SIN: Putien
Virgin experience eating iced bitter gourd with honey!
The name Putien is a play on its namesake city of Putian, a coastal suburb in the Fujian Province of China. When I went to the branch at Raffles City with my uncle, apparently I forgot to take a picture of the small appetisers on the table, but I can recall that the carrot and radish pickles were truly refreshing. There was also a saucer of crunchy peanuts and seaweed that I munched on continuously.
Written as a new creation on the menu booklet that was handed in to us that afternoon, the baked duck captured my uncle's attention. The savoury taste of the marinated duck was balanced by the sweet and tart plum sauce. Having said that, while the meat wasn't rubbery, I felt that it was a bit dry.
The name Putien is a play on its namesake city of Putian, a coastal suburb in the Fujian Province of China. When I went to the branch at Raffles City with my uncle, apparently I forgot to take a picture of the small appetisers on the table, but I can recall that the carrot and radish pickles were truly refreshing. There was also a saucer of crunchy peanuts and seaweed that I munched on continuously.
Starters Platter S$15.50
Ah Yuan Fragrant Herbal Chicken - Taste: 8.5/10
Pork Belly with Garlic - Taste: 8.5/10
Braised Homemade Beancurd - Taste: 7/10
Iced Bitter Gourd - Taste: 8/10
As we were indecisive, we eventually chose the platter to sample four appetiser dishes. The herbal chicken was indeed fragrant, while the pork belly was fatty enough for my liking. While the beancurd wasn't that special, eating the iced bitter gourd slices for the first time was an interesting experience, especially when I dipped them into honey to tone down the bitterness.
Deep-Fried Pig's Trotter with Salt and Pepper (2 pcs) S$11.80
Taste: 8/10
Since the restaurant requires a minimum order of two pieces, I really hope my uncle didn't feel obliged to eat the sinful 7-inch trotter imported from Australia. While it was pretty rich in collagen without being too greasy, I could definitely have it rubbed with more pepper and garlic.
Chilled Baked Duck (Small) S$16.80
Taste: 7/10
Written as a new creation on the menu booklet that was handed in to us that afternoon, the baked duck captured my uncle's attention. The savoury taste of the marinated duck was balanced by the sweet and tart plum sauce. Having said that, while the meat wasn't rubbery, I felt that it was a bit dry.
Spinach with Salted Egg and Century Egg in Supreme Stock (Small) S$12.90
Taste: 7.5/10
The bitter gourd was certainly not enough to meet the dietary fibre requirement for the lunch, so we got ourselves a vegetable dish that turned out to be quite savoury and not overcooked. Instead of triple eggs, the spinach came with only two types of eggs, which quantities could be improved.
Golden Rice Cake S$7.90
Taste: 6/10
Known to be served as a tribute to the royals in ancient China, the snack made of round-grained and glutinous rice by Putien was too sweet for my liking. I wonder if the royals in the past really liked it that way. I did enjoy the crispy outer layer though that came about due to intense baking, but it also got stuck in between my teeth a few times. Pika's advice: Do note that this particular dish requires a minimum preparation time of 20 minutes. We actually waited for half an hour to get it delivered to the table.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 7.5/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Overall: 8/10
While it didn't end on a high note, it was a pleasant lunch with hearty conversation nonetheless.
Putien
252 North Bridge Road
#02-18 Raffles City
Singapore
(Mon-Fri: 11.30am - 3.00pm, 5.30pm - 10.00pm; Sat-Sun: 11.30am - 4.30pm, 5.30pm - 10.00pm)
*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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