The first time I heard of Valdor, it sounded more made-up than fictional Velen, Skellige, and Toussaint from the Witcher universe. This small agricultural town was set up by two Frenchman and Val d'Or actually means "valley of gold" in French. While the origin of its name makes sense, it just sticks out when neighbouring towns sound 101% Malaysian (Simpang Ampat, Jawi, Sungai Bakap).
Bak Kut Teh is not as commonly found up north compared to Klang Valley/Johor so I was excited to try this popular 30-year-old Bak Kut Teh spot.
There was a stench in the air outside of the restaurant as Valdor remains as an agricultural town and now boasts numerous pig, chicken and duck farms. At least you know the pork is fresh, eh?
The restaurant is family-run and their service is very friendly & prompt. We ordered a "mix" Bak Kut Teh for two and food arrived in 5 minutes as we're the only table waiting for food.
Let's makan!
Bak Kut Teh (4/5)
The Bak Kut Teh comes with pork belly, pork balls, pork intestines, pork stomach, fried beancurd sheet, dried shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, quail eggs and lettuce. Sadly they've run out of pork ribs for the day so it's technically Bak Teh instead of Bak Kut Teh since the Kut was missing (sorry for the lame joke).
The soup is on the thicker side with a well developed & balanced herbal aroma - perks of dining in before closing time! Even with generous pieces of tender pork belly and other proteins, the soup didn't end up greasy. It's not hard to devour the whole serving especially if you enjoy dipping in the soft you tiao (fried dough sticks). Thankfully they offer free soup refills!
Overall, the Bak Kut Teh is aromatic, flavourful and brimming with succulent pieces of protein. Is it as good as the ones in Klang (e.g. my favourite Teluk Pulai)? I think it loses out for having a slightly thinner broth with less "oomph". Nonetheless, it's still a very satisfying Bak Kut Teh meal with good service and affordable prices. Just be ready to walk past the stench when you enter and exit the restaurant - it can be quite unbearable for some.
Sabbylicious Makan Rating
Food : 4/5
Price : 4/5
Environment : 2/5 (restaurant is clean but I'm marking it down for the stench outside)
Service : 4/5
Must order : Bak Kut Teh
Operating Hours Wednesday - Monday (11.00 am–9.30 pm). Closed on Tuesday.
Location
Soon Peng Bak Kut Teh 17/19, Jalan Tasek, Taman Valdor, 14200 Sungai Bakap, Pulau Pinang.