[Review] PUTIEN’s 26th Anniversary Menu Brings Back Old Favourites and Fond Family Memories

PUTIEN is celebrating its 26th anniversary with a special menu that brings together nostalgic favourites, new dishes and seasonal ingredients inspired by Fujian cuisine. Available at its original Kitchener Road restaurant, the anniversary selection offers diners a chance to revisit some of the dishes that helped establish the Singapore-born restaurant brand, alongside regional specialities that may be less familiar to local diners.

For me, however, PUTIEN has always been more than just another Chinese restaurant.

My grandfather on my father’s side came from Putian in Fujian, China, so there is a personal connection between my family and the cuisine that PUTIEN serves. My family has been dining at PUTIEN since its earliest days, when it was still a humble, non-air-conditioned restaurant along Kitchener Road. To see how far the brand has come since then, growing from that modest beginning into an international chain, is quite something.

The restaurant also holds many personal memories for me. It was my late father’s favourite restaurant, and it was where we celebrated his last birthday. Returning to PUTIEN today brings back those memories, making this anniversary tasting particularly meaningful.

Founded by Fong Chi Chung, affectionately known as Uncle Fong, PUTIEN opened its first restaurant in 2000 to bring the flavours of his hometown to Singapore. Twenty-six years later, the emphasis on fresh ingredients and Fujian cooking remains central to its menu. The anniversary selection reflects both the restaurant’s history and its efforts to introduce these regional flavours to a new generation of diners.

We sampled 18 dishes during our visit, starting with appetisers before moving on to seafood, meat, vegetables and noodles, before ending with two traditional desserts.

We began with Ginger Olives (S$5), a traditional Putian appetiser that balances sweet, sour and mildly spicy flavours. Previously served at the request of regular customers, the appetiser has now officially joined PUTIEN’s menu.

Next came Drunken Cockles (S$12), a familiar favourite that showcases the restaurant’s preference for letting fresh seafood speak for itself.

The cockles are briefly blanched, chilled and served on the half shell, accompanied by minced garlic, red chilli and a lightly sweet rice wine marinade. The combination brings together the natural brininess of the shellfish with aromatic and mildly spicy notes.

The Sweet & Sour Century Egg (S$8) was one of the more distinctive dishes of the tasting. Returning from PUTIEN’s original menu, the dish features wedges of century egg coated in batter, deep-fried until crisp and tossed in a house-made sweet and sour sauce.

The contrast between the crisp exterior and the century egg’s creamy, savoury centre gives this traditional Chinese ingredient a different character.

Another regional speciality followed in the form of Fujian “Tusun” Jelly (S$9). This traditional Fujian snack is made by simmering marine worms to release their natural gelatin before allowing the liquid to set.

PUTIEN’s version incorporates octopus to make it more accessible, providing a firmer bite against the jelly’s delicate texture. Served with savoury, sweet and sour seasonings, it offers a glimpse into a lesser-known aspect of Fujian food culture.

The Seaweed and Mini Shrimp Dressed with Sauce (S$8) brought a lighter seafood flavour to the table. Made with seasonal first-harvest seaweed flown to Singapore, the dish highlights the ingredient’s natural sweetness and delicate oceanic notes. The mini shrimp provide additional savouriness.

The seaweed is hand-picked during a limited 15-day harvest window and sun-dried for 48 hours. Its seasonal appearance is one of the highlights of this anniversary menu, with the ingredient also featured in a soup served later in the meal.

We then moved on to Stir-fried Sotong (S$19), one of the newer additions to the Kitchener Road menu.

The squid is scored and quickly stir-fried with garlic, ginger and vegetables in a light savoury sauce, with Shaoxing wine added towards the end. This was one of my favourite dishes for the night, best enjoyed immediately when it is served hot.

One of the more substantial dishes was the Di Lu Muscovy Duck in Natural Essence (S$29 for half, S$58 for a whole duck).

The preparation uses a traditional steaming technique without adding water, allowing the juices released by the duck to collect into a concentrated essence.

The term “Di Lu” in Chinese loosely translate to the collection of dew drops. Rather than relying on a heavily seasoned sauce, the dish centres on the natural flavour of the meat and the liquid produced during cooking. This was another of my favourites.

For vegetables, we had the Seasonal Vegetables in Superior Stock (S$16 for a small portion, S$23 for a large portion).

This is a useful accompaniment to the richer seafood and meat dishes, offering a lighter element to balance the meal.

The Tong’an Pan-fried Crab (S$38 per crab) was another notable addition to the anniversary selection.

Named after the Tong’an district of Xiamen, this traditional Minnan preparation involves halving fresh mud crabs and pan-frying them flesh-side down with sliced ginger, black sesame oil and Fujian rice wine.

The restrained seasoning is intended to bring out the crab’s natural sweetness, with the ginger and rice wine adding fragrance and depth.

