Putien - Good Old 家乡Dishes with Creativity to Pleasantly Surprise

Putien is a well-known restaurant chain, also known for the Michelin Star. But do note that the Michelin Star is for the Kitchener Road branch only. Though it is still a good idea to go to other branches instead to get the feel on what the food at Putien is all about. And that’s exactly I do since I will not go to Kitchener Road branch due to the possible insane waiting list and also my preference to suss out restaurants without the stars or before the stars.

I decide to dine at Putien due to impulse to savour the Herbal Prawn again. Yes, I had dined at Putien at Kitchener Road before the Star, and I still remember Herbal Prawn after all these years.

The food, ambience and service are all good. Kind of like that nice mid-range Chinese restaurant. I must add that the Bamboo Drunken Prawn is excellent.

Herbal Prawn is a must try here. Prawn dunked in a Bamboo cup filled with herbs and wine is just so tempting. The prawn is so fresh, having firm, smooth flesh packed with briny sweetness. And what I love about this restaurant is that disposable gloves are provided for deshelling of the prawn.

The herbal Chinese wine soup is so tasty and full of herbal goodness that I feel so nourished after drinking this,

Another highlight of the restaurant is, of course, Steamed Prawns with Minced Garlic! Fresh prawns steamed properly will be packed with the briny sweetness and remain firm in texture. And the prawns here are exactly that. The garlic makes it even more exciting.

After deliberation on my choice of carbo, I ordered Mazu Mee Sua instead of the signature Red Mushroom Seafood Lor Mee. My reason is simply I also prefer the thin Mee Sua, reminiscent of Angel Hair Pasta, over the thicker noodles. And yes, I’m so happy with my choice! The thin strands of wheat noodles trap lots of the umami rich sauce within them, yielding super tasty carbo with goodies such as prawns, beaten egg, meat strips and cute fried tofu cubes.

Putien Sweet and Sour Pork with Lychee is good and has everything done right. The pork is of the right texture for sweet and sour pork, having a good bite. The lychee gives an extra light hint of floral sweetness, making the dish more unique and better.

Deep-fried Duck with Yam is unique but doesn’t hit the sweet spots. A tad dry and bland, the gamey flavour of duck doesn’t mesh well with the earthy taste of yam without the help of other condiments. The textures of both ingredients also don’t go well together. If duck rillette is stuffed into the yam instead, it may become an awesome dish.

Actually, I ordered this dish thinking of duck rillette with yam. But alas, it is not. Then again, this is a traditional Chinese restaurant, so I guess it is not realistic to expect fusion style Chinese food here.

The specialty chilli sauce is a must-try. It has such robust, harmonised, clear taste of savouy goodness, tang, sweetness and spiciness.

All in all, this place is really good for gatherings where families and friends can enjoy some good old traditional Hokkien cuisine together.

Thoughts: Decent Chinese Restaurant with a feeling of Homeliness

Link to locations of all Pu Tien Restaurants

Tamago-EN - Truly Unique Omelette

I had been wanting to check out Tamago-EN but the long queue makes it pretty impossible for me to do so. It’s only after I had finished my photoshoot session at Floral Fantasy, Gardens by the Bay that I realized I should give Tamago-EN a shot since I will be passing by Serangoon MRT anyway. It was a weekday afternoon, while there is no queue, the place is still pretty crowded. But I managed to get a seat at the counter.

The counter is where one can catch whiffs of the aroma of cooked egg. It sure raises my expectations of what is to come.

And the Tamago Kake Gohan, also known as Ultimate Egg Rice, does not disappoint. While the rice is a bit on the soggy side, thus losing that slightly chewy texture and starchy feel that I like, the egg and toppings are enough to make up for it. The raw egg from Okinawa, with its orange yolk—an indication of quality egg, is oh-so-good. The yolk has none of the slight smell of iron typically detected in most raw eggs. And the egg white is whipped to a fluffy cloud that serves to allow one’s tastebuds to explore new texture on savoury spectrum. Yes, it is worth it to specially go down to try the egg prepared in this unique way. And furikake—Japanese seasonings provided will add bursts of flavours to this ethereal puff of egg white.

I also like how we can choose the toppings of our preferences to be added to the Egg Rice. Since I always love negitoto, which is minced tuna belly, naturally I will opt to add in this topping. It is fresh, so this makes me a happy diner when tucking into the negitoro. Addition of avocado is highly recommended as it adds a rich creaminess to the egg rice while staying neutral in taste. In fact, it is hard to go wrong with adding avocado to anything. I also opt to add Chicken Tsukune—meatballs to be exact, as topping. Topped with savoury, tangy plum sauce, these fresh meatballs are very tasty.

Berry soufflé pancake is oh-so-good! The pancake is incredibly soft and fluffy. In fact, it is like a pancake cloud filled with the goodness of egg and just that tiny bit of flour to hold its shape. When paired with the cool whipped cream, it is a cloud of sweet gastronomic bliss.

Egg Pudding is silky smooth in texture and is full of eggy goodness, as expected from a place renowned for its eggs. Though I do wish there is more whipped cream at the top since the light creaminess and fluffy texture add a lot to the dessert.

So, will I go back? A definite YES, provided I do not need to queue.

Thoughts: Nice and Unique!

Nearest car park: Nex’s car park or URA open air car park or HDB multi-storey carpark nearby
Nearest MRT: Serangoon

23 Serangoon Central
#02-K5/K6 Nex