The Place It should be a brand familiar with most Singaporeans. With its humble beginnings from A coffee shop in Kitchener Road in 2000, Putien has opened its 14th outlet in Singapore at Great World City. The Kitchener Road outlet has also maintained its One-Michelin Star accolade over the past few years. The newest outlet of Putien spots a contemporary look, located at a corner of level 2 where the restaurant curved towards the end. The more private dining seats are also located at the back of the restaurant.

The Food I visited the Great World outlet recently and to start, I had the Starters Platter (S$18.90), a mix of Seaweed and Mini Shrimps with sauce; Braised Pig Intestine; Cold Pork Trotters Jelly and Braised Homemade Beancurd. I skipped the pig intestine, but I enjoyed the rest of the appetisers.

My visit also happened to coincide with the International Putien Eel Festival, which runs from 1 August to 31 October 2020 where exclusive eel dishes are available at Putien restaurants. The eels are sourced from Shunde, Guangdong – the “Hometown of Eels in China”, and I was previously unaware that eel is such a big seasonal offering at Putien. If you are thinking of the Japanese unagi style, it is totally different in the way the eels are served.

One of the new eel dish this year is the Baked Eel Dressed in Garlic & Puning Bean Sauce (S$39.90) which is served with fermented bean paste sauce. The eel flavour is fresh and the bean paste sauce elevates the overall flavour. Just a caution to be wary of the small bones.

Another eel dish from previous years, the Eel Cooked in Natural Spring Water ($39.90) has a pretty interesting preparation. The raw eel was first presented to our table, before the spring water was poured into the pot, and there is a timer to let the eel simmer for 10 minutes. The eel here is seasoned simply with ginger, goji berries and salt, and the resulting taste of the eel is very light such that you can just taste the freshness of it.

The last eel dish I tried was the Eel Pan-fried on Hot Plate (S$39.90). Go for this if you prefer a stronger flavour for the eel. The texture of the eel here is crisp as seen from its golden texture.

You should not just have eel at Putien. Some classic dishes I had like the Stir-fried Yam (S$14.90) and Putien Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees (S$14.90) are delicious. The fried glossy looking yam is simply addictive, while the sweet and sour pork is very tender.

Another classic dish at Putien is the Putien Fujian Lor Mee (from S$10.90). This comforting dish is great for sharing, and it stands out for the luscious broth.

My meal concluded with the Lotus Seed with White Fungus Soup (S$5.90) dessert, a nutritious option on the menu.

Rants The prices of dishes at Putien are generally higher than other Chinese restaurants in the same league.

Will I Return Again? Putien dishes are comforting and good, and is definitely one of the popular Chinese restaurants in Singapore. If you love eel, the ongoing seasonal eel dishes are worth trying.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Putien Great World
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#02-149/151
Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6235 5079

Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 11:30am to 3pm; 5:30pm to 10pm

Ranted by The Ranter