Pu Pu Platter as Cultural Icon

[HungryC]

Holy crud, pu pu platters AND Johnny Winter at Kowloon? That's what I call livin'.

[maggiethecat]

My Peninsula Pu Pu Platter:

(Blame the canted frame on my potent, yet umbrella-free Fog Cutter.) Egg rolls, chicken wings, pork tenderloin, spareribs, and fried wantons, served with sweet & sour sauce and hot mustard. Note, please, the evocation of Krakatoa in both the mural and my platter's sterno pot.

What's not to love?

There's everything to love! I've never seen a Pu Pu platter before (it never made it to the Green Pansy in Trois-Rivieres)so it' s not a cultural icon for me. But it's a gorgeous thing. It contains all the good stuff we kids always wanted at a Chinese restaurant, and magma too!

[Lady T]

Good night -- I haven't seen one of these in more than passing since I was taken to Trader Vic's (downtown at the Palmer House, back when) as a little, little kid! My family never failed to order one (or two, depending on the numbers) as an appetizer, on the way to 'real' dinner. Nobody ever pretended that the food or the decor was anything but kitsch; we simply leaned into the fun of the occasion and came away well satisfied, and then went down to a favorite place in Chinatown and ordered real food, and lots of it. Some came home as leftovers, but not much.

Ah, memories ...

[Dejah]

I sat in the Volcano Room:

Well, of course you did! Where else would you sit?

When I was growing up, the place with the pu pu platters was the Moon Palace. I remember breaded shrimp and spring rolls and some beef on a skewer that you had to finish cooking over the flame. I don't remember what else was there - but something about the sizzle and the char was very enjoyable.

The Moon Palace looked nothing like your Kowloon. It was a modern space in a strip mall. I imagine it would have been even more enjoyable if they had a Volcano room.

←

Pam:

Did you ever go to the Beachcomber on Carlton? It was located in the Carlton Hotel. May well be before your time.

The interior was Polynisian, not quite as elaborate as Kowloon, with a waterfall in the centre of the dining room. The bar was like a grass hut, with bamboo stools, tropicial flora everywhere. Guests walked across a bridge and stream going into the dining room. I don't remember ordering a pu pu platter there, but most of the menu was Cantonese, and Polynisian if you ordered ones with "pineapple or lichee nuts". They also served steak and lobster, etc. I was most impressed on a date when the waiter brought me a fresh gardenia with our menu. They served drinks with an umbrella.

The first time I encountered pu pu platter was in Nashville, in 1975 at a Chinese restaurant called Choy's next to Opryland. The platter looked like Chris's Pennisula Platter. There were four of us eating from it, and we could hardly eat anything else after. I remember BBQ ribs, chicken wings, egg rolls, wontons, and I'm sure a couple of other items.

On our menu, we called this the appetizer platter with BBQ pork, BBQ chicken wings, wontons, and egg rolls.

[Toliver]

The platters I recall also had "shrimp toast" or "paper-wrapped chicken" which, oddly, always came wrapped in foil triangles, not paper.

I used to dread the platters that came with Rumaki as that would mean one less appetizer us kids could eat.

[Dejah]

The platters I recall also had "shrimp toast" or "paper-wrapped chicken" which, oddly, always came wrapped in foil triangles, not paper.

I used to dread the platters that came with Rumaki as that would mean one less appetizer us kids could eat. 

←

I think foil was used because it was cheaper and easier to find than parchment / cellophane paper? At least, that was the case with my own restaurant on the prairies.

[AzianBrewer]

Pu-Pu Plater is definitely a short trip back to memory lane! It's only fun if ordered and playing with fire at the restaurant. I have seen take out places shamelessly listing it on their menu.

By the way, Pu Pu means snake in Polynesian.

[Fat Guy]

On New Year's Day we went with friends to a Chinese restaurant in Springfield, New Jersey. They kept saying, we thought, that "We're going to Cafe 22." That seemed like an odd name for a Chinese restaurant. The 22 part I understood -- Route 22 is the main drag in those parts and there are restaurants named Rio 22 and the like -- but Cafe 22 didn't sound like a Chinese-restaurant name.

Turns out, the name of the restaurant is Cathay 22 and my friends had not both newly and simultaneously developed a lisp. Anyway, it was a festive day so we went for it and ordered a pu pu platter. I hereby document it.

[Chris Amirault]

I see spareribs, wonton skins, and egg rolls. What are the other two things?

[Fat Guy]

This is perhaps a more informative, aerial view. Clockwise starting at 12 o'clock: 1- shrimp toast, 2- spare ribs, 3- pork wontons, 4- spring rolls, 5- vegetable dumplings.

[Toliver]

I think it's interesting that they seem to use one dish for all of their appetizer combos. None of the items in the combo you ordered require extra cooking on the mini-grill in the center but, yet, there it is, a beacon of nostalgia.

Do you recall if the mini-grill was hot and ready to grill? Or was it cold?

[Fat Guy]

They lit it at the table, with great fanfare.

We didn't choose the appetizers. That's the restaurant's preordained pu pu platter. You can get it for 2 or 4 people -- that's the only choice.

[markk]

They lit it at the table, with great fanfare.