Moving from seafood to meat, the PUTIEN Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees (S$17 for a small portion, S$25 for a large portion) offered a more familiar flavour profile.

Pork shoulder is prepared to achieve a crisp exterior while retaining a tender centre, then paired with lychees for a fruity counterpoint to the tangy sauce.

The Herbal Prawn (S$22) is another returning classic, presented in the original sharing style rather than individual portions.

Prawns are cooked with Chinese herbs and Chinese wine, then served in a specially made bamboo vessel.

The return of this presentation also offers a look back at how PUTIEN served the dish during its earlier years.

Next was Stir-fried Yam (S$15 for a small portion, S$22 for a large portion), a dish that demonstrates how a relatively humble ingredient can become a satisfying part of a Fujian meal.

PUTIEN uses the tender centre of Binlang yam, cooking it until the exterior develops a golden, caramelised finish while the inside remains light and creamy. This dish is a perennial family favourite of ours.

The PUTIEN Oyster Omelette (S$17) is another dish returning from the restaurant’s original menu.

Made with eggs, small oysters and sweet potato starch, it revisits the preparation served before PUTIEN introduced a later egg-free rendition. The combination of egg and starch gives the omelette its characteristic texture, while the oysters contribute a distinctively briny flavour. Its return will be particularly interesting to regular customers who remember the earlier version.

We continued with the Seaweed with Crab Meat Soup (S$18 for a small portion, S$27 for a large portion), a seasonal dish that makes further use of the first-harvest seaweed featured earlier in the meal.

The seaweed contributes natural sweetness and umami to the soup, while the crab meat adds a delicate seafood flavour. Compared with the dressed seaweed appetiser, the soup presents the ingredient in a warmer, more comforting form. It is also available exclusively at the Kitchener Road restaurant as part of the anniversary selection.

For the noodle course, we had the Fujian Seafood Lor Mee (S$15 for a small portion, S$28 for a large portion).

This is one of PUTIEN’s longstanding favourites and is now served in a claypot. The dish brings together noodles, seafood and a savoury gravy, making it a substantial option towards the end of the meal.

The noodles take on the flavours of the gravy, while the seafood adds variety to each mouthful. It is a fitting reminder that some of the restaurant’s most enduring dishes remain central to its identity even as the menu evolves.

We also had the Shredded Pork with Sesame Bun (S$12 for two pieces, with additional pieces at S$6 each), another familiar PUTIEN favourite.

Tender shredded pork and sweet onions are tucked into handmade golden sesame buns, bringing together a savoury filling and lightly sweet bread.

For dessert, we ended with two steamed traditional sweet confectionary items.

The PUTIEN Red Festive Cake (S$8 for three pieces) brings a festive touch to the table.

Its red colour gives it a distinctive appearance, while its traditional confectionery style makes it a fitting choice for a celebratory meal.

The final dish was the PUTIEN Pressed Rice Cake (S$8 for three pieces).

Made from rice and pressed into shape, these bite-sized cakes offer a traditional finish to the meal.

Alongside the Red Festive Cake, they round off the anniversary tasting with familiar Chinese confectionery rather than an elaborate modern dessert. The two sweets also reinforce the sense that this menu is as much about heritage and tradition as it is about introducing new dishes.

PUTIEN’s 26th anniversary menu is an interesting mix of nostalgia, regional Fujian cooking and seasonal ingredients. The returning dishes give longtime customers an opportunity to revisit preparations that disappeared from the menu years ago, while newer additions such as the Tong’an Pan-fried Crab and Di Lu Muscovy Duck introduce diners to traditional cooking techniques associated with Fujian.

For me, though, the significance of this visit goes beyond the dishes themselves.

Having a grandfather from Putian, I grew up with a connection to the cuisine that PUTIEN represents. My family has been dining here since its early days. Over the years, the restaurant has grown tremendously, but its place in our family story has remained.

It was my late father’s favourite restaurant, and the fact that we celebrated his last birthday here makes every return visit especially meaningful. Food has a way of bringing people and memories back to us, sometimes through a familiar flavour, sometimes through the simple act of sitting around the same table.

As PUTIEN celebrates 26 years, I find myself reflecting not just on how much the restaurant has grown, but also on the years of family meals and memories associated with it. For longtime customers, the returning classics may bring back memories of earlier visits. For my family, PUTIEN represents something more personal: a connection to our Fujian roots and a place that will always remind us of my father.

Some restaurants become part of a family’s traditions without anyone planning for it. You simply keep returning, year after year, until the place becomes woven into your memories. For me, PUTIEN has been one of those places, and that is what makes this anniversary particularly special.

PUTIEN Kitchener Road

Address:
127 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208514

Tel: +65 6295 6358

A Taste of Chongqing in Singapore: Uncle Fong Hotpot (方叔叔重慶老火鍋) Brings Fiery Authenticity to Suntec City