Putien Podium – What to Order at this Michelin-Starred Restaurant

PUTIEN – There has been much ado about this Michelin-starred restaurant opening its 65th branch in Manila last November. It is located at L5, Podium (near Niu by Vikings).

I was invited to the media event when it first opened last November 2019, but I didn’t feel that I was able to try everything that I wanted to try, so I thought I’d wait to make a review until after I came back and was able to try their other dishes. I was able to go back with family last weekend so here we are 🙂

This review will include my experience from both visits 🙂

PUTIEN

Putien is a restaurant chain that started in Singapore. But don’t let that fool you — the cuisine that Putien specializes in is the cuisine of coastal Fujian.

Fujian is a province in Southern China. It is located in the southeastern part of China, just a narrow strait separating it from Taiwan. Many of the Chinese immigrants from the last few decades come from Fujian, so some of the dishes served in Putien might be familiar to Filipinos.

Ambience is mid-range, casual Chinese restaurant — not too formal but not fast food level casual.

They provide this cloth bin where you can put your bags.

THE FOOD

Me and the oysters at Putien can’t seem to connect! The first time, they were not yet available. And last weekend, they ran out of oysters at 7:30pm! Ah, it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the third time’s the charm 😀

So, apparently, the Putien Crispy Oysters (P435) are a bestseller, so order them if you get the chance.

I’ll just start with what I like the most:

My favorite, and now, everyone else’s who I’ve asked to try it, is the Homemade Bean Curd (P328). It is soft, custard-like fried rectangles of tofu in a sweet/salty thick brown sauce that is similar to the sauce usually used for abalone. The texture of the bean curd reminds me of chawan mushi 🙂

Stir-Fried Yam (P468) – crispy outside and glazed with a sweet chili sauce (sweet but not really spicy). It’s just fried gabi, so the price seems a bit much. But with that said, it’s actually delicious and it’s our second favorite dish out of everything we tried 🙂

Shredded Pork with Sesame Bun (P98) – At P98, this is the best value order at Putien, in my opinion 🙂 The order comes with 2 pcs of fried mantou, which you split open and fill up with the stir-fried shredded pork and onions 🙂 Taste reminds me of Chinese-style steak.

Putien Century Egg (P188) – these are battered and fried chunks of century egg then coated in a sweet chili sauce that is more sweet than spicy. I like dipping it in the chili sauce condiment on the table. I prefer my century egg on the softer side where the yolk is almost runny, so just let the staff know how well cooked you like your century egg.

Speaking of the Chili Sauce – this is the chili sauce that is placed on the table for diners to use. We really liked this! Unlike most chili sauces that are made of dried chili and oil, this chili sauce at Putien uses fresh chilies, and is a bit sour, and salty. It’s so good and adds some complexity to your mouthful than just plain heat. Must try!

Braised Bean Curd with Chinese Cabbage (P588) – I didn’t expect to like this soup, but I ended up having several helpings. The soup is white, I’m not sure if it’s from concentrated seafood stock (shellfish) or something else, but it was very comforting. There is no off flavor at all, very ‘clean’ tasting. Don’t freak out if you see something weird, it’s just some sort of shellfish 😀 At first I was like, what kind of body part is this? And then I realized it was just shellfish. The shellfish was flavorful. I thought the bean curd was a bit tough, but the soup was superb.

Putien Bian Rou Soup (P138) – this is another soup you MUST ORDER! This isn’t a dish you’ll be able to find at just any restaurant. The wonton wrappers are made from meat that has been pounded until it’s paper thin. The “wrapper” is not made from flour – it’s made with the paper-thin meat! This is a specialty of Fujian. The soup broth has a pleasant, light, seaweed taste. Sorry, I was more than halfway through my order before I remembered that I still hadn’t taken a photo. Those little wonton things are the bian rou, the black thing is the seaweed.

Braised Pig Intestine (P388) – this is like a chewy, meaty hotdog. My sister really liked this until she found out it was intestine… 😀 If you don’t mind eating intestines, this is actually quite good.

