A Michelin restaurant is a fine dining establishment that could be considered a miles ahead of the rest. It stands out for the quality of both food and service. They follow a simple but strict grading standard. According to the Michelin Guide there are 3 tears and they are as follows. 1 star is “A very good restaurant in it’s category.” 2 stars means “Excellent cooking, worth a detour.” And 3 stars dictates “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” This is the experience of a 1 Star Michelin Restaurant.
Pu Tian is found in the Tianhe Mall just outside of Shipqiao Exit C. From the outside looking in it doesn’t look particularly special. Still, it’s clean. The bright wood finishing goes well with the gold trim. The chairs and tables aren’t piled on top of each other so you don’t have to worry about the waiter’s rear end making its way into you soup when he bends over to help someone else. The seats are comfortable. All around it’s well put together with an attention to all the details that make for an enjoyable dining experience.
The food is delightful. Every dish we ordered was enjoyable whether for texture or flavor or both. Everything is light but filling and leaves a general sense of satisfaction while creating expectations for the next dish.
The appetizer consisted of lightly friend seaweed with a mild seasoning. It’s the ideal appetizer in that it keeps your mouth busy without filling up your stomach before the main course. Like bread. Fucking bread.
From here you can choose any number of dishes but we enjoyed a sausage looking creation bathing in a slightly sweet, slightly spicy juice. In reality it was a load of intestines layered inside of each other like an onion. The effect was each morsel bursting in you mouth with each bite. It was tasty but gets real points for originality.
The Wonton soup is their signature dish. The broth is fun to sip and the Wontons are superbly put together. They are small with that trademark thin skin but the manage to stay together in the hot soup despite the fragility of their casing. This is likely the result of their creation process where fine meat is mixed into the dough. The procedure is interesting and you can watch it on screens strategically placed around the restaurant at your leisure.
A small dish consisting of several sweet rice cakes was the standout portion of the meal for me. The inside consisted of red bean paste while the outside was quite flowery. It was dry but intentionally so, necessitating a sip of tea with each bite. The texture was wholly unique in my dining life and I believe almost anyone would enjoy one of these fluffy little cookie concoctions.
The fish was done in a typical Chinese style in my experience but it still was done better than most other restaurants I’ve been too. The fish in it’s entirety was served in a light broth. The flavors were exceptional and genuine without being too fishy. The meat flaked off the bone with little effort. This was the ideal center piece to the meal.
The desert was a mix of berries in a black jelly. A common desert in China that completely the meal nicely. The only problem with this was we had to wait around 10 minutes for it to arrive. I was in good company so I didn’t mind but a little punctuality on sweet, fattening things is always appreciated.
All around it was a good experience. I’m not much of a foodie but I did enjoy every dish and the atmosphere was enjoyable. Also, it didn’t break the bank. It was around 300rmb for 2 people which I considered to be relatively affordable once you have committed to a meal of this quality. Give it a try, I doubt you’ll be disappointed…