Putienians UNITE

As a BBC it is strange that I like Hokkien food.

Currently there are less than three Hokkien restaurants in Hong Kong.

Putien is different because it is modernized with lovely decor and a comfortable environment.
Compared to the ones I have tried, the food at Putien is not as salty and I appreciate that the Menu has English because the original restaurant is from Singapore.
The menu has pictures as well which is helpful to those who are not familiar with Hokkien Cuisine.

At the other Hokkien restaurants, it was just Chinese on the menu so I ended up ordering stuff that looked good on the reviews.

At every table, there is a pot of homemade chili sauce.
I tried it and loved it because the sauce was exciting and tasted exactly like my favourite sauce at PFC in the UK.

Before you order, you are given fruits as an appetizer which is good because fruits are healthy and not many people eat fruits after dinner if they are full.
(While stocks last)

Here was what we had and the items marked *** were my favourites.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Infusion by Mr. Qu
A mixture of soursop juice, plums, pineapples and green vegetables.

Tried the juice which was viscous and sweet with tones of soursop.
In UK we call them Custard apples which are commonly found in Indian groceries.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chilled worm jelly:

I have seen them before served at the other two restaurants but I did not intend to try them because both shops were grubby.
Tried them here and the worms were chewy just like whelk meat and not soft as I expected.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Iced Bittergourd:

The thickness of the bittergourd really made a difference.
Each slice was ultra thin so when you bite into it, the bitterness is not that concentrated and it gives it a lovely refreshing crunch with icy cold bittermelon juice oozing out.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
***Deep Fried Bamboo Clams:
Tangy clam meat deep fried to golden crispiness.

These clams were deliciously crisp and chewy with a strong clam taste.
There is a wide selection of bamboo clams dishes on the menu that are well hidden because they are on the folded page of the cover.
Although this was one of my favourites, the salt and pepper bamboo clams would be a good pick too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
***Drunken Cockles:
Cockles drizzled with a specialty blend of garlic sauce, then topped with generous servings of garlic flakes and chillies.

I have always loved cockles because I love that metallic taste and they were plump and bursting with juice.
The cockles were clean because I did not have any unpleasant effects the next day.
WILL CERTAINLY ORDER THIS AGAIN.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
**Seaweed with Mini Shrimps:

The seaweed was appetizing but I prefer it without the seasoning because I found it a bit too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
PUTIEN Style Century Egg
Century egg covered in a sweet and sour crust, topped with homemade specialty sauce.

This was different and nice because it was coated in crispy cornflour and sweet and sour sauce, so if you like crispy sweet and sour pork, you'll like this.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Homemade Bean Curd
Daily fresh made smooth egg bean curd stir-fried together with mushroom, carrot and sugar snap peas.

The bean curd was nice but the way it was cooked is really similar to the Chinese bean curd in simple oyster sauce with vegetables.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
***Stir-fried Yam
Cubes of golden crispy Yams with caramelised crunchy exterior over light fluffiness within.

They were exactly as described, and the inside was soft and fluffy with a mildly sweet crispy coating.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
***Bamboo herbal prawns
Sweet live prawns with light nourishing Chinese herbs such as, angelica root and Chinese wolfberries infused in Chinese wine.

I loved the soup because it tasted strong with fragrant herbs and wine.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep Fried Tenggiri Fish
Deep fried till crispy, the fish is moist on the inside and golden brown on the outside. Served with our homemade dip.

This was simple fried fish tasting like salmon.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steam yellow croaker fish:

This was plain steamed fish that tastes soft and natural.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep Fried Pig’s Trotters with Salt & Pepper
7-inch pig’s trotter deep fried to a crisp, deep brown, seasoned with salt and pepper that is rich in flavour.

These trotters were divine, crispy and jelly like in the middle with a salt and pepper taste that was not too salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
PUTIEN Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees
Deep fried to light golden brown, the meat is tender and moist on the inside. The lychee adds a burst of sweetness to the sauce.

This is similar to the sweet and sour pork with juicy lychees in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
PUTIEN Bian Rou Soup with Vinegar
Delectable PUTIEN signature pork dumplings in a light vinegar-infused soup.


I loved these cute miniature dumplings which were tasty and the vinegar infused soup made it more appetizing so you end up having more.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon
Heng Hwa Bee Hoon is made from old rice milled by hand in Putian. The bee hoon is translucent, silky, fine, chewy but not brittle. The flavour of the bee hoon comes from the rich, milky stock of pork bones and old hens cooked for hours at heat. Infused with 10 ingredients, this dish is one of our crowd favourites.

