Putien @ Ion Orchard - Duo Tou Clam, A Delicacy For Over 600 Years

It has been a good 5 years since I last visited Putien. My memorable of Putien has been their homely Xing Hua cuisine. It seems like during these 5 years, the culinary standard at Putien has been elevated to a new level. I was pleasantly surprised with the food during my recent visit to Putien at Ion Orchard to check out Putien Ingredient Festival 2016 with the Putien Duo Tou Clams Festival spearheading the celebration from April to August.

So what is so special about Dou Tou Clams? Apparently this unique specialty from Dou Tou Village in the Hanjiang district of Putian has over 600 years of history. The golden shell clams that are harvested are second to none mainly because of the rare black mud where they are bred, which is rich in nutrients, pure and with little sand particles. Hence the clams are especially plump and meaty, growing up to 6cm in length.

Steamed Putien Clam with Minced Garlic 4.2/5

During the Duo Tou Clam Festival from April to August, Putien will showcase numerous way of cooking this delicacy. The Steamed Putien Clam with Minced Garlic ($20.90/$31.90) is steamed lightly with minced garlic, spring onion and chillis. To enjoy the sweetness of the clam, drizzled a bit of the soy sauce in the middle onto the calm, and eat it together with the minced garlic.

Steamed Putien Clam with Wine 4.2/5

The Steamed Putien with Wine ($20.90/$31.90) is filled to the the brim with Duo Tou clam. It is then steamed in a upright form with Hua Diao Chinese wine. The natural sweetness of the clam is further perfumed by the aroma of the Chinese wine. That's not all, don't forget to drink the essence of the broth at the bottom of the bowl that collected the juicy of the clam.

Salted Spicy Putien Clam 3/5

The Salted Spicy Putien Clam ($20.90/$31.90) comes with a flour batter coated around the Duo Tou clam and deep fried to crispy before lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. I thought the batter was a bit thick and I could not really taste the sweetness of clam which I got to enjoy in the other cooking styles.

Putien Clam Omelette 3.5/5

A reminiscent of home cooking, exactly the way how the people in the village in Putian enjoys it is the Putien Clam Omelette ($20.90/$31.90). A simple execution but has that comforting feeling of home dining. Must to pair it with the Putien homemade chilli sauce.

Stir Fried Putien Clam with Ginger and Spring Onion 4.5/5

The golden coloured shell of the Duo Tou Clam can be seen in this dish. The traditional way of cooking the juicy and meaty clams is to stir fried it with ginger and spring onion. The Stir Fried Putien Clam with Ginger and Spring Onion ($20.90/$31.90) is wholesomely executed for the fullest appreciation of its natural sweetness.

Baked Putien Clam on Hot Plate 4.5/5

The Baked Putien Clam on Hot Plate ($20.90/$31.90) is the next best way to bring out the natural sweetness of the clam with a gentle dip of the sea salt. It felt like a gentle sea breeze blowing onto the shore, tantalizing the taste buds with a natural briny goodness.

Putien Clam Soup with Tofu Meatballs 4.2/5

The Putien Clam Soup with Tofu Meatballs ($20.90/$31.90) is both comforting and hearty. The clams are boiled together with an assortment of cauliflower, snow peas, and tofu meatballs for the natural sweetness. While the soup is very refreshing and in which you can taste the sweetness of the clam, the other star is the tofu meatballs. Painstakingly made in house, this is one of its kind. The taste of soy bean together with the silky texture is a new for me and I could not hold my excitement in tasting something new and good in my food journey.

Putien's Duo TOu Clam Festival will be available from April to August 2016. Savour the different ways of cooking this delicacy that is second to none with over 600 years of history. Do also look forward to other promotion such as Yellow Croaker Fish Festival such from July to September 2016 and Seaweed Festival from October to December 2016.


Putien
Ion Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#04-12
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 65094296
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Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 3pm, 530pm - 10pm
Sat-Sun: 1130am - 430pm, 530pm - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

[CLOSED] Rojak Line @ Holland Drive Food Centre - Vegetarian Shrimp Paste Rojak & Toasted You Tiao Popiah

There is hope in our hawker scene when another young hawker ditched her office job and started a hawker stall at Holland Drive Food Centre selling Rojak. The month old Rojak Line is started by 31 years old Debbie, who likes rojak but cannot stands the taste of the shrimp paste. Hence she created her own vegetarian shrimp taste.

Rojak 4/5

The plate of Rojak ($4/$5/$6) comes with fruits, cucumber, toasted you tiao (dough fritter), tau pok and topped with peanuts. We like the sweet and tangy shrimp paste sauce that is used to hold the variety of ingredients together. It was only later when we chatted with the owner that we realized she is using her own special vegetarian shrimp paste sauce. We could not tell the different at all. It is really good.

The weak link for the plate of rojak is the doughy you tiao. For it to be crispier, it needs to be toasted a bit longer or at least cut into smaller size.The pineapple was not ripe enough so it was a bit hard to bite. If it is riper, the sweetness will it a nice balance to the whole execution.

Toasted You Tiao Popiah 4/5

A interested dish on the menu is the Toasted You Tiao Popiah ($2). The toasted you tiao with the special vegetarian shrimp paste sauce and peanut is wrapped with popiah skin. I thought this is an interesting way of bringing two traditional dishes together for a new eat. While my friend do not like the doughy you tiao, I thought otherwise. I find that the doughy texture suit the whole concept, as if I am chewing a churro.

Another popular item at the stall which we did not get to try as it was sold out is the Vegetarian Popiah ($1.80) that comes with turnip, carrot, salad, shitake, sweet sauce, crispy bits, peanut, chilli and garlic. Vegan may request not to have garlic.

Overall, I am impressed with the vegetarian shrimp paste sauce. This is my first time having it and I have to admit I will not be able to tell the different if the owner has not revealed to us. It is only a month into business, so I am sure there will be some fine tuning and improvement along the way. I really look forward to Rojak Line scaling new heights in the new future. All the best.


[CLOSED]
Rojak Line
Holland Drive Food Centre
Blk 44 Holland Drive
#02-13
Singapore 27044
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Nearest MRT: Buona Vista (EW Line, CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 12pm - 8pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Buona Vista MRT station. Take Exit A. Take the underpass to the other side of the MRT station. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time is about 12 minutes. [Map]