Mid-Autumn Festival falls on 8 September 2014, have you been busy sampling mooncakes before deciding which to buy for friends and family? This year, I only sampled mooncakes from St. Regis Singapore and InterContinental Singapore because I need to reduce my calorie intake and had to refrain from eating too many slices of them.

Mooncakes from Yan Ting at St. Regis Singapore

Snowskin Mooncakes from Yan Ting, St. Regis Singapore

Image reproduced with permission from St. Regis Singapore

 

I love the design and colour combination for Yan Ting's mooncake box this year! The exquisite turquoise box is adorned with Chinoiserie-inspired motifs - in gold, no less. The box can be repurposed as a lantern for a candlelit Mid-Autumn evening appreciation of the full moon, mooncakes and Chinese tea. This year, Yan Ting is offering five types of snowskin mooncakes: (1) Pure 'Mao Shan Wang' Durian Indulgence (2) Chocolate Royal Liqueur Truffle (3) Red Dates & Wolfberries Delight (4) Chestnut Cravings (5) Black Sesame & Melon Seeds Crunch.

Yan Ting's Assorted Snowskin Mooncakes @ $70 for a box of 8 mini mooncakes

Clockwise from top: Black Sesame & Melon Seeds Crunch, Chocolate Royal Liqueur Truffle, 

Red Dates & Wolfberries Delight and Chestnut Cravings

 

I like Snowskin Mooncakes because they're more versatile and allow chefs to have more creativity in experimenting with interesting flavour combinations.

Cross-section of  Yan Ting's Black Sesame & Melon Seeds Crunch

and Chocolate Royal Liqueur Truffle Snowskin Mooncakes

 

Yan Ting's Snowskin Mini Mooncakes are great for portion control. I cut each mooncake into 4 pieces to sample the flavours. I liked the Black Sesame & Melon Seeds Crunch mooncake because I love the smoky flavour of roasted black sesame and the bite from the melon seeds. My favourite was Yan Ting's latest creation, Chocolate Royal Liqueur Truffle Snowskin Mooncake. Combining the bittersweet flavours of chocolate with a full-bodied liqueur, this mooncake packs a little punch that delighted my palate and had me craving for more. The Chocolate Royal Liqueur Truffle Snowskin Mooncake is a Must-Try!

Yan Ting's Red Dates & Wolfberries Delight and Chestnut Cravings Snowskin Mooncakes

I do not have a sweet tooth so I wasn't too crazy about these two flavours as they were sweeter than the first two. Between the chestnut and the red date flavours, I preferred chestnut as it had a subtle sweetness in comparison with the full-on sweetness of the red dates.

Yan Ting's traditional and snowskin mooncakes are available at Yan Ting restaurant on Level 1U and La Patiserrie at the lobby level till 8 September 2014. Click here for more details: www.yantingrestaurant.com/midautumn

The St Regis Singapore

29 Tanglin Road

Singapore 247911

Phone: +65 6506 6887

Email: yanting@stregis.com

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Mooncakes from Man Fu Yuan at InterContinental Singapore

Man Fu Yuan at InterContinental Singapore's Snow Skin Mooncakes

Image reproduced with permission from InterContinental Singapore

 

Man Fu Yuan has packaged their individually wrapped mooncakes in an elegant amethyst coffret with butterfly motifs.  I sampled both the baked and snow skin mooncakes from Man Fu Yuan because they were really eager to showcase their new series of Shanghai Mooncakes.

Man Fu Yuan's Snowskin Mooncake Combination @ $57+ for 4 pieces

Green Tea Paste with Dragonball Jasmine, 'Mao Shan Wang' Durian Mooncake with Coconut,

White Lotus with Macadamia Nuts & Sesame Paste with White Sesame Seeds

 

Let's start with Man Fu Yuan's Snowskin Mooncakes. The base of the box served as a tray for the assorted mooncakes. The covers were embellished with colourful butterflies and discreet labels denoting the flavour of the mooncake that lay beneath each cover.

