Putien serves good Chinese food that's unfortunately not friends with my taste buds. I can't really attach a reason to it because the dishes are well executed. They just aren't my go to place for Chinese food. I prefer Ding Tai Fung, Imperial Treasure and even the Paradise Group. Still, let's give credit when it's due and Putien definitely cooks up a good comfort meal.
We kicked off the meal with two sides, Pork Belly with Garlic ($8.90) and Braised Homemade Beancurd ($5.90). I felt that both dishes were done really well meeting both my expectations. I do feel that the pork belly with garlic could have been more garlicky and I didn't lap it up as I would a similar dish at one of the 3 restaurants I mentioned earlier. That said, this post is not about them so let's not shift the focus shall we?
For mains, we settled for Putien Oyster Omelette and Claypot Chicken in Fermented Red Rice Wine ($13.90). I was kinda expecting the oyster omelette to be like those I find at hawker centers but with better culinary capability. I was rather taken aback that it's deep fried with flour but was pleasantly surprised to find that it goes really well with the Putien chilli. The chilli at Putien is one of their key highlights so try it when you are there. I like it that the chicken in red wine sauce was cooked till tender and the red wine taste is distinct yet not overwhelming.
Another known dish is the Putien Lor Mee ($9.50) which was really rich in flavour. In fact, it was my favorite dish of the night! The pork broth absorbs all the flavours of the ingredients within the pot and drinking it was a real joy.
Finally there's the Putien Rice Cake ($6.90) aka atas Kuey tutu which I was misguided to order by the well written description on their menu. It says "the rice cake is made with glutinous rice, milled rice powder and filled with crushed peanuts. The cake is then steamed in mild heat to create a soft texture that..." Oh so that's how Kuey tutu is described in marketing language... Anyway, I must say I prefer the Pasar malam version of the dish. This one is way too rubbery and too stingy with their peanuts, you might as well call it plain.
All in all, the dining experience in Putien is pleasant. The dishes generally met expectations but there's nothing there that might make me specially make a trip down. It's comfort food which I won't say no to if my companions want to eat there but not somewhere I'll voluntarily step in to eat.
Putien
Raffles City, 252 North Bridge Road, #02-18