26th June 2016 Update: We’ve received comments from several readers that the dining experience here has significantly changed since reviewing it in April this year. For starters, the chicken rice and laksa are no longer part of the buffet. Readers are advised to call the restaurant up to check before making the decision to dine here.
All-you-can-eat by the beach
Newly-opened near the beaches of Sentosa, Good Old Days specialises in serving quality local food in a comfortable, cozy environment. What we really need after a major sun-tanning session is a place to fill our tummies and escape the heat.
Now this is the part where it gets exciting – Good Old Days is offering a local cuisine buffet at $20 for adults and $15 for children. Imagine all the chicken rice and laksa you can stuff your face with! This special discount is available till 30 June 2016, so get your tummies and wallets ready. We went down for their soft launch to try some of the buffet and a la carte items and here’s what we thought.
P.S. the restaurant is also working towards being halal certified.
The restaurant
From the outside, this monochrome colonial looking building stood out amongst the yellows and greens of Sentosa. Despite its majestic exterior, I was immediately hit by homey feels when I stepped into the restaurant.
Furnished with wooden chairs around marble tables, and grayscale photographs on the wall, the restaurant’s interior will leave customers with a sense of nostalgia. The old school hanging lights completed the whole experience of dining in a colonial bungalow from my parents’ time.
The buffet
The buffet, available from 5pm to 10pm daily, includes soup of the day, salad, chicken rice, laksa, stir fried beef, breaded fish fillet with thai chilli sauce, lo han chye, fruits, and grass jelly with fruit cocktail. Unfortunately, as we visited during the soft launch, we could only try 2 of the items on the menu: chicken rice and laksa.
Note: Pictures shown below are ala carte versions of the buffet dishes available. There is also weekly rotation of Noodles of the Day too, so call in to confirm that they have laksa on the day of your visit!
Chicken Rice ($11.80 a la carte)
This is one of the best chicken rice I’ve ever had. Most hawkers usually smash their chicken flat before serving, making it flat, but there’s none of that here at Good Old Days. Every piece of chicken kept its original consistency and was oh so delicious.
The chicken was cut thickly and had a nice bouncy texture, it also went extremely well with the sauce. One spoonful of the rice was all it took for me to know that I was paying for quality food. Thankfully, it wasn’t oily and had a very fragrant, authentic chicken rice flavour to it. The vegetables gave the dish a refreshing crunch, and had just the right amount of saltiness from the oyster sauce.
As a chicken rice lover, I’d give the Good Old Day’s version one thumbs up.
Rating: 9/10
Laksa ($9.80 a la carte)
If you can’t take spicy food, you probably haven’t tried laksa before. Witnessing my friends turning red every time they have had laksa convinced me that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. But the laksa at Good Old Days has allowed me to join the laksa club without a sweat.
The spiciness was mild and controlled, and the laksa broth was tasty and delicious. The prawns looked juicy and inviting, and true enough, the freshness and crunchy texture did not disappoint. For those who prefer more spice in your noodles, feel free to ask for more chilli paste to be added your laksa!
Before this, I only knew how laksa smelled like, but thanks to Good Old Days, I finally discovered how amazing laksa tastes. I’ll be coming back for more if I visit Sentosa again!
Rating: 8/10
The a la carte menu
We also tried these dishes from their a la carte menu. Good Old Days still has plenty on offer besides Laksa and Chicken Rice, and here’s what we thought about them.
Rojak ($6.80)
I’m not a rojak fan – the thought of a messy dish with random ingredients thrown in with a dark and strong-smelling sauce never really appealed to me. But the rojak at Good Old Days showed me what I was missing out on.
Besides the taupok being slightly tough, the whole dish had many layers of texture. Chunks of cucumber with the sweet pineapple and bengkoang (turnip) added crunch and bite to the dish, it was like discovering a whole new flavor with each bite. The different ingredients had an amazing balance of sweet and tang, it was refreshing and never became too overwhelming for my palate.
