Le Chasseur – Good Zhi Char

Le Chasseur is not a French restaurant or bistro, instead, it is a Zhi Char place. It has been on my food radar for a while, but I have not got a chance to give it a try until the turn of this year with two makan kakis

Le Chasseur

Located in Eunos industrial area, Le Chasseur occupied the whole canteen on block 27. One-third of the seating area is allocated specifically for Le Chasseur customers, while the rest are open to other hawker stalls.

For those who have never been to Le Chasseur, you need to go to the counter to get the order sheet / menu, fill it up and pass it to the counter or the service staff. It was my first time here, so actually went to the counter as no one approached me. You only pay your bill after you finish eating. For drinks, you need to order and pay at the drink stall.

Order Sheet - Jan 2022

Claypot Chicken Rice ($13, small). When the service staff brought this dish to the table, he also helps us do the mixing. He was gentle on the sweet sauce, therefore not all the rice turned brown and become overly sweet. It has a nice smoky aroma, accompanied by succulent chicken meat. The rice is a little over al-dente and you taste the salted fish in between scoops of the rice. Though it is nice, I find it is lacking the OMPH factor. At first, I thought the portion is small, however, it can easily feed 2 to 3 pax.

Claypot Chicken Rice

Ngor Hiang ($5). Crispy exterior, followed by juicy and succulent fillings with intermittent crunchy texture from the chestnut bits. It is very tasty and delicious; we ordered another plate so everyone got enough.

Ngor Hiang

Barbequed Cuttlefish ($4 / 100 gram). The presentation looks very photogenic; however, the texture did not meet the expectation. It is hard and chewy. I will give this dish a miss.

Barbequed Cuttlefish 

Bitter Gourd with Beef ($10). This dish has a nice Wok Hei, while the beef is tender and juicy. The bitter gourd is sliced in a way that only gets the flesh part, nowhere near the seeds. Not bitter at all.

Bitter Gourd with Beef 

Crispy Pork Knuckle ($30, medium). Crispy and crunchy crackling skin, followed by the rich gelatinous fats under the skin and succulent flesh. While most fried pork knuckles have a burnt part, the version here is just perfect. It looks great and delivers an awesome taste. It is served with a vinegar dipping sauce to cuts through the fats from the pork. A must-order dish here.

Crispy Pork Knuckle - Front 

Crispy Pork Knuckle - Back 

Emperor Sprout with Egg ($8). This mini kai lan look-alike vegetable is not my favourite vegetable because of the slimy texture in each bite. However, Le Chasseur stir-fried this vegetable with egg and manage to cover the sliminess in the vegetables. Turning it into a pleasant dish for me.

Emperor Sprout with Egg 

Preserved Radish Omelette ($6). When this dis dish arrived, we realised that we had most probably over-ordered, but you can’t go wrong with eggs. Fragrant, fluffy with generous cai poh bits. Yum

Preserved Radish Omelette 

Overall, with a catchy name like Le Chasseur, this zhi char place surely get your attention. The Crispy Pork Knuckle, Claypot Rice, Ngor Hiang and Bitter Gourd dishes are must-order dishes. Most of them are nice and comforting and I will be back to try the rest. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7.5/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: N/A - Coffeeshop

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

Le Chasseur

27 Eunos Road 2

#01-101

Singapore 409387

T: +65 6337 7677

F: https://www.facebook.com/lechasseurSG/

OH: Daily 11.30 – 15.00; 17.30 – 21.30

PUTIEN @Jewel – DUOTOU Clam Season 2019 [MEDIA INVITE]

Baked DUOTOU Clam on Hot Plate

PUTIEN DUOTOU Clams is back at PUTIEN. With a staggering amount of 80 tons of DUOTOU Clams sold worldwide last year, you can expect this crowd-pleaser to generate more interest this year. 

This year PUTIEN culinary team will be serving DUOTOU Clams in eight different ways. Stir-fried Sambal Chives with DUOTOU Clam ($22.80) and Thai-flavoured DUOTOU Clam ($21.80) are two new dishes created for this year. The sambal is fragrant, tasted close to the traditional XO sauce. The sambal binds the tasty chives with the freshness of the DUOTOU clams nicely.

Stir-fried Sambal Chives with DUOTOU Clam 

Meanwhile, Thai-Flavoured DUOTOU Clam is more like a salad. DUOTOU clams mixed with cucumber, mango, shallots, onions, peanuts and homemade Thai Sweet Chilli dressing.  It is refreshing indeed.