I knew I was going to like it because the vermicelli was really tasty packed with so many different tastes.
After adding chili sauce to it, the noodles were even more appetizing that I end up eating two bowls.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
DESSERTS:
Here were the desserts we had, my favourites were the sweet potato balls because they were crispy and fluffy inside.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Purple Sweet Potato with Pumpkin Cream

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chilled Putian Loquat in Herbal Jelly

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hot Yam Paste with Ginko Nuts

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Putien rice cake

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet potato balls

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Golden rice cake

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green bean glutinous rice cake

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
On our way out, we bumped into this local celebrity who dined there two nights in a row according got to the restaurant.
She also sent a bouquet of flowers as well.

Other Hokkien restaurants in Hong Kong that I have visited:
廈門風味阿珠小吃店
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?c
ommentid=2267271&tc=sr2&con=rvw
真真美食店 Part 1
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2312612&tc=sr2&con=rvw
真真美食店 Part 2
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2290327&tc=sr2&con=rvw

Back for more Fujian grub @ 真真美食店

真真美食店 (North Point)
Came back here for more Fuijian grub, it is cheap and delicious, but overall too salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup:

Not really my favourite but it comes with the food.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Egg :

I was expecting the egg to be cold and tasteless but it was surprisingly really nice with pieces of pickled Fujian style cabbage.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fish and tofu:

The texture of the fish was really flaky and soft, the only problem was that it was really salty.
The tofu was really firm tofu and quite salty too, both were delicious with the rice but I only had half of it to go with the rice because the taste was very strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Savoury rice:

As usual, the rice was my favourite, it tastes good on its own.
The peanuts were crunchy and fresh.

The boss was sitting opposite me and he told me the sweet chili sauce would enhance the rice which it did, adding some sweetness and spicy kick to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Delicious Fujian fish

真真美食店 (North Point)

After trying the savoury rice I was craving for it again, I tried to go in April, but they were grave-sweeping in China and closed for a week.

Finally went and tried the fish which I did not try on my last visit.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Savoury rice:

The savoury rice was just as delicious as my first visit and I felt it tasted even better this time.
It was packed with goodies, such as fish, sweetcorn and peanuts.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pickled vegetables:

I have not tried this before so I just ordered it and it was quite nice, they were probably pickled cucumbers or courgettes with pieces of pork.
The pickles were quite salty and delicious with the rice but probably tasted better when paired with congee.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fujian style fish:


I did not know what this was, but alot of people had it so I ordered it too.
The texture of the fish was really nice, it was flakey and similar to WHITING.
The fish was fully flavoured and quite salty which was perfect with the rice but the fish contains really fine soft bones.
The type of fish varies depending on what fish they have that day.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

More Fujian delights hidden by a market

Shop: 真真美食店 (North Point)
Came here for more Fujian delights because they are rare in Hong Kong.

There are two more, one located in Tokwawan and the other located nearby near the North Point MTR.

I came here especially for the soup which contained stuffed intestines with pork blood.
I do not really like intestines because they smell but I thought the pork blood may be interesting.

Walking down the busy market street, there is also a tram line so trams occasionally go past.
I had trouble locating this place because the Chinese characters at the front of the restaurant were different to the ones listed on OpenRice.

Anyway, finally found it and there were a few tables, the decor was slightly old.
Sat down and the menu was very simplistic too.


Tried the order those intestines stuffed with blood but they don't do them anymore, and tried to order the Taiwanese stir fried noodles but they did not have them either, so ordered the soup with intestines and savoury rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Savoury rice:


They didnt give me a spoon but luckily the soup came with one.
The rice does not have much meat in it but it was extremely cheap and delicious with pieces of fish, Chinese mushrooms and peanuts.


It reminded me of stir fried glutinous rice but it was made with normal rice which is not so heavy.
Each grain of rice was covered in soy sauce but not overly salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup with intestines:


I just drank the soup and it was lovely and sweet because of the Chinese radishes.
There were lots of small diced Chinese radishes in the soup and the texture of the radishes were not too soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Next time I should try their daily dishes because it looks good, you can choose two items and rice for $27.

Jellied worms if you dare to try @ 閩南小食館

This joint specialising in Mun Nam cuisine is located in the back streets of uphill North Point, opposite Saizeriya.
It has a grey feel to it and a distinctive smell, the people look different, and a weird language is spoken.

I have always wanted to try these jellied worms, but the minimum order is two, so I reckon I would be freaked out twice if I had them!!
I wanted to try, but I just couldn’t, so in the end I ordered the chicken rolls and the noodles in sauce.
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Chicken roll:This is similar to the rolls in Chiu Chow cuisine, fried beancurd rolls with meat inside, the taste was nice, especially the dipping sauce, but there was lots of white fat in it.
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Noodles in Sauce:To me, this was exactly like canned spaghetti, lots of sauce and overly soft noodles.
However the sauce was much better than the tomato sauce you get in canned spaghetti, it contained oysters, vegetables and fatty meat.
The sauce was slightly peppery and creamy.
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