Invited: Patin Place @ Bandar Puchong Utama

Patin Place has 3 secret weapons:

• Fresh Patin river fish from Temerloh
• Tempoyak (Fermented Durian) Sauce (Temerloh Specialty)
• Special Charcoal + Special Oven which have Dry Steam (Sauna) effect on the fish, allowing the fish to maintain its original form and slowly releasing the moisture (“sweating”) after the fish is served

Patin Place is located at Bandar Puchong Utama, about 300 meters from the Famous Batu 14 Puchong Yong Foo, near the rows of shops. The shop is at a quiet corner lot with plenty of parking, and it does have an attractive exterior especially during the night.

Bandar Temerloh tanah kelahiranku,
Sungai Pahang tempat bersiram semua,
Patin Tempoyak santapan rajaku,
Resipi temurun khas dari kota.

From the above pantun, the royal dish of Patin Tempoyak is something everyone must try if you are at Patin Place. The friendly and chatty owner, Jerry, is very proud of his masterpiece of “3 Secret Weapons” for Patin Place with good reasons, which shall be unfolded through the food offered.

The recommended drink is Guava Assam Buoy, which is very nice, refreshing and appetizing.

Guava Assam Buoy

The first dish is Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam (RM 8.90), which is superb in both aesthetic and taste. To complement this dish, you need Gulai Assam Tempoyak, which are too strong to be consumed alone, but goes perfectly with the rice. Fermented Durian in my rice? I have to admit that tempoyak is an acquired taste, but the smell of durian is mild, and it’s very tasty when mixed with rice, or fish. We had some Sambal Sotong (Dry Cuttlefish) and Rendang Beef to go with the rice, and Chinese Kailan which is fresh and crispy. For a better taste of the tempoyak during lunch, Nasi Lemak “Dry Steam” Ayam Tempoyak is a better choice.

Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam

Nasi Lemak “Dry Steam” Ayam Tempoyak

Chinese Kailan

The highlight of the day is the Royal dish of “Dry Steam” Patin Tempoyak with Petai (RM 68). What is this “Dry Steam”? The Japanese call it “Sauna”, and it’s the pride and joy of the owner, where he invented a new cooking process using a special charcoal and a special oven. The charcoal is smokeless and odorless (like those used in Korean BBQ), which last longer and cooked the meat without spoiling the texture. What about the Special oven? It’s a trade secret, but one of the usages is “Dry Steam”, allowing the fish to maintain its original form and slowly releasing the moisture (“sweating” ala Sauna) after the fish is served. The moisture slowly bubbling up after you tear opens the fish, which maintain the nice texture and taste of the Patin. The Tempoyak cooked with Lemon and Petai provided a very refreshing taste for the fresh river Patin, it’s like a match made in heaven, Perfecto! It’s very tasty and appetizing, and you probably won’t notice it’s fermented durian if you are not told about it. Fermented durian or not, it’s definitely an eye-opener dish and a must try!

“Dry Steam” Patin Tempoyak with Petai (RM 68)

Moisture is slowly released due to the Sauna / Dry Steam effect

The second main dish is Smoked Patin Salai (feels like Ikan Bakar, but not really grilled) with a split skin effect (the flesh detached from the skin easily), and spicy sauce on top of it. The flesh manages to retain its moisture, and I personally enjoy the smoked-style with spicy sauce. You are advised not eat or break the skin, as after you finish the flesh, they will “fried” the skin and you will have another round of crispy fish skin (like the fried salmon skin served in restaurant). Double enjoyment for the price of one dish, yeah! The salai is served with a special peanut sauce, which is really nice.

Smoked Patin Salai

Peanut Sauce

Crispy Fish Skin

The third dish is Talapia wrapped in Lotus Leaf served with special in-house sauce, with no trace of tempoyak, a great choice for those who can’t accept the idea of durian in their meal. Though this is a good dish, but my taste bud is overtaken by the Royal “Dry Steam” Patin Tempoyak with Petai and Smoked Petai Salai.

Talapia wrapped in Lotus Leaf

There have 3 special sauces for sauce lover, the orange one is quite spicy, but all three of them are really refreshing. I found the sauce redundant as this stage as the fish are already very tasty in their own special way, and the sauce would probably spoilt them, best to keep them for other dishes.

Special Sauces

The Patin Place is a very unique place, with their fresh patin, royal tempoyak sauce, and special cooking method. I would probably bring my parents to give it a try, to double check if the tempoyak is really as authentic as it’s claimed (it’s the first time I heard of and tasted tempoyak, so I’m no expert, though I’m from Kuantan, paiseh!). Definitely should give this place a try, and the tempoyak is best served with the Patin (with Chicken is okay, but Patin is much better). Have you tasted a tempoyak yet?

Special Charcoal

Special Oven

Durian Cendol

PATIN PLACE RAMADAN BUKA PUASA TEMPTATIONS
DATE : 15 JULY – 4 AUGUST 2013
Adult: RM 49.90 nett per adult.
Kid: RM 29.90 nett per kid, from 4 to 12 years old.

Patin Place
31, Jalan BPU 5, Bandar Puchong Utama,
14 Mile Jalan Puchong, 47100 Puchong
Tel: 016-208 9012
FB: https://www.facebook.com/PatinPlace