Thai-Flavoured DUOTOU Clam

Thai-Flavoured DUOTOU Clam Ingredients

Baked DUOTOU Clam on Hot Plate ($21.80). The best-selling dish for three consecutive years. The DUOTOU Clams are steamed on the bed of sea salt. I tried it two different ways, first I just ate the clam on its own, as you can taste the subtle sweetness of the clam. The second way is to dip it with a touch of salt, where you can taste the brainy flavour of the clams, and enjoy the flavours of the sea.

Baked DUOTOU Clam on Hot Plate 

Baked DUOTOU Clam on Hot Plate 

Steamed DUOTOU Clam with Wine ($22.80). The clams are packed in double boiled soup bowl and steamed with Chinese Huadiao Wine. The wine helps to accentuate the flavour of the clams and add sweetness to it.

Steamed DUOTOU Clam with Wine

DUOTOU Clam Omelette ($22.80). Reminds me of Or Luak. The juicy and springy texture of the DUOTOU clams bodes well with the velvety egg texture and spring onion. Feels like a comfort dish and a good way to introduce the clams to kids.

DUOTOU Clam Omelette

Salted Spicy DUOTOU Clam ($22.80). The clams are lightly battered with chopped chilli, salt and pepper. The crispy exterior, juicy flesh plus chilli salt pepper seasoning sure making this dish a crowd pleaser.

Salted Spicy DUOTOU Clam

Steamed DUOTOU Clam with Minced Garlic ($19.80). One of the most common steaming methods of seafood with shells. It infused the clams with the sweetness of the garlic and umami flavour from the soy sauce. Good to have with rice.

Steamed DUOTOU Clam with Minced Garlic

Stir-Fried DUOTOU Clam with Ginger & Spring Onion ($21.80). One of my favourite dishes of the evening. It is fragrant and juicy, plus the gravy is just so delicious.

Stir-Fried DUOTOU Clam with Ginger & Spring Onion

The Eight types of dishes using DUOTOU Clams has its uniqueness. My personal picks are the all-time favourite Baked DUOTOU Clam on Hot Plate, Salted Spicy DUOTOU Clam, Stir-Fried DUOTOU clam with Ginger & Spring Onion.

From now till 31st July 2019, an order combination of any two different types of DUOTOU Clam dishes are priced at $39.80 (member price: S$35.80).

‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker - Original

This Media Tasting was held in the private room of PUTIEN latest outlet in Singapore, located at the new Jewel at Changi. This new 68-seater features an open kitchen for a peek at the unique preparation of three dishes, promoted as the ‘Classic Treasures of Fujian’. PUTIEN Bian Rou Soup, ‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker and PUTIEN Lor Mee.

PUTIEN @ Jewel

The PUTIEN Bian Rou soup ($4.90) is a Fujianese speciality with more than 500 years of history. The dumpling wrapper is made from pork meat, filled with more pork feelings. It is meaty, springy and swimming in robust tangy broth filled with seaweed.

PUTIEN Bian Rou soup 

‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker ($14.90). It comes with three versions now. The original, tomato and sambal. Each one of them has its own interesting flavour, and yet the yellow croakers remain perfectly steamed.

‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker - Tomato

‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker - Sambal

PUTIEN Lor Mee. Signature PUTIEN dish. The silky noodle, cooked with pork belly, prawn and clam and braised with the superb pork stock. I never miss ordering this whenever I am dining at PUTIEN.  

PUTIEN Lor Mee

PUTIEN Lor Mee

PUTIEN Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees ($14.90). Crispy exterior with juicy and succulent pork internally. The combination of tomato sauce and sweetness of the lychee made this a very appetizing dish. I was hoping the portion can be bigger.

PUTIEN Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees

Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Fruits ($4.90). Cold, smooth and refreshing. Yum Yum.

Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Fruits 

Overall, the opening of PUTIEN at Jewel making PUTIEN accessible almost island wide in Singapore. The DUOTOU clams are a must try during this clam seasons as you can have it fresh. Cheers!!

Thank you very much to Relish PR and PUTIEN Team for the tasting invitation.

