For a long, long time, I have wondered what kind of food Putien offers and then my lucky day came and I wondered no more as I was invited for lunch at Putien Sunway Pyramid which is a smaller outlet than their outlet at 1 Utama. Putien offers a specialized cuisine – Putian dishes from Fujian. Putian is blessed with bountiful harvests from land and sea and Putien (the restaurant) offers wholesome Putian fare. I have always had the impression that the restaurant appealed more to older than younger customers.
Every table has a bowl of this delicious spicy sauce, great for dipping any food into.
Seaweed with Mini Shrimps RM15.50
Supposed to come with mini shrimps from the South China Sea region but they were nowhere to be found so the waitress waived the dish from the bill when we commented on the missing shrimps (perhaps they weren’t delivered to the restaurant in time for lunch?) which was a nice gesture. Nevertheless, lack of shrimps didn’t detract from the taste as the seaweed was very crunchy. Putien uses only 25mm long top-grade seaweed that is harvested within 65 days after cultivation.
Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon RM21.50
This is one of Putien’s signature and bestselling dishes, it’s the only sundried vermicelli milled by hand in Putian. Unlike machine dried bee hoon, drying manually under the sun at the crack of dawn ensures that the bee hoon is translucent, silky, fine, chewy but not brittle. The rich, milky stock of pork bones and old hens cooked for hours and infused with 10 sumptuous ingredients add to the flavor of the bee hoon. The bee hoon is indeed chewy and fine and has absorbed the flavor of the stock. It isn’t my favourite Putien dish but I can understand why it is popular among Putien customers, this is a dish for the very young to the very old.
Drunken Cockles RM15.50
The cockles are topped with a more than generous sprinkle of fresh garlic and chillies doused in wine-marinade. The fresh garlic lends a lot of ‘bite’ to this dish, it can be a little overwhelming for those not used to fresh garlic but for those who love garlic in all firms, this dish is wonderful.
Putien Style Century Egg RM11
I absolutely loved the century egg dish as the outer part is crispy and the interior so soft and creamy. 2 thumbs up for this one.
Putien Style “Bian Rou” Soup with Vinegar RM18.50
Skin of the dumpling is made using minced pork pounded by hand with flour till it becomes flat, giving it a very unique texture. It does taste different from the regular dumpling. Very tasty and goes so well with rice.
Stir-fried Kailan with Bean Curd Skin RM17
I think a lot of restaurant have this dish in different variations but I do like the mushrooms and corn in this dish. Given the price though, I would rather have another plate of century egg.
Braised Pig Intestine RM18
This may be considered a delicacy by many Chinese but I couldn’t bring myself to even take a bite. Not hat I haven’t tried pig intestine before. I have many years ago and liked neither the texture nor the taste. Putien uses 12-inch long intestines that are tirelessly washed, looped, cooked, extended, selected and braised to perfection with their 12 spices house sauce. This intricate and complex method ensures that every bite of their ‘9 fold’ intestines gives a springy texture. I will take their word for it.
Claypot Mini Clams with Shredded Radish RM17.90
A very light and quite sweet soup with plenty of shredded radish. Radish is a very healthy vegetable as it improves digestion and appetite.
Shredded Meat with Bun RM6.50 a pc (minimum 2 pcs)
Another popular and famous Putien dish and I can see why as this is simply mouth-watering. The shredded meat with some sauce in this delicious bun is something I would love to have any time of day. The shredded pork is so tender and with the sweet onions in the sesame bun makes this an unforgettable Putien dish.
Putien Style Oyster Omelette RM22.50
Not oily nor dry, fried to perfection but I prefer the fluffy oyster omelette I am used to at other places.
