Putien 莆田 @ Beijing

Putien had a Singaporean Michelin 1 Star restaurant at its honten in Kitchener Road, which they have kept from 2016-2023. They have since expanded into the heartlands and also back to China.

精美四彩拼 Four Appetisers Platter

From top left, clockwise:

• Stewed bamboo shoots 家常焖笋干 uses natural bamboo shoot from Wuyi mountain. Smoked in slow fire for 8 hours, then braised for a savoury finish.
• Sea worm jelly 土笋冻 is a Quanzhou specialty. It is made from boiling sea worms to extract the natural gelatinous collagen from the mollusc and then leaving the liquid to cool and form the jelly. It is eaten with shredded cucumber, ginger and a dash of vinegar and chilli oil.
• Even if you are repelled by innards, 九转粉肠 Braised Pig Intestine will have you change your mind about them. The 12 inch-long intestines are tirelessly and meticulously washed, looped, cooked, extended, selected and braised to perfection with the brand’s 12-spice house sauce. The resulting springy texture makes it rather enjoyable (even for someone who usually avoids innards), tasting almost like a sausage.
• The level of freshness and crunchiness in this seaweed dish is pretty much unparalleled. Just one bite of 虾苗拌头水紫菜 Seaweed with Mini Shrimps Dressed with Sauce and you’ll know for sure that it’s no ordinary seaweed. Imported from the South China Sea region, the seaweed used in this dish is top-grade and has to be specifically 15 cm-long (no more, no less).

金汤时蔬 Spinach in Supreme Stock

The soft and tender Chinese spinach is infused with the rich supreme-stock mix of century egg and salted egg to give it a burst of flavour.

水晶猪蹄冻 Cold Pork Trotters Jelly

This is where the Teochew and Henghua cooking influenced one another. Chaozhou region and Henghua region are very close to each other geographically, so there was a lot of shared heritage, like use of seafood. The aspic from Henghua has a strong five spice flavour, which Teochew uses a simpler braising liquid.

百秒黄花鱼 100 Seconds Yellow Croaker

This was the dish that launch Putien to stardom. 百秒黄花鱼 100 Seconds Yellow Croaker uses a fresh yellow croaker around 250g which is carefully boiled to precisely 100 seconds. It allows one to taste the true freshness of the yellow croaker. The original taste of the fish is accentuated with onions, ginger, Fujian aged wine and Puning bean sauce.

福建特色海蛎煎 Putien Crispy Oyster

Another common ingredient between Teochew and Henghua, both cuisines have similar oyster omelette. Teochew version uses more potato starch to form the crispy base with chewy insides, Henghua version is like Teochew 耗爽, a dish that has been lost in Singapore. Very crispy, umami in every bite, a hit.

金牌脆皮蒜香鸡 Deep-fried Chicken with Garlic

Using only premium grade chicken, the dish is freshly and evenly marinated every day nicely crisp on the outside and absolutely tender on the inside.

螺丝椒小炒肉 Stir-fried Pork with Screw Peppers

A few non-Hokkien dishes appeared in their menu, including this Hunanese dish. 螺丝椒小炒肉 Stir-fried Pork with Screw Peppers is probably the most common Hunanese dish. It’s simple and delicious, provided you can handle the spiciness.

莆田紅菇海鲜卤面 Putien Red Mushroom Lor Mee

An upgrade to one of their best-selling main courses, the 莆田紅菇海鲜卤面 Putien Red Mushroom Lor Mee is brimming with premium ingredients that are at the same time, light on the palate. Featuring silky, al dente noodles with mushrooms, pork belly, prawns, clams and scallops, this dish also features their very own rich and creamy pork broth.

The broth for the lor mee is tasty from the lard and shallots, with a sticky, decadent mouth feel. the noodles are loaded with clams and seafood.

This location in CWM Beijing is very popular and constantly packed at lunch time. But the crowd disappeared after office hours, so if you want to come for lunch, do place a reservation; not so for dinner. The food was as good as the other branches in Singapore.

Putien (China World Mall) 莆田 (国贸商城)
NL504 China World Mall Phase 3, NO.1 Jianguomen Road, Beijing 北京市建国门外大街1号国贸商城北区5层NL5004
Tel : +86 10 85351606

Visited Jun 2024

Kitchener Road Singapore Michelin Singapore Guide 1 Star 2016-2023

Causeway Bay Hong Kong Michelin Hong Kong Guide Bib Gourmand 2023-24