Food: 7.75/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50, $51 - $80

PUTIEN @ Jewel

78 Airport Boulevard

#02-249 Jewel Changi International Airport

Singapore 819666

T: +65 6908 5182

W: http://www.putien.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/PUTIEN.RESTAURANT/

IG: @putien_sg

OH: Daily, 11.30 – 16.00 (LO 15.30), 17.30 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)

PUTIEN – Feast To A Prosperous New Year [MEDIA INVITE]

PUTIEN Pot of Goodies - Abalone

Well-loved for its quality cuisine and warm service, PUTIEN will once again be hosting Lunar New Year celebrations with a bountiful spread of festive delicacies. The highlight for this year includes ‘Pot of Goodies’ and Prosperity Yu Sheng.

PUTIEN Pot of Goodies - Abalone

Pot of Goodies Abalone ($498 for 10 pax) is PUTIEN version of Pen Chai, filled to the brim with top-grade ingredients such as Abalone, Dried Oysters, Scallops, Roast Pork, Prawns, Fishcake, Seaweed, Shiitake Mushrooms and Chicken Wings. The broth base used to braise all the ingredients are robust and filled with collagen. As a fan of Pen Chai, I am just salivating when I am writing this review.

PUTIEN Pot of Goodies - Abalone - My Serving

Of course, Chinese New Year celebration in Singapore is not complete without the Prosperity Yu Sheng ($49.80 for Large). The vegetables are fresh and crunchy. The sweetness level of the sauce is just right, on top of that, PUTIEN also added their signature seaweed in their Yu Sheng.

Prosperity Yu Sheng

Prosperity Yu Sheng - Ready for Tossing

Steam Soon Hock in soya sauce. The fish is fresh and steamed perfectly, the superior soya sauce just enhances the natural sweetness of the soon hock. Spring onions are added for finishing touch. Simple, yet perfectly executed.

Steam Soon Hock

PUTIEN Style Pork Ribs. Tender and succulent pork ribs braised with gooey sweet sauce. Keep a look out for the surprise ingredient at the bottom of the ribs, Wai San. This root vegetable helps to thicken the gravy and balance the fattiness of the ribs.

PUTIEN Style Pork Ribs

Stir-Fried Yam. One of 10 PUTIEN Signature dish. Caramelised externally, yet soft and moist internally plus filled with the delicious flavour of the yam. Yammy!!!

Stir-Fried Yam - Yammy!!

Conpoy with White Mushroom and Broccoli. What a delicious way to cook broccoli. The broccoli is crunchy, while the flavour from white mushroom, combines with conpoy (dried scallops) and abalone sauce made this gravy so heavenly. This is a “Rice Thief” dish, where I can polish off a bowl of rice with the gravy alone.

Conpoy with White Mushroom and Broccoli

Longevity Noodles. Looks similar to PUTIEN Lor Mee, the broth is milky and robust, the combination of the eggs, peanuts and seaweed is just signature PUTIEN. However, the noodle texture is too mushy for my liking.

Longevity Noodles

White Fungus Soup with Longan and Red Dates. The red dates and sweet broth are very sweet indeed. However, as the sweetness represents diners with the outlook of a sweet and successful new year, I just enjoyed it.

White Fungus Soup with Longan and Red Dates

Feast To A Prosperous New Year

When: Now until 19 February 2019 (Closed on the 1^st day of CNY, 5 Feb 2019)

Where: All PUTIEN Outlet in Singapore

For more information: http://www.putien.com/event/chinese-new-year-set-menu/

CNI Set Menu Page 1 - Image Credit: PUTIEN

CNI Set Menu Page 2 - Image Credit: PUTIEN

Thank you very much to Relish PR and PUTIEN Team for the tasting invitation.

Food: 7.75/10

Value: 9/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.75/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50; $51 - $80

PUTIEN

127 Kitchener Road

Singapore 208514

T: +65 6295 6358

W: http://www.putien.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/PUTIEN.RESTAURANT/

IG: @putien_sg

OH: Daily, 11.30 – 15.00 (LO 14.30), 17.30 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)

PUTIEN at Kitchener Road – Award Winning Fujian Cuisine [MEDIA INVITE]

Deep Fried Pork Trotters with Salt and Pepper

PUTIEN is a Singapore restaurant with its roots traced back to the city of Putian, a coastal suburb in Fujian, CHINA. Currently, one of the most well-known Fujian restaurants in ASIA, it currently has more than 53 outlets and growing.

