Fresh, down-to-earth and flavourful, Putien's latest restaurant at The Gardens' cooking shows us why it is loved all over Asia.
Photo: Shaffiq Farhan/Malaysia Tatler
Entering the brightly lit airy interior of Putien is like coming home to golden wood furnishings with teal blue accents.
The food at Putien puts a priority on freshness and is cooked with heart. The talented chefs don’t just represent the long running restaurant’s culinary excellence, they are also keepers of its cooking philosophy based on Fujian traditions.
See also: This award-winning Cantonese chef cooks unexpectedly elegant food
Light, down-to-earth and flavourful, the food served is comforting Chinese food at its best.
Photo: Shaffiq Farhan/Malaysia Tatler
First up from the kitchen is the Putien style “Bian Rou” soup with vinegar, pork wontons in a clear soup garnished with spring onions. Each savoury dumpling is made using an ancient technique, expertly using pounded pork loin instead of the usual flour. The clear soup balances the pork while the vinegar whets the appetite for upcoming dishes.
Photo: Shaffiq Farhan/Malaysia Tatler
The second dish is the restaurant's Kitchener Road one Michelin star winning fried Heng Hwa bee hoon. Silky strands of sundried vermicelli lie in a fluffy pile, garnished with prawns, vegetables, fried pork pieces, scallions, groundnuts and crispy seaweed. The restaurant’s hand-milled bee hoon is infused with pork bone and chicken stock and is incredibly chewy.
Photo: Shaffiq Farhan/Malaysia Tatler
Yams aren't usually the star of the show, but these traditional stir-fried yams are simply yam-my. The crisp golden exterior is made from a special mixture of sugar and fish sauce, transforming them into flavourful morsels of crunchy goodness with sweet and savoury hints mingled in.
Photo: Shaffiq Farhan/Malaysia Tatler
The next dish on the menu is one that might convert a carnivore into a vegetarian – spinach in supreme stock. Tender spinach shoots are first stir-fried on high heat to lock in the fresh flavours of the greens before being stewed in a rich mix of supreme-stock, century egg and salted egg. The dish manages to strike a tantalising balance that’ll have you coming back for more.
Photo: Shaffiq Farhan/Malaysia Tatler
Dessert was chilled loquat in herbal jelly. Boiled with traditional Chinese herbs for a light tasting jelly that doesn’t only taste delicious but is also nutritious, the dessert had a summery taste thanks to the sweet loquat pieces.
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