We didn't choose the appetizers. That's the restaurant's preordained pu pu platter. You can get it for 2 or 4 people -- that's the only choice.

←

Where were the little balls of stuff in the aluminum foil? Or was that exclusively at Jade Fountain?

[Toliver]

They lit it at the table, with great fanfare.

We didn't choose the appetizers. That's the restaurant's preordained pu pu platter. You can get it for 2 or 4 people -- that's the only choice.

←

Again, I find that very intriguing since the lit burner would go unused (unless you like your shrimp toast very well done ). It's like an pu pu Olympic torch.

[hzrt8w]

This is perhaps a more informative, aerial view. Clockwise starting at 12 o'clock: 1- shrimp toast, 2- spare ribs, 3- pork wontons, 4- spring rolls, 5- vegetable dumplings.

←

I don't understand. What is the sterno/burner for? All 5 appertizers are ready to eat. One wants to burn the wonton skin or dumpling wrapper some more? (I noticed that there was no satay beef in the platter.)

[Ruth in Condechi]

What tiny Puu Puu Platters!

Nostalgia for the Trader Vic in NYC on 59th St across from Central Park. It was 1964, our high school graduation dance had taken place somewhere in the area ( we had wanted the Sherry Netherlands, but hey Mother Cabrini wasn't working any miracles for us) and the final part of the evening tradition was getting into Trader Vic's ( having a college senior as a date helped) ordering the flaming Puu Puu Platter ( 5 X the size of the one pictured) and a gigantic tropical drink. That was enough to stay until closing, and then walking through Central Park at 2 AM.

Nothing is what it used to be.

[Chris Amirault]

I don't understand.  What is the sterno/burner for? 

←

Atmosphere.

[maggiethecat]

The PPP came up in conversation over Christmas with my daughter and her husband. They've spent way too much time in Hawaii in the last three years -- every island, eco-tourism, tents in state parks, five star hotels with spas. Jealous? Oh no. Never.

I described the PPP and they looked at me as if I were explaining a grilled cheese sandwich. "They're everywhere in Hawaii! You trip over PPPS! There are more PPPs than Spam and macaroni salad!" Not sure this is useful, but I remembered being surprised, because I do think of the PPP as being an east coast thing.

[Chris Amirault]

Were they platters of pu pus or pu pu platters? It's my understanding that pu pu in Hawai'ian means, roughly, appetizer, and that's why the word was stolen for "Polynesian" restaurants like Don the Beachcomber's. So there certainly are lots of plates of Hawai'ian apps in Hawai'i, but I'd be surprised if there were wacky wooden bowls with fried won tons and chicken wings.

Of course, if there are, then that's pretty damned fascinating.

[hzrt8w]

In the original Polynesian/Hawaiian version of Pu Pu Platter, is the fire at the center functional or just for the atmosphere?

I have seen Chinese restaurants named this "Po Po Platter" instead of Pu Pu. "Po" in Chinese (Cantonese) means "treasure" or "goodies".

[TAPrice]

Were they platters of pu pus or pu pu platters? It's my understanding that pu pu in Hawai'ian means, roughly. appetizer, and that's why the word was stolen for "Polynesian" restaurants like Don the Beachcomber's. So there certainly are lots of plates of Hawai'ian apps in Hawai'i, but I'd be surprised if there were wacky wooden bowls with fried won tons and chicken wings.

Of course, if there are, then that's pretty damned fascinating.

←

According to Jeff Berry's most recent book, Donn Beachcomber (his real name!) broght Polyensian culture to Hawaii. When he set up shop, the colonial efforts had wiped out much authentic culture, architecture, food, etc. When intercontinental air traveler became more common, tourists arrived expecting pretty much what they had experienced at Beachcomber and Vic's. Donn provided it and sat in motion the Polynesian themed tourist trade.

[Chris Amirault]

In the original Polynesian/Hawaiian version of Pu Pu Platter, is the fire at the center functional or just for the atmosphere?

←

There was no "original" Polynesian/Hawai'ian version. Don simply sold Americanized "Cantonese" food as "Polynesian." The name given to the appetizer platter (by him or someone, I'm not sure) was pu pu platter.

ET clarify that I'm not sure of the source of the name. -- CA

Edited January 10, 2008 by chrisamirault (log)

[Fat Guy]

I think one simply needs to embrace the purposelessness of the Sterno.

[prasantrin]

Was there any filling on that shrimp toast? It looks like it's just fried bread, but perhaps it's just the lighting. I thought the stuff at 6 o'clock might be crab rangoon. When I was in VT, the only pu pu platter I had (the only one I've ever had) had crab rangoon, and I was very excited to try it (I'd never had crab rangoon before, either). What a disappointment that was!

[Andrew Fenton]

When I was in VT, the only pu pu platter I had (the only one I've ever had) had crab rangoon, and I was very excited to try it (I'd never had crab rangoon before, either).  What a disappointment that was!

Ha! I'd never heard of crab rangoon until a few years ago, and I too was excited to try it. I figured, I'd been to a couple of Burmese restaurants, and this must be an example of Burmese-influenced Chinese cooking, right?

Or maybe... not so much.