In Singapore, the jewel of the restaurant is the outlet at Kitchener Road. It has won numerous prestigious awards, including Michelin One-Star Restaurant in 2016, 2017 and 2018.  Personally, I have visited other branch of PUTIEN, however, this is the first time I ever tried the food in Kitchener Road.

PUTIEN Lor Mee ($9.80 for Small, $19.50 for Medium and $28.80 for Large). A must order dish when you dine in PUTIEN. The noodle is cooked in a rich milky stock, together with the fresh clams. You will also find dried shrimp (Hae Bee) and small scallops that gave the broth its umami flavour.

PUTIEN Lor Mee (Individual Serving)

Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon ($9.80) is a very popular dish for a Heng Hwa restaurant in Singapore. The bee hoon is smooth with a touch of springiness, bursting with flavours from the broth it is cooked with. Simple looking, yet delicious.

Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon (Individual Serving)

PUTIEN Bian Rou Soup ($4.80 per pax). The first time I tried this soup. Looks like a mini wanton, however, the wrapper is made of pork meat. It is good, but pork flavour in the skin is very delicate not recognisable at first. After a few bites, you will notice the uniqueness of the wrapper.

PUTIEN Bian Rou Soup 

Seaweed with Mini Shrimps Dressed with Sauce ($7.90) and Stir-fried Yam ($13.90). The seaweed is an appetizing starter, as the chilled seaweed is tossed mini shrimps and vinegar dressing. While the stir-fried yum, is a fusion between sweet and savoury with crispy and crunchy.

Seaweed with Mini Shrimps Dressed with Sauce 

Stir-fried Yam

‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker ($13.80). The yellow croaker fish, butterfly, and steamed in a claypot for 100 seconds. The result is  a perfectly cooked fish with tender and almost boneless flesh. The broth can be drink as a soup as well, without worrying about the fishy aroma. Yum Yum.

‘100-Second’ Stewed Yellow Croaker

Deep Fried Pork Trotters with Salt and Pepper ($6.50 per piece, min order 2 pcs). This dish only uses the front hind trotters. The skin is crispy, while there is not much meat on the hind, you will be sinking your teeth into the tendon and collagen.

Deep Fried Pork Trotters with Salt and Pepper

PUTIEN Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees ($13.90 for Small, $20.90 for Medium). Tender and succulent sweet and sour pork. The sweetness added a different type of sweetness to this dish.

PUTIEN Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees

Spinach in Supreme Stock ($13.90 for Small, $20.90 for Medium). Spinach cooked in the egg infused broth with salted egg and century egg. While this is a common dish in most of the restaurant, I have to admit the blend of the egg in the broth gave this dish in PUTIEN a slight edge. A flavour bomb vegetable dish indeed.

Spinach in Supreme Stock

Overall, dining at PUTIEN Kitchener Road is definitely different from other PUTIEN outlet. I visited the outlet at Parkway Parade a few times, however, it seems the dishes at the Kitchener branch is another level higher. Not only the food is delicious, but the price is pocket-friendly as well. If you like PUTIEN, give this branch a try.

Food: 7.75/10

Value: 9/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.75/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50

Madam Leng Mooncakes at PUTIEN

During the Mid-Autumn Celebration, PUTIEN sale Madam Leng Mooncakes. Founded by Madam Leng Ah Eng, the longest-serving stalwart in PUTIEN, she has been making her Teochew style mooncakes for almost two decades. It comes in two flavours: Yam and Purple Sweet Potato (with/without single salted egg yolk). The fillings are made using Thailand’s Premium Taro and Japan’s First Grade Purple Sweet Potato respectively.

Madam Leng Mooncakes at PUTIEN

These mooncakes are in demand during the Mid-Autumn Celebration and this year, it sold out one week before the actual day of Mid-Autumn Festival. As no preservative is used in the mooncakes, it is best consumed within 3 days of purchase. So, keep this in mind and try out Madam Leng Ah Leng mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Celebration 2019.

 

Madam Leng Mooncakes

Purple Sweet Potato (with single salted egg yolk)

PUTIEN

127 Kitchener Road

Singapore 208514

T: +65 6295 6358

W: http://www.putien.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/PUTIEN.RESTAURANT/

IG: @putien_sg

OH: Daily, 11.30 – 15.00 (LO 14.30), 17.30 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)