut Teh, whereas the soup of Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh had been added
with chicken, which makes the taste totally different from Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh.
Furthermore, the way they deal with the competitors are different too. From the
information that we had gathered during the interview, Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh insisted
on serving their Bak Kut Teh in the traditional way, but they try to make other side
dishes too, such as a wide variety of puddings as the dessert. Meanwhile, Klang Lek
Bak Kut Teh had created new dishes for their menu to attract more customers. As there
was already more than 200 Bak Kut The shops in Klang Valley, there is no doubt that
they have to face with a tight competition.
In conclusion, even though both of them are selling Bak Kut Teh, but it is hard for
us to compare which is better in terms of the taste and which has more business
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potential as both of them have their own strength and unique taste of soup which really
depends on the customers whether which taste do they prefer.
Recommendation
Based on our analysis of the two restaurants, KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH and RESTAURANT SENG HUAT BAH KUT TEH, we have proposed a few recommendations on improving the competitiveness of each business.
A. KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH
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Current area of improvement Recommendation
Restaurant hygiene There are many flies in the restaurant. It's an open air restaurant so it's hard to get rid of the existing fleas, but areas around the kitchen and dining area must be free from food debris and the bin lids must tightly closed. Thus, while all the ingredients leave on the table must covered with a mesh food cover.
New coat of paint is needed Restaurant owners should begin renovating the stall as the exterior of the restaurant looks old and the colour of the signboard of the restaurant has faded so it's hard to catch the attention of people when passing by. The facade of the restaurant should coated with bright color so it will easily catch people's attention to visit.
Limited dishes in the menu Restaurant chef should introduce new recipes and dishes in the menu regularly, besides remaining the original menu. It may attract the customers and bring more profit while increasing the popularity of the restaurant.
B. RESTAURANT SENG HUAT BAH KUT TEH
Current Area of Improvement Recommendation
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Stuffy and cramped environment Restaurant owner should expand their unit in order to provide more spaces and well-ventilated area to create a comfortable surrounding for customers. Besides, installing air-conditioning at the dining area is also recommended to provide a comfortable environment for meals.
Treatments to the employeesThe employer is obliged to treat nicely to their employees. Even though due to some of the poor employee performance, restaurant owner shouldn't scold them heavily even in front of the customer. Employees should treat with respect and it's the company's obligation.
Short operating hoursRestaurant owner could consider extending the business operating hours instead of starting from the evening. Business may start from lunch hour as it's the peak hour in the town
Bibliography
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1. 10 Best Bak Kut Teh in Klang | OpenRice Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6,
2015, from http://my.openrice.com/klangvalley/article/10-best-bak-kut-teh-in-
klang/498
2.Kyspeaks.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2015, from
http://kyspeaks.com/category/eat/bak-kut-teh/
3. Bak Kut Teh Restaurants in Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved January 3, 2015, from
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/photo-tags/bak-kut-teh
Appendixes
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A compilation of hand written document and some photo of the food and also the shop. (Klang Lek Bak Kut
-Entrance Of Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh
This is the entrance of the shop, Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh. The shop is not crowded as we expected.
-Kitchen
This is the place where the owner, Oan Chee Kian cooks the delicious Bak Kut Teh (meat bone tea) daily.
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-Food
The Bak Kut Teh is served in clay pot style with their famous freshly cut pig innards.
-Group Photo
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And this is the group photo of us with the owner, Oan Chee Kian which is the owner of the shop.
B. Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
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These are the looking and the atmosphere of this shop. There are a lot of articles from the newspaper hanging on the wall.
These are the food we ordered at Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh shop. They are Bak Kut Teh, a vegetable and oil crueller.
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Minutes of the meeting
Names of group member Tutorial Group
Tey Thien Hee Thursday
Yan Wai Chun Thursday
Hiew Li Ming Monday
Khoo Ming Sen Tuesday
Tay Jit Ying Thursday
NO. Activity Action Taken By
1. Artistic Cover Tey Thien Hee
2. Key summary Khoo Ming Sen
3. Description of business Yan Wai Chun
4. Comparative Analysis Tay Jit Ying, Hiew Li Ming
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Date: 4th January 2015
Time: 3p.m.
Venue: E3.08
5. Recommendations Tey Thien Hee
6. Video Making Tay Jit Ying
Reference
1. Lan Chai ( 2010 ). Chua Lam's gourmet journey in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur :
Qing cheng wen hua shi ye.
2. Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh @ Teluk Pulai - Malaysia Food & Travel Blog
(Malaysia Food & Travel Blog)
3. Best Spots for Bak Kut Teh in Klang - HungryGoWhere Malaysia. (n.d.).
Retrieved January 4, 2015, from http://www.hungrygowhere.my/dining-guide/best-
picks/best-spots-for-bak-kut-teh-in-klang-*aid-26523101/
4. Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2015, from
http://www.klanglek.com/
5. Bak Kut Teh,Klang Bak Kut Teh - Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh,Under Klang Bridge
Bak Kut Teh. (n.d.). Retrieved January 2, 2015, from
http://www.senghuatbakkutteh.com/
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