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

True Blood infusion by oral administration

Had a quick catch up with my busy energetic sunshine friend, so we had a drink at The Envoy which is headed by local mixologist Antonio Lai and fellow mixologist Amanda Wan (Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2010 for Malaysia).

The Envoy is located on the 3rd floor of the classy boutique hotel The Pottinger.

As well as a bar, they serve lunches from Monday to Friday but as I don't work in Central I havent had a chance to go.

When you enter the bar, there are so many bottles, kegs and interesting mixology items around.








Towards the end, there is a dining area and a roof top bar.



As my friend was buying me a drink, I tried the award-winning True Blood #2 bloodbag cocktail inspired by Gram Stroker’s Dracula.
The one I had did not have any alcohol so I suppose it could be called True Virgin Blood!
This bag of True Blood got Antonio a second place in the BOLS AROUND THE WORLD 2014 Bartending Championship!! WELL DONE ANTONIO !!

It was not the first time I have tried Antonio's drinks.
As a non alcoholic person I was attracted by his beautiful creations at the Quinaryand Origin.
(Please see links at the end of this review for the happy bathtub drink and Earl Grey caviar.

My precious bloodbag arrived promptly and I was so excited that I forgot to take a video of it in the metal kidney dish which I am really kicking myself for that!

In the bloodbag is a nutritious cocktail of orange, lemon, cranberry and beetroot juice with a dash of homemade ginseng liqueur and Bols Genever. (Normal version).
The one I had was practically the same but without Ginseng liquer and Bols Genever.


The labelling was really cute too.

Bloodbag information:
+Delicious for vampires or humans
+Succulent source of electrolytes
+Similar nutrients to real blood
+Up to four hours of pure energy
+Delectable source of iron
+Garlic Free
+Open it for emergency

Benefits from drinking True Blood:
1.Replenish you energy by 60% after drinking
2.Strengthen your fangs
3.Block out sunlight by 20%
4.Accelerate your speed
5.Gain your glamour power

After taking pictures, I just couldn't wait to drink it.
The pouch was placed into a metal cup with ice.

Finally tried it and it was so delicious with a strong beetroot taste infused with citrus flavours.
The sweetness was just right and there was no unpleasant aftertaste.
I wish the bloodbag was bigger but blood is precious and in limited quantities~
ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ
Video of True Blood:

ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ
KGB cocktail at Ori-gin:
http://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.hk/2013/11/ori-gin-it-all-begins-with-gin.html
Drinks at Quinary:
http://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.hk/2013/11/quinarys-magical-journey-of-five-senses.html
ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ

Great food but better hygiene required

I have never heard of this restaurant but decided to go when I saw photos of the food posted by a fellow foodie.

This restaurant has been in business since 1998!!!

I was on my way there (on the 28th June) however I ended up going elsewhere because that restaurant had a captivating brunch.
After brunch I was still hungry so decided to check this place out for the squids but the staff said they were out of stock so I didn't dine there.
She took my number and called me back on Monday evening as promised (June 30th) so I decided to go the next day (1st July which was a public holiday).

Arrived and was allocated a nice big table.

The decor of this place was really nice.


The table next to me slightly irritated me because this local Chinese guy was talking really loudly and you could feel his voice resonate in your head.

Anyway, this was a minor issue as they had nearly finished and then left so it was nice and quiet.

Started off with the soups and found a strand of black hair in it.

This was promptly changed and I didn't think anymore of it.

However when we had dessert, my friend found a long strand of hair in the dessert!!!!!
It must be a 1 in a million chance of more than one person finding a strand of hair in two different dishes!!!

Now back to the food.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stuffed baby squid with prawn and almonds:

This was amazing especially the squid ink sauce, each squid was tender filled with aromatic almonds in the middle.
The remaining squid ink sauce in the dish was not wasted because it was delicious with bread and potatoes.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roasted suckling pig:

The suckling pig was tender and soft, the skin was crisp and delicious.
A definite must order.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried milk with toffee reduction:


This was a bit sweet but I loved it, it had a light crispy coating and inside there was curded milk flavoured by the delicious toffee sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

The food was great so I do intend to go again.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Ole Spanish Restaurant (Central)

1/F, Shun Ho Tower, 24-30 Ice House Street,, Central

Having LN2 icecream at InnoVeggie

While I was dining at InnoVeggies, the Pretty manageress gave me some icecream from LabMade.

Tried the beancurd icecream and HK crispy toast.

The HK crispy toast was surprisingly good because it was cooling with pieces of crispy toast and the icecream was not so sweet.

The beancurd icecream had a lighter taste but the beancurd taste was prominent and it actually had pieces of chewy beancurd skin in it.

Venturing into Shamshuipo for food

Whenever people go to Shamshuipo, all they have is rice rolls, noodles with liver and tossed noodles.
Shamshuipo is also famous at night and there are many places to go if you know where.

On this visit, I joined a group of locals because I would not know how to get there and what to order.

The restaurant is quite secluded which explains why there are often celebrities dining there.

On the menu, there is a wide variety including retro dishes and new dishes with pictures.

Here was what we had.

Started off with a light but filling soup filled with wholesome goodies such as mustard greens, tofu and meat.
I loved the tofu and greens which were nourishing and the broth was nice with a hint of mustard green and soya bean taste.

Then came the claypot of glutinous rice with preserved meats.
Usually preserved meats give off a strange waxy smell but this did not so I really enjoyed it and each grain of rice was distinct and al-dente.

Then we tried chicken served in three different styles.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
1.「白切雞」
Steamed plain chicken

The plain chicken was great because you could taste the natrual taste of the chicken and chicken skin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
2.「沙彊雞」
Steamed chicken with ginger puree

This was similar to the first but the sauce gave it an extra kick because there was some chili in it as well as ginger so the chicken was really tasty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
3.「土匪雞」
Bandit chicken (roast chicken)

As a Westerner, this was my favourite.
It was perfectly roasted chicken with crispy skin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Overall, the chicken had the texture and taste that chickens should have because they have been frozen at -65 degrees during the crucial 48 hours as soon as they have been slaughtered which preserves the taste and texture.
According to the staff, the chickens come from a town called Humen in Dong Guan and are selected for consumption when they are 3 months old and weigh 1.25kg (2.5catty).
They are corn fed and have not been administered antiobiotics.

大中華飯店 (長沙灣)