Man Fu Yuan's Snowskin Mooncake Combination @ $57+ for 4 pieces

Green Tea Paste with Dragonball Jasmine, White Lotus with Macadamia Nuts

& Sesame Paste with White Sesame Seeds

 

My favourite flavour was, once again, the Sesame Paste with White Sesame Seeds Snowskin Mooncake. Enrobed by a soft snowy-white skin, the smoky sesame paste wasn't too sweet while the white sesame seeds added a little bite. The Sesame Paste Snowskin Mooncake is a Must-Try! The Green Tea Paste with Dragonball Jasmine Tea-infused Snowskin Mooncake and the White Lotus with Macadamia Nuts Snowskin Mooncake were slightly sweeter. The White Lotus Snowskin Mooncake would probably appeal to those who like the flavour of a traditional mooncake paste with a lighter skin. I didn't snap a shot of the 'Mao Shan Wang' Durian Mooncake because the delicate snowskin seemed to have "melted" a little. I guess the refrigerator wasn't cold enough. Although I'm not a fan of durian, I sampled some just to check it out. The flesh of the Mao Shan Wang durian had been combined with coconut milk to form a pungent "custard". Thankfully, it wasn't excessively sweet and had a bittersweet flavour that's valued by durian lovers. In case you're wondering, I used to love durians as a kid but grew to dislike it after way too many family durian parties.

Man Fu Yuan's Traditional Baked Mooncakes for 2014

 Lotus Seed Paste with Single Yolk, White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Yolk

& Low Sugar White Lotus Seed Paste with Macadamia Nuts

 

I'm always fascinated by how mooncakes are made with moulds that indicate the filling and the restaurant that made them. I love these traditional touches that can still be found in Chinese pastries such as Mooncakes and Ang Ku Kueh. You have to read from left to right for the first two mooncakes and top to bottom for the third. The markings on the first mooncake indicate that it was made by Man Fu Yuan 满福苑 while the two words below denote that it has a single yolk. Traditional mooncake is made with Lotus Seed Paste, thus there's usually no need to mention the type of paste that was used to encase the single salted egg yolk. White Lotus Seed Paste is a slightly less sweet version of the Lotus Seed Paste and is priced at a premium. Mooncakes are time-honoured gifts for Chinese business partners and thus, the golden yolks were prized for their symbolism of wealth and fortune. In the 80s and 90s, baked mooncakes were sold with up to 4 egg yolks. The greater the number of yolks, the higher the price. Things have changed in the last two decades. A health conscious society has resulted in less salted duck egg yolks, sugar and lard being used in mooncakes. I enjoyed the white lotus seed paste because it was flavourful without being cloyingly sweet. If you need to watch your sugar intake, there's a low sugar option made with 50% less sugar than a regular mooncake. The White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncakes and Low Sugar White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncakes are a Must-Try!

Shanghai Mooncake with Mixed Nuts @ $55+ (4 pieces) / $30+ (2 pieces)

 

This year, Man Fu Yuan is introducing Shanghai Mooncakes. Featuring a buttery pastry crust wrapped around a lotus seed paste, the Shanghai Mooncakes are available in 2 variations: Mixed Nuts or Single Yolk. I loved the glaze on the crust but found it just a little too dry for my liking.

Man Fu Yuan's traditional and snowskin mooncakes are available at various locations till 8 September 2014. Click here for more details: http://singapore.intercontinental.com/mooncakes/

Promotion: Enjoy a 15% discount for 4 mooncake boxes if you buy before 5 Sep 2014.

1.  Tea Hut (located at the entrance of InterContinental Singapore from Bugis Junction)

Till 8 September 2014: 9 am to 9 pm daily

 

Mooncake Booths

2.  Bedok Mall

3. Bishan Junction 8 

4. Causeway Point

5. Century Square

6.  Change Alley 

7. Compass Point

8.  IMM 

9.  Jurong Point

10. Lot One

11. Nex 

12. North Point Mall

13. Parkway Parade

14. Suntec City Mall

15. Takashimaya Square

16. TANGS Orchard

17. Tiong Bahru Plaza

18. Westgate

19. West Mall

20. Velocity @ Novena Square

21.  VivoCity

 

Man Fu Yuan

InterContinental Singapore

80 Middle Road, 

Singapore 188966

Phone: +65 6820-8519 / 8520

Email: sinhb-festive@ihg.com

 

PS: Thank you, St. Regis Singapore and InterContinental Singapore, for the mooncakes.