Heng Hwa Bee Hoon Got to know about the existence of 小农田 Putian Cuisine fairly recently, considering how we had found out about them through their social media pages. A new entrant into the local F&B scene here, 小农田 Putian Cuisine’s very first location since the establishment of the brand is at Blk 201C Tampines Street 21. Whilst we were already planning to make a visit to their very first location, we had chanced on the news on the opening of their second outlet — this outlet being located at level 5 of Far East Plaza right beside Age Ya. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Delicious Porridge (some may also remember the shop unit taken up by the now-defunct Wok Wei Kitchen before Delicious Porridge), there has been some work being made to the space since its days of being Delicious Porridge — while not much of a change was made to the layout of the space, there is a little bit of a switch-up in terms of the dining furniture and the wallpapers that narrates the story behind 小农田 Putian Cuisine. Otherwise, the space can be described as being decked in a way that is more for function than for style with its use or simple wooden furnishings for its dine-in seating area. The menu is segmented into several sections here; this includes categories dedicated to Appetisers, Main Course, Xing Hua Specialty, Herbal Soup and Vegetables. Beverages available at 小农田 Putian Cuisine at its Far East Plaza location includes Sour Plum Juice, Barley, Lemon Tea, Chinese Tea and canned drinks.
Since we were visiting 小农田 Putian Cuisine for the very first time, we decided to settle for the Heng Hwa Bee Hoon — something which we tend to gravitate to when we make our very first visit to an establishment serving up Heng Hwa / Putian cuisine for the very first time. 小农田 Putian Cuisine does not describe on the elements that are being included in their dishes on the menu; that being said, the Heng Hwa Bee Hoon at 小农田 Putian Cuisine comes with the usual suspects — think rice vermicelli, sliced-up tofu puffs, some greens, mushrooms, clams, prawns and some peanuts; all of which the ingredients that one would expect to find in the typical Heng Hwa Bee Hoon found elsewhere. Felt that the Heng Hwa Bee Hoon does pretty much hit the spot for us; the rice vermicelli here comes thin just like how we expect it to be in the usual Heng Hwa Bee Hoon — having absorbed all of the broth that it was being simmered in before being reduced and served as a dry dish, the rice vermicelli carries that umami note that one would expect out of the dish. Other elements such as the seafood do seem to be pretty fresh here, with the clams being carrying a light briny note that compliments the umami notes of the rice vermicelli; all of which being cleaned adequately and free from any grainy / sandy bits — the single prawn here is being sliced into half, itself being fresh and carried an inherent sweetness on its own. Other elements like the greens carried a refreshing crunch to refresh the tastebuds and to provide another dimension of texture to the dish, with the addition of mushrooms providing a bouncy bite and a slight earthiness. One stark omission in the rendition of the Heng Hwa Bee Hoon at 小农田 Putian Cuisine was the dried kelp that one would be able to find in most renditions of the same dish elsewhere; that being said, the rice vermicelli here carried a good umami note on its own with the broth being reduced all the way down adequately — the lack of dried kelp wouldn’t have been too obvious given the flavours that the dish came with here.
During our visit, we had also given the Putian Stir Fried Yam and the Putian Oyster Pancake a go as well; the Putian Stir Fried Yam was a dish that we particularly liked considering how it carried a malty sweetness that coats the exterior of the chunks of fried yam — the sweetness going so well with the umami and earthy notes that the soft chunks of yam carried. The Putian Stir Fried Yam comes with chunks of yam that is larger than that found at some establishments; also came with onions and spring onions for a bit of a crunch factor. We initially thought that the Putian Oyster Pancake was more akin to the omelette versions that we are used to having elsewhere — that being said, the rendition here comes all sliced-up and stacked on the plate rather than being a circular piece; these were crisp but lacked the moistness and starchy bits holding onto the chopped-up oysters like those of which that we have had at other establishments serving up Heng Hwa / Putian cuisine. Having tried just a handful of dishes from 小农田 Putian Cuisine, we did feel that most of its Heng Hwa / Putian fare are pretty authentic — case in point would be the Heng Hwa Bee Hoon and the Putian Stir Fried Yam; both of which being items that we would order as dishes to introduce Heng Hwa / Putian fare to folks whom have yet to try Heng Hwa / Putian cuisine before. There are also plenty of other dishes that exudes a Heng Hwa / Putian flair that some establishments claiming being an establishment specialising in Heng Hwa / Putian cuisine might miss out on; this includes that of the Bian Rou, as well as the Deep Fried Tenggiri Fish. With prices of the items listed in the Main Course section of the dish priced below $10 (with the exception of the Signature King Prawn Lor Mee at $13.80) and nearly all sharing dishes priced below $15, 小农田 Putian Cuisine does present itself as a decent alternative, wallet-friendly dining option hidden in Far East Plaza without the grandeur that Putien at ION Orchard exudes.
