Since all 3 families stayed at Serangoon (just 2 streets across), the most convenient place to dine will be at Nex Mall.
Decided to go Pu Tien since we all like Chinese food (and it won't go wrong with the folks).
With more people, we get to order more variety too!
Main #1: Spinach w Special Gravy (上汤苋菜)
I love love this dish! It's a common dish which you can see in other Chinese Restaurant but what makes this dish in Pu Tien so special is really the 上汤 (gravy). As you can see, there's only century egg. But ain't there supposed to have 2 types of egg? The salted egg seemed to be missing from the picture (though i think there's only a bit of the salted egg yolk). It's in fact blended in the gravy! The gravy has got the kick from the essence of the salted egg yolk. Even after we finished the veg, we didn't allow the waitress to clear the plate cos we want the gravy to go with the rice.
Main #2: Pu Tien Kong Bak Pau with Pork Stripes (黄金荷叶包)
Another MUST-ORDER dish! The kong bak pau is fried till golden crispy with sesame seeds, and the meat is in fact cut in stripes and stir-fried with onions. Very juicy indeed. Together with the bun, it's a perfect match!
Main #3: Sweet & Sour Squirrel Fish (风味松鼠鱼)
The fish is fried till crispy on the outside and the meat is fresh and soft on the inside. Another plus point about this dish is the addition of Pine Nuts as the garnish! Pine nuts I think are not cheap. Children will also like this dish.
Main #4: Cabbage soup with Beancurd (大白菜炖软豆腐）
The reason why this picture is so blur is because it's piping hot!
Cabbage itself is a 'cold' dish. By cold, I mean 寒/凉 for the body. Hence, the soup is usually boiled with Ginger to counter the coldness. The doufu is also special (like a combination of tau pok and doufu).
Main #5: Xing Hua Fried Mee Hoon 兴化米粉
I think this is also a traditional Pu Tien dish. Stir-fried with a lot of ingredients - veggie, seaweed, roasted peanuts, pork, scallops, egg and la-la! Simple dish, simple pleasures.
We had a very filling dinner. The bill amounts to about $150 (for 6 pax, so about $20+ per pax). A nice place to dine out with family. The dishes are like home-cooked food (家常菜), simple yet it's something which you can save the hassle of cooking at home and get to taste such delicious home-cooked food.
I would definitely recommend this place!