The combination of the sweet sauce and nuts was really addictive too.
Rating: 8/10
Chicken Briyani ($9.80)
One thing I really liked about this dish was the yogurt served on the side. It elevated what could have been an ordinary dish. When mixed in the rice, the slight tanginess of the yogurt complimented the sweetness of the rice. The creamy yogurt also made the rice more palatable, which was too coarse for my liking.
If you’re a lover of spicy food, the curry chicken served alongside the briyani will satisfy you for sure. It had a rich flavour from the spices used and made my mouth burn instantly. Be assured of good quality meat when you dine here – it was tender and easy to chew.
Rating: 6.5/10
Hainanese Chicken Cutlet with Fries ($11.80)
At first, I looked at this dish with skepticism as it looked like a dish I could get at any western hawker stall. But all doubts faded when I took the first bite into the chicken cutlet. It was soft and fork tender, complemented by a sweet red sauce that left a tangy aftertaste.
There’s not much to say about the fries – they weren’t mind-blowingly delicious, but satisfactory, and enough to fill the tummy. Perhaps a bowl of white rice would have been more suited for this dish, to mop up all the lovely sticky sweet and sour sauce.
Rating: 6.5/10
Beef Hor Fun ($11.80)
The Good Old Day’s chef came out to explain the procedure in crafting this dish. He proudly emphasized that an old wok is used to created the burnt, wok hei flavour which distinguishes good hor fun from ordinary ones. Newer woks will result in a stir-fried taste, which does not bring out the true essence of hor fun.
I dug into the chewy kway teow noodles, detecting the slightly charred taste which I liked. Complementing the noodle was a sweet and savoury gravy which had a good consistency, and not the types which usually overloaded on cornstarch that usually made me sick.
The beef slices were disappointing as it was not as tender as I expected. Despite the tasty gravy, the meat was a little overcooked. However, if you’re a fan of beef with a firmer bite, this hor fun might be right up your alley.
Rating: 7/10
Glutinous Rice ($9.80)
Mixed with a generous amount of nuts and chunks of chicken sausage, the glutinous rice had a good balance of chewy and crunchy. On top of the meaty taste of the glutinous rice, the mushrooms also heightened the flavours, and elevated what could have been a plain and ordinary dish.
However, this glutinous rice is not something you can’t get at an ordinary coffeeshop. I was expecting something spectacular from the way it was plated and presented, but it failed to meet my expectations. That being said, it was still a good dish which I might consider ordering again if I dined here.
Rating: 6/10
Chendol ($3.50)
By now, I was stuffed and my clothes were bursting at the seams. But you know, dessert is one thing you can never say no to. Ever.
Good Old Day’s chendol was unlike others I’ve tried – the ones I’ve tried previously were tasteless and filled with coarse ice. However, this chendol was creamy and sweet, with just the right amount of perfectly shaved ice to add crunch.
Despite my usual dislike for red beans, the ones in this chendol were really soft and flavourful. The chendol jelly was soft, but lacked the chewiness which the best chendols boast.
Rating: 7/10
The verdict
Reflecting the high standards of Sentosa, Good Old Days serves quality local food in comfort and near the beach. I particularly loved the consistent quality of their chicken rice, and the not-so-spicy laksa which my stomach thanked me for.
The buffet is extremely value for money, especially if you are a local food lover. Just think about the endless servings of top quality chicken and chicken rice, and delicious laksa you can slurp up, bowl after bowl. And all this free flow food costs only $20, which can only get you one dish elsewhere in Sentosa. I would definitely recommend Good Old Days to any local food fanatics out there who can’t get enough chicken rice in their lives.
Getting there
Good Old Days
How to get there: Take the Sentosa Express from Vivo City to Beach Station. You will spot Good Old Days as you leave the station, you can’t miss it!
Address: Beach Plaza
Contact: 6273 1743
Opening Hours: 11 am – 10 pm
This post was brought to you by Good Old Days