Tanjung Pinang's Chinese-Indonesian population has brought a strong Hokkien and Teochew food tradition to the town, and bak kut teh — pork rib soup slow-cooked with garlic and a bundle of Chinese medicinal herbs — is the dish they are most proud of. The local version tends to be darker and more heavily spiced than the Singaporean style, which is itself already distinct from the Klang Valley original.
Several small shops in the streets behind the main market have been serving this dish for decades. Order a clay pot of the soup, a plate of braised intestines or tofu puffs on the side, and a bowl of rice, and you have a substantial breakfast or early lunch for the price of a Singapore bus fare. Most open at 6am and close when the pot runs out, which is usually mid-morning. Go early.