Chinese cuisine is a staple in the Philippines due to the centuries-long history of trading between the 2 countries. However, when most people think of Chinese cuisine, it is normally Cantonese cuisine that comes to mind.
Singaporean brand and seven-time Michelin-star awardee Putien has its roots in its namesake Putian, a beautiful coastal suburb southeast of Fujian, China. Putian or Hengwa cuisine is a style of Fujianese cooking that underscores the use of seafood which is abundant in the coastal city. The restaurant recently opened its second branch in the Philippines at the 2nd level of Mitsukoshi Mall in Bonifacio Global City.
The restaurant works closely with their sources of the freshest ingredients, from fisherfolk who supply them with their prized seaweeds, yellow croaker fish, fresh oysters, to farmers for Da Hong Pao tea, seasonal longan, lychee and red mushroom from the best conditioned spaces to grow and harvest.
The Fujian Red Mushroom Seafood Lor Mee is the restaurant’s flagship dish and the reason why it still exists and thriving after 24 years. A Fujian classic with a twist, this 14-ingredient braised noodle dish in a rich chicken and pork stock would be surprisingly familiar to many Filipinos.
The ‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker, meanwhile, is another Putien classic. The fish is carefully steamed for exactly100 seconds. It is then cooked in light seasoning using onions, ginger, Fujian aged wine and Puning bean sauce to highlight the sweet freshness of the fish’s flesh.
Other must-tries include Putien’s Seaweed & Mini Shrimps Dressed in Sauce. What makes this unique is the use of only the first-harvest, top-grade Fujian seaweed. The restaurant’s Stir-Fried Yam uses the only the center part of the Ping Nang Yu yam variety from Thailand, and undergoes three different cooking styles — steaming, frying, and sautéing, to create a crispy sweet shell that encases a soft fluffy interior.
An interesting appetizer is the Braised Pig Intestine, made of meticulously prepared intestines tirelessly washed in water and wine for three hours, and artistically folded using one piece of chopstick, then braised in 12 traditional herbs and spices.
Putien’s Deep Fried Pork Trotters with Salt & Pepper is braised for three hours, fried for 50 seconds in 250 degrees of hot oil, resulting in perfectly cooked trotters with a tasty, almost melt-in-your-mouth collagen goodness. The Deep-Fried Prawns with Cereal is popular among young diners for its crunchy breading made from imported cereal mixed with milk powder, coating the plump prawns.
To conclude the feast, the Chilled Loquat in Herbal Jelly provides the sweet ending, as this famous Putian loquat fruit is mixed with mint and herbal jelly to create a light and refreshing dessert.
