Putien – One Michelin Star restaurant

March 10, 2021

Fong Chi Chung, founder of Singapore based Putien restaurant chain, never thought that his love for his hometown cuisine in Putian, Fujian, China, would take him this far with a one Michelin Star along the way (2016 - 2019) and other prestige awards. Putian is situated in the central part of the coastal province of Fujian. The Putien cuisine is unpretentious, simple and pure using seasonal harvests from the sea and land according to its Brand Story. The people of Putian are proud Henghuas (Xinghua or Hinghua) who love their Mazu (Goddess of the sea) culture.  

Mr Fong started his first Putien eatery in Kitchener Road, Singapore in 2000. He lost money for the first 3 years but struggled on. What led to his eventual success was his dedication in getting the freshest ingredients for his cuisine and cooked in a simple and pure manner as reflective of how the Henghuas enjoyed their cuisine back home in coastal Putian.  Fujian’s famous Yellow Croaker fish is now a signature stewed dish in Hong Kong and in all Putien restaurants. 200g of the Yellow Croaker is cooked for exactly 100 seconds to ensure that the fish retains its freshness.  

Putien is now in Malaysia with outlets at Atria Shopping Gallery, 1 Utama, Sunway Pyramid, The Gardens Mall, SS15 Courtyard, Sunway Velocity, Gurney Paragon, Puchong IOI Mall and Pavillion Kuala Lumpur.  

Read more 

  1. Putien. Brand story. https://putien.com.my/about-us/brand-story/ 
  2. Vulcan Post. 2 March 2018. Zafirah Salim. Meet the man who transformed an unprofitable ‘kopitiam” eatery into a Chinese restaurant empire. https://vulcanpost.com/634232/putien-founder-chinese-restaurant-empire/ 
  3. Enterprise Singapore. Putien. Mom’s home cooked meals for the whole world. https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/inspiring-stories/putien 
  4. The Straits Times. 23 November 2020. Ven Sreenivasan. Putien: From hometown dishes to household name and global brand. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/putien-from-hometown-dishes-to-household-name-and-global-brand 
  5. Michelin Guide. 14 October 2020. F&B Insiders: Why Putien Founder Fong Chi Chung Shares 30% Of Profits With His Restaurant Staff. https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/article/people/putien-founder-fong-chi-chung-20th-anniversary 
  6. Putien Menu. https://www.putien.com/menu/