It was an impromptu decision to head to Good Year restaurant (好年活海鮮) when le bf and I were on the bus on the way to Tampines. Craving for bak kut teh, we googled and the search came up with Good Year Restaurant which were raved by several food reviewers for its good food. So we make the last minute decision to hop off the bus and walk back to the bus stop to take another bus which will bring us there before we started walking straight to the place.
A suggestion to those who want to try: Never ever head there by foot and alone as it is a far walking distance since the restaurant was situated right deep inside and quite isolated with no proper pathway to walk.
Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶): The name literally translates as “meat bone tea”, and at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices. -Wikipedia
Good Year Restaurant
Pontain Bak Kut Teh
Waiting for our orders while watching people’s food arrival
The place gave a very rustic and laid-back feel, which feels very much like Malaysia. Anticipating what’s coming next, we eagerly sat down and started ordering Bak Kut Teh for two, as well as a vegetable dish to go along with. I actually vaguely remember that my dad brought the whole family here to eat but it doesn’t leave a very deep impression and my dad who is a big foodie, doesn’t really like their food much because he always drive around to try good food and he said he have tasted better food than this. At that time, we ate the zi char instead of bak kut teh. So I am thinking probably their bak kut teh would be better than the Zi Char?
For my readers who are unfamilar with the term “Zi Char”, it is basically a term used to describe home-style Chinese cuisine, which serves a variety of ala-carte dishes and leaves you spoiled for choice!
Arrival of the Pontian Bak Kut Teh
Pontian Bak Kut Teh
I did a bit of googling while waiting for the food to come and it was said that the owner actually like the bak kut teh from the Johor so much that he brought the recipe back and get the chef to learn how to cook from there so I was looking forward to it. The bak kut teh arrived in a claypot, steaming with delightful aroma of the herbal soup. I should say that the soup was good but not enough for me to really exclaim it to be delicious because I have tasted bettter bak kut teh than this. Perhaps the herbal taste of the soup is a bit too mild and not strong enough for my liking. I prefer a stronger herbal taste like how my late grandfather cooked herbal soup in the olden days.
The pork ribs
However, the meat was a plus because it was so tender and soft that it basically kind of “melt” in your mouth after taking a bite. It tasted even better when dipped with the dark soya sauce with chili padi. So a thumb up for this one!
French Beans with shrimps
The french beans with shrimps tasted very good, with crunchy feeling and the additional of the shrimps definitely make it more delicious. Le bf loved this dish since its his favorite combination.
Overall, I find the food were overall good but does not have enough “wow” factors. It will be great if it has a stronger herbal taste but I guess the chef might alter the taste a bit in consideration that some people like it mild since people have different preference! The next morning when I had a conversation with my dad, he commented that he tried their bak kut teh before and apparently, he also doesn’t like it as well, same goes for the rest of my family who tried it. He suggested another bak kut teh place which he said the food there is even better!
I’ll find a time to check it out soon! <3
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Good Year Restaurant
15 Tampines Ave (off Tampines Rd)
Singapore 529788
