We noticed Putien was still serving their Summer Menu dishes (enjoy 10% off these dishes if you pay with any DBS/POSB cards, till 31 July 2012) and we decided to give some of them a try.
This is PUTIEN pork ribs ($5.90) from the Summer Menu. The menu was a little misleading because in the menu they showed a picture of 3 pork ribs on the dish and we assumed that we would also be given 3 pork ribs in one serving, but that was too good to be true- you only get ONE pork rib paired with a slice of chinese yam for $5.90. We were told a fresh batch of pork ribs just arrived at the restaurant they day we visited and we were fortunate to savour the ribs at its best. True enough, the pork rib was sweet and tender. I'm personally not very sure how the pairing of yam with pork enhanced the dish, the pork rib is good alone I guess.
Also in the Summer menu is this Lychee Mango Pudding ($4.90) which is billed as a "cool, light refreshing dessert" perfect for summertime. It is essentially a smooth mango pudding enhanced with a little lychee flavouring and garnished with mango and strawberry fruit bits. I was personally not too impressed with this, it tasted like normal mango pudding to me.Whenever I'm at Putien, I will not miss these fantastic starter dishes on their a la carte menu:
The Stir Fried Yam ($10.90) is almost like deep fried yam with an almost crispy, caramelized exterior containing a nice soft chewy yam interior. The outer skin of each yam piece is fried to a nice golden brown, and it is glazed with a very addictive layer of sweet sauce/honey? which gives each yam piece a nice irresistible sweet, savory taste. The dish is also garnished with slices of onions and spring onions which pairs well with the yam pieces you're chomping down.
Another personal favourite, this is the PUTIEN style century egg ($5.90). Soft, bouncy century egg pieces are covered in a layer of crispy flour layer coating which are dunked in a special savoury sauce. Century egg lovers should not miss this!
While you're at PUTIEN restaurant, you will not miss their special chili sauce on your table, contained in this attractive "Spice Mum" container. It's a bit like hokkien mee chili, with perhaps more chili padi bits. The chili sauce might be a tad too spicy for me, but it really enhances the flavour of many dishes. I would high recommend adding a spoonful of their special chili to their Lor Mee. The chili sauce really pairs very well with the rich broth of the Lor Mee, adding a complementary spicy edge to the dish. It's the ultimate combo that leaves me wanting more!
Tucked in a hidden little corner of a neighbourhood Kopitiam, Kim Heng serves out perhaps one of the best roast meats around. ST proclaims this stall to be the "Best All Rounder" in roast meats and I am inclined to agree. I visited the stall one weekday afternoon at around 2pm and there were no queues in sight. I ordered a plate of mixed meat rice- a portion of roasted duck, roasted pork, char siew and rice enough for one person for just $5.50. Within minutes, my order was quickly served.
The roasted duck meat was not at all tough or dry but was tender and succulent. The meat was well flavoured and the duck skin retained a little crispiness. I was very impressed by the roasted pork especially its crunchy skin. The roasted pork skin layer had been roasted to a nice crispy perfection- a quality that is so elusive in many other roasted meat joints. There was definitely a satisfying crunch with every bite! The pork meat indeed had a lingering salty taste from its seasoning but the meat itself was not dry. The char siew was also really good- it was incredibly well marinated and juicy. The sides of each char siew slice were slightly charred which gave the char siew a nice subtle smokey taste.
Yes, it's Sheng Jian Bao (生煎包), this really delicious distant cousin of xiaolongbao. It is essentially a dumpling containing pork filling and fragrant soup broth just like xiao long bao, but it's encased in a thicker dough and is pan-fried, so the bottom becomes crispy golden brown. My first taste of 生煎包 is in Shanghai from one of those roadside food vendors who actually pan-fry these wonderful dumplings on the spot in a shallow pan. Unfortunately, Crystal Jade's take on this bun is not as good as what I had in Shanghai. The soup inside the bun had been absorbed by the bun dough and as a result, it was a little soggy. The dough was also too dense for my liking. Do you have any recommended places for Sheng Jian Bao?
This is the Roasted Meat Platter ($17), which comes with soya sauce chicken breast, roasted duck and char siew. The chicken and roasted duck were surprising not tough and an absolute delight to eat. The char siew slices were too thick for my liking but still very well marinated and flavourful.
Also part of the special anniversary meal is this Sauteed Clam dish ($17). This is just a small portion of the dish, the server took the initiative to split the dish for each person. The slightly salty brown gravy went really well with the fresh clam meat, but we realized the clam meat served was rather small and it was a hassle to pry open some clam shells that remain stubbornly tight shut. Perhaps your $17 can be better spent on another dish?
Stewed Vermicelli with King Prawn and seafood ($17) is a really tasty *premium* seafood beehoon dish. It is fried with generous scallop and clam bits and sitting on top of the vermicelli is this really huge sized, fresh succulent king prawn. The vermicelli is freshly fried on the spot, as it is evident from the piping hot steam emanating from the dish when it arrived and the vermicelli isn't too dry at all.
The Fried Radish Cake ($5.20) didn't look appealing at first, but take one bite and you will be wowed by how perfectly golden crispy its outer skin is. The fragrant radish encased inside was really soft and smooth and it serves as a nice contrast against the crunchy outer layer.
And another staple in dim sum menus- Liu Sha Bao or Custard Bun ($12 for 6 pieces). Man Fu Yuan serves out a unique Deep fried version of custard bao, which has nice golden brown outer layer. The fillings for both steamed and deep fried versions are similar- rich, molten yellow blots of salted egg and custard that ooze out as you puncture your buns. I personally prefer the deep fried version- it's a bit like eating man tou with custard filling, but both versions are really tasty. The rich, generous custard flowy fillings really make this bun worth trying. Do remember to ask for the deep fried version, because it is not stated explicitly in the menu and our unhelpful waiter did not mention about it until asked.
