The Guardian
Jay Rayner followed up a friend’s tip to visit a “spartan” 14-seater ex-burger bar in Caversham on the outskirts of Reading, which was taken over by the Sung family following the Chinese government’s 2021 crackdown in Hong Kong.
“And so to the backstory, told to us by Nicola Sung, who takes all the orders and delivers all the dishes. Her dad, Pui, is the chef. He had his own restaurant in Hong Kong for many years, before cooking at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and then at the city’s gilded Four Seasons Hotel. It feels like finding a senior chef from the Ritz, now doing their own thing in your local caff, and doing it all rather splendidly.
“Good Old Days is a modest place and so are the prices which, with a nod to lucky numbers, generally end in a three or an eight. The vegetable dishes start at £6.30. Only the seafood offering reaches the dizzying height of £9.80. If you want to splash out more, get a £15 jar of their absolutely banging homemade dried shrimp, pork and chilli-boosted XO sauce. Bring your own booze. Or if you happen to live nearby, get the food to go. Because in truth, Good Old Days is a takeaway that just happens to have a few tables. And it’s a damn fine one at that.
Jay rayner - 2024-02-26
