Putien Signature Dish: 100-second stewed yellow croaker with ginger and scallions
Putian is the name of a coastal suburb in Fujian, China. The restaurant with a very similar name - Putien - specializes in the food from this southern coastal region of China. Putien originally started in Singapore back in 2000 and has quickly grown to become a well-loved restaurant that serves excellent food using high quality ingredients at reasonable prices.
The restaurant has expanded within Singapore and throughout Asia. It's won numerous awards in Singapore and has also been awarded one Michelin star. Ironically, I traveled all the way to Shenzhen (in Ping An Tower) to enjoy this restaurant for the first time, only to discover after-the-fact that there's one right in Causeway Bay, probably walking distance from my apartment. In fact, there are eight locations spread throughout Hong Kong.
In general, I really enjoyed the restaurant. The signature 100-second stewed yellow croaker (pictured above) is super tender and most definitely worth getting. All of the food is pretty good, and at least in Shenzhen, reasonably priced. The environment is really pleasant and the service is good.
Here's a look at the rest of our meal!
A simple snack to start . . . fried seaweed snacks.
Another signature dish is the Seaweed and mini Shrimp. The seaweed is the star here, imported from the South China Sea. They only serve the 15 cm long top grade seaweed which are harvested within 30 days of cultivation.
Fried Taro is a signature dish that's special because they only use the middle (what they think is the best portion) of the taro room.
This Oyster Pancake reminds me of the Chiu Chow styles one I've had in Hong Kong.
Pork belly with garlic sauce and cucumbers (not pictured) was good as well.
Chili Crab is definitely a Singaporean classic, so I'm not surprised to see it on the menu of a restaurant originating from Singapore!
Putien Restaurant - General Thoughts
I really enjoyed this restaurant and in general appreciated for its high quality ingredients, delicate cooking, and high quality of execution. The ambiance was pleasant and the service was good. I don't know much about Fujianese food, so I can't really comment on how it compares to food from Fujian province. I will say that I really enjoyed everything I tried and I definitely plan on going back (maybe this time just to the one in Causeway Bay) to try more dishes.
I think my dad's family line came from Fujian province hundreds of years ago to Taiwan, so I guess I have some old roots there. Perhaps it's time to get re-acquainted with this ancient cuisine . . .
25 locations - a few pertinent ones below
Original Flagship Location
Putien Singapore
127 Kitchener Road,
Singapore 208514
The one near my home . . .
Putien Causeway Bay
99 Percival Street,
Causeway Bay, Lee Theatre Plaza,
7th Floor, Room A,
Hong Kong
The one I actually visited . . .
Putien Shenzhen
PAFC Mall
N603-A PAFC MALL,
Yitian Road and Fuhua Road,
Futian District,Shenzhen
This is the thirty-third post in the updated #50Postsin50Days – Take 2 Challenge. Other posts in this series will be added to the bottom of the original post.
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