Archive for the ‘Mooncakes’ Category
Mooncake Special – Gin Thye Cake Maker
Teochew Mooncake
Compared to the typical baked mooncakes, the traditional Teochew mooncake consist of a more flaky and crispy skin encompassing the lotus paste. Gin Thye Cake Maker’s Teochew mooncake was very fresh and did not taste too oily or overly sweet. The lotus paste was also much lighter, silkier and smoother compared to the other common lotus paste mooncakes. This resulted in a quick polish of this rather huge mooncake.
Mooncake Special – Four Seasons Durian
Durian Mooncake
Widely known for its durian pancake and puffs at the Takashimaya food hall and the basement of Ang Mo Kio Hub, Four Seasons Durian has introduced its house brand of Durian Mooncake. The highlight of the mooncake was the thick and rich durian paste within the snowskin layer. There was no infusion/integration with the lotus paste, but was solely the good old plain durian paste. The snowskin itself could be improved, as it tasted rather grainy and sandy. The durian mooncake had to be kept in the freezer and thawed for 20 minutes before consumption. In its partially thawed state, the durian center tasted akin to durian ice cream which was equally tasty as well!
Mooncake Special – Raffles Hotel
Snow-Skin Mooncake with Champagne Truffle and Ganache 冰皮香槟巧克力月饼
We finally had the chance to try Raffles Hotel’s perennial favourite mooncake – Snow-Skin Mooncake with Champagne Truffle and Ganache 冰皮香槟巧克力月饼. The white lotus paste was creamy and very smooth, and blended almost perfectly with the soft, tender snow skin. There was a lingering background champagne taste which was evident, but not overpowering the sweet lotus paste. In the middle of the mooncake sat a white chocolate truffle. The white chocolate truffle did seem a little detached from the lotus paste and appeared to be a separate entity.
Mooncake Special – Kam Boat Chinese Cuisine
Kam Boat Mini Snow Skin Durian Mooncake
Kam Boat Mini Durian Snowskin Mooncake
Kam Boat Mini Durian Snowskin Mooncakes came in a box of 8. Once we removed the cover, a strong durian aroma filled up the entire room. The snowskin had a mild durian taste and a soft, sticky and floury texture. It felt like glutinous rice as it stuck to the base of container. The fillings were made up of pure durian puree with traces of the durian flesh. In our opinion, the durian did not taste of premium quality and it seemed like the entire mooncake was a little too artificially sweet.
Mooncake Special – Sheraton Hotel
Sheraton Hotel Li Bai's white lotus paste with double egg york mooncake
Touted to be one of the top five mooncakes in Singapore, we decided to give the Sheraton Hotel Li Bai’s white lotus paste with double egg york mooncake a try. The lotus paste was smooth but a little too sweet. The egg york was mildly salty and of the right level of greasiness such that it was not too dry and did not crumble easily. The crust was thin too; in fact, we barely tasted any crust. In comparison to Shang Palace’s mooncake, we felt that there was really not much difference between these two brands.
Mooncake Special – Goodwood Park
(from left to right) Lychee with Lime Marshmallow Snowskin Mooncake; Mango with Pomelo Snowskin Mooncake
We bought Goodwood Park’s Lychee with Lime Marshmallow (in green) and Mango with Pomelo (in orange) snowskin mooncakes at 4 for $50. These mooncake were a total deviation from the traditional ones. The Mango Pomelo filling tasted very much like mango flavoured ice cream with bits and pieces of pomelo scattered within. These pomelo bits left a bitter aftertaste. The core of the Lychee and Lime Marshmallow snowskin mooncake was very creamy, tasting somewhat like the cream on lychee flavoured sponge cream cakes from neighbourhood bakeries. The marshmallow in the core was the least impressive. On the whole, these mooncakes were not overly sweet but we disliked the fact that the snowskin was a tad too thick. Overall, we didn’t really appreciate these innovative flavours but felt that they would resonate well with children and entice them in participating actively and appreciating this Mid-Autumn festival.
Mooncake Special – Shangri-La Hotel Shang Palace
Shang Palace's Baked White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Yolks
The problem with Shang Palace’s Baked White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Yolks ($15) was that the egg yolk was not placed centrally in the mooncake. Hence, when we sliced it into 8 pieces, there were some with a huge amount of egg yolk, while others with almost none. The lotus paste was very smooth, there was absolutely no chunks or grains. It wasn’t too sweet as well. The baked crust was rather thin, fragrant and adhered nicely to the mooncake. On the whole, the mooncake was good, but somehow, just not extraordinary.
Mooncake Special – Paradise Group
Paradise Group White Lotus Paste with Double Egg Yolk
We bought a box of four mooncakes with white lotus seed paste and double salted egg york fillings from Paradise Group. The lotus seed paste was not all that smooth but slightly grainy; the egg york was not too dry too. The mooncake was rather fragrant, however a tad too sweet. We got a bit sick after eating just a quarter of it each. Overall, the mooncake from Paradise Group was decent but nothing too out of the extrodinary to rave about.
Mooncake Special – Peony Jade
It is the end of the Chinese Lunar 7th month, which means the Mid-Autumn festival is just around the corner and that only signifies one thing – Mooncakes!
The traditional Teochew mooncake is usually very much larger (diameter of around 15-20cm) than the typical mooncake, with sweet bean (green beans) paste fillings and a flaky puff pastry-like exterior finish. Peony Jade’s Flaky Teochew ‘Oor Nee’ Mooncake with Premium Fragrant Golden Pumpkin, aka the signature Teochew mooncake of the now defunct Crown Prince Hotel, is a spin off from the conventional kinds with the replacement of sweet bean paste with yam, commonly known as ‘Oor Nee’. The typical egg yolk centre is also replaced by golden pumpkin.
Peony Jade's Flaky Teochew ‘Oor Nee’ Mooncake with Premium Fragrant Golden Pumpkin
Peony Jade's Flaky Teochew ‘Oor Nee’ Mooncake with Premium Fragrant Golden Pumpkin
Peony Jade’s Teochew mooncake is also much smaller with a diameter of only 8cm. Nevetheless, the innovative substitution of green bean paste with yam paste is very much in pace with the identity of being Teochew-styled. The yam paste was soft and smooth, without tasting too oily or sweet. The crust did not feel too oily either but was a bit moist as we did not oven bake it. These mooncakes are made daily with no preservatives added and thus they are to be placed in refrigeration an hour after purchase and consumed within 3 to 5 days. We are pretty sure that the mooncakes would taste even more premium when served piping hot, with slightly charred crispy crust and a warm and expectedly softer yam