Eons ago, on my first day of work at my second ad agency, I discovered I had colleagues who were as mad about food as I was. Now, do note that this was during the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and food-centric apps like Burpple didn't exist. So, meeting like-minded people was a godsend. It became the norm that whenever we did not have a deadline to rush for, we would pile into the car of the one guy who drove (thank you, Steven Chin!), and go hunting all over Singapore for a kick-ass lunch. Our united passion for great hawker food led me, through the most ardent of meat-lovers in the group, to the terrifically tender "ter kah" (pig trotters) at Han Jia Bak Kut Teh Pork Leg at the East Coast Lagoon Hawker Centre.

In those days, this venue was nothing like the stylishly designed, resort-inspired structure that you see today. Instead, we sat under flat zinc roofs in the midday heat, sweating profusely as we stuffed ourselves with the deliciousness of the wobbly fat, gelatinous tendon, and the token lean meat — the result of hours and hours of intense braising. In between coming up for air from all that porky perfection, I remember catching snatches of conversation about the hawker using pork legs imported from Germany, which explains their massive size. That said, I never had any trouble polishing off a whole leg by myself back then, and even now.

After a recent visit a couple of weeks ago, I can vouch that the "ter kah" here is still as phenomenally fall-apart tender as I remember it to be. Thus, reinforcing its top-of-the-list position for my choice of epic indulgences. Just be prepared to leave with your mouth a little gummy. 😝 #hawkerpedia