Putien Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees (P388) – it’s sweet and sour pork 🙂

Bamboo Herbal Prawn (P238) – the prawns were succulent 🙂 the soup tastes like a mild Chinese medicine soup 😀 but I think those who appreciate old-school Chinese cuisine will enjoy this. I mean, it’s not bad, it’s actually good, but more of an acquired taste.

Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon (P368) – I have never had bihon this thin! Thinner than angel hair, it’s almost like bihon floss 🙂 The star of this dish is the bihon, the rest of the dish tastes very, very mild. Don’t expect pancit bihon levels kind of flavor — this dish is really light so the bee hoon can stand out.

Deep-Fried Pork Trotters with Salt & Pepper (P239) – If you like fried pork skin (crispy pata), you’ll like this 🙂 There isn’t much meat, just mostly fried pork skin and tendons. It’s full of collagen, so if you need to increase your collagen intake for more elastic skin, eat this.

Seaweed and Mini Shrimps Dressed with Sauce (P288) – I liked this, but one order is enough to be shared by the whole table. I treat it more like a palate cleanser, or something to whet the appetite. This is the thin, black seaweed (tastes similar to nori) that is dressed (as in a salad) in a vinaigrette.

Putien has some dishes that they are recommending on the menu, but I’m not that into them. I like the dishes on the 10 Signature Dishes of Putien much better 🙂

Chili Crab – doesn’t taste like I was expecting, a bit too eggy, and not enough chili oil; my problem is with the sauce, the crabs themselves were really sweet, fresh and fat and perfectly cooked!

Black Pepper Crab – the black pepper flavor was too overwhelming for me; again, my problem is with the sauce, the crabs themselves were really sweet, fresh and fat and perfectly cooked!

100-Second Stewed Yellow Croaker – I understand why this is a delicacy. The fish meat is really silky and delicate. But personally, I just can’t get over how bony the croaker is as a fish. This kind of fish is naturally matinik, it’s not the fault of the restaurant. It’s the one in the red clay pot.

Chili Crab – just okay

For dessert:

Dessert at Putien is mostly Chinese-style desserts called sweet water (糖水)

Double-Boiled Pear with Osmanthus (P168) Osmanthus is white fungus. It’s a simple dessert – soft pear in syrup 🙂

Glutinous Rice Cake with Sesame and Grated Peanut (P168) – probably the granddaddy of palitaw 🙂 Putien’s has a nice consistency, soft & chewy but not tough

Chilled Putien Loquat in Herbal Jelly (P168) – tastes a bit medicinal (like Chinese cough syrup, which is sweet) but I like it 🙂

I also appreciate that Putien provides gloves so you can eat prawns and crab with your hands 🙂 It’s nice that the gloves are actually a big size.

SUMMARY

On our second visit (on our own), it did not occur to me to make a reservation. I thought since we were going early (around 6pm) that I didn’t need to. Lesson learned. Make a reservation! 😀 We were 6th on the waiting list when we arrived. Fortunately, we went shopping at Uniqlo (just down 3 flights of escalators) so the waiting time was used well, haha. I like the Uniqlo branch at Podium better than Megamall’s because it’s less crowded and doesn’t feel so cramped.

For the food, I recommend ordering from their 10 Signatures of Putien list, and also try the ones I suggested 🙂

The food is good at Putien but only if you know what you are ordering. I feel like if you just order random stuff, you might not appreciate what you get. Fujian Cuisine is not flashy imperial cuisine – it’s mostly home cooking, kind of provincial, simple fare, using lots of ingredients from the sea and native vegetables. It’s what I call “grandma” food – something you’d expect to come out from a Fookien grandma’s kitchen. Sadly, we don’t have many of these grandmas left so it’s good that this cuisine is being preserved.

Service is attentive. Putien doesn’t offer house tea. If you want tea, you’ll have to order a pot.  Also, they charge for takeout containers. Restroom is clean and spacious.

Putien
5th Flr, The Podium,18 ADB Ave, Ortigas Center
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PUTIENPHILIPPINES/
Contact Number: 82821888