Pu Tien

really good heng hwa food at this crowded outlet at the nex mall in serangoon. I really rather like the putien chain — the flavours are light but intense, and while service can get rather hectic when full-​house, it’s efficient and earnest when you do get it. highly reliable, consistently delicious, and a large enough menu to return frequently (though we do have our favourites, of course).
we started with jellyfish — decent, though I’ve had better. they do it here with XO sauce, which brings a mild bite. the better starter was their fried century egg: wedges fried up in a crispy batter and tossed in a sweet-​sour sauce; this was delicious. it always makes me laugh when americans use these delicious things as fear-​factor type challenges.
the salt and pepper clams are addictive, and the beancurd with kailan are a must order. the beancurd sheets are wrapped to a satisfying thickness — so they bite al-​dente and the flavour of the soya bean comes through.
but my favourite really is their squirrel fish. essentially a filleted fish fried to a golden-​brown and topped with a sweet and sour sauce. it’s completely, and utterly delicious — the fish is fresh and moist, the batter stands up fantastically to the sauce, which is enlivened by the tiny bits of vegetables strewn atop. I have massive cravings for this fish.
the meat dishes are pretty good home-​cooking too. we finished the meal with a fruit platter and syruped loquats — I’m not one for syrupy things but the latter were very interesting.
if you’ve skipped that long spew, then I really like this restaurant. honest cooking, good prices, decent portions and highly consistent standards even across outlets — and I have a soft spot for regional chinese cooking (much of what we have locally is more generally cantonese than anything else).
p. s. other dishes I also like: their seaweed appetiser, three-​egg spinach, braised beancurd with meat sauce (how vague is that description), fried egg plant with pork floss, steamed prawns with garlic, braised beancurd with cabbage, and their noodle dishes.
p. p. s. what I really mean to say is: we haven’t had a thing on this menu we didn’t liked.

[ 3.5 star instead of 3, the dishes make up for the sluggish service)
Putien ««, the pioneer of Heng Hwa () cuisine in Singapore has been serving simple and purity meals for the past decade. Since its opening in the millennium year, it has never fail to draw eager diners to the restaurants. Putien being the name, is a city in Fujian province in China. The Putianese also referred to Xinghua, speaks a min language and this group of dialect is not common in Singapore. However, its cuisine has been well-​liked by many. I am intrigued.
Stepping into the restaurant at Nex shopping mall, it was 70% filled with heartlanders. Despite the after lunch hours at 2.15pm, the flow of diners didn’t stop yet I was able to get a table effortlessly. I was attracted to the clean and spacious setting, something which helps to ease my tension from the enormous afternoon heat. The table-​to-​table arrangement has been quite roomy and not elbow-​knocking. I truly enjoyed the soothing therapeutic melody playing in the background while waiting for the dishes, it definitely cools you down even having to wait long, if need be.
I am no novice to Putien dishes, I snapped at my comfort food. The wait staff who took orders was prompt and attentive while another who managed the beverage, had been a little sluggish. Hence, I attribute the «lag» to individual working attitude than putting them down as a whole.
I had premium Iron Goddess of Mercy, «Tie Guan Yin» for a refreshing taste buds to accompany my meals. The tea leaves comes in whole and the oolong fragrance was very strong. Every sip sparks me up and seems to get me ready for the dishes behind the kitchen. Truly stands above the rest and I get heartened every time the tea cup was refilled with hot boiling water.
I did not opt for any starter and zoom right into the mains. I ordered the Fried Homemade Beancurd, Deep Fried Tenggiri Fish and the notorious Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon.
The fried homemade beancurd was delightful. It has a pronounced soybean aroma which enlivened by the sprinkled salt (resembled french fries but replacing the carbo-​rich ingredient with a healthier version). Each thinly sliced bean curd has been fried to crisp and the accompanied sweet-​sour garlic dip flavors it further (it was as good on its own).
I’d always like my tenggiri fish to be fried thoroughly till golden brown. Yes, Putien’s very home-​cooked way which reminds me of my granny’s version. The fish was fresh with the meat being moist. No traces of awful fishy taste in them which made me adored even more. No greasy after-​taste was a plus factor.
The most anticipated dish; Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon was the star of the meal. No mixed feelings on the translucent-​looking vermicelli (aged rice milled by hand). I vouched for its refreshing taste and the to-​die-​for claims by many others who have tried. The texture of vermicelli was extremely chewy (not rubbery), unlike others who soiled the noodles, making it soggy & brittle. The rice noodle was thread-​thin yet chewing has been made possible on each strands amazingly. You could taste the sweet broth (using pork, chicken bones) in the vermicelli, though it was fried dry. The seafood heightened the flavour of the dish. The clams, prawns, scallops enhanced the taste, making it more refreshing while the roasted peanuts, fried shallots (with garlic bits), crispy seaweeds contributed to the crunch. I have no doubt in my choice.
To end the lunch, I asked for the dessert menu. Pumpkin cream with ice-​cream & Sweet potato balls were picked among the 8 choices (by now, you should be aware that I am a big fan of pumpkin and sweet potato).
The pumpkin paste was smooth and silky. It tasted fresh and home-​made, definitely not a canned purée. Moderately sweetened by the accompanying scoop of coconut ice-​cream, making it creamier. The pulut hitam (pudding-​like black glutinous rice) was barely noticeable except for the grated peanuts. But the pumpkin would still taste pleasantly good without these.
The sweet potato balls however, tasted inferior. More of a mochi treat. Previously it tasted real with sweet potato mash but now, the deep fried balls were coupled with more starch in the mash. I didn’t like the chewy texture, I’d wanted a creamy & wholesome sweet potato mash balls instead. Not making it better, there was a greasy sick taste (soaked up too much oil), causing greater disappointment. Still, the pumpkin cream managed to salvage my almost-​ruined sweet indulgence.

Service is consistently good. Nice food too

I had Pu Tien in some of their other outlets. But when I went to this one, for some reasons none of the dishes were good. Something is missing or the dishes are just not tasty. We had all their typical signature dishes but they just didn’t work for me that day.
Not sure if it is the chef’s off day or this outlet is just not as good.

Pu tien’s not your typical Chinese restaurant. I’m saying this in reference to the type of food being served. If you haven’t tried Xing hua (a Han ethnic group from Pu tian) food, I highly recommend you to go visit at least once.
The restaurant is pretty big and spacious. I like it that it is lit up pretty brightly and fresh look unlike most Chinese restaurants that usually go for a dimly-​lit, warm and cosy feel. A very good place for a family meal or tea time with friends.
Food prices are pretty affordable given the great quality of food and nice ambience.
Must tries: Pu tien lor mee, homemade beancurd, stir-​fried yam. Their chilli is amazing and goes well with almost any of their dishes, especially staples like noodles.- I usually end up with getting 2 or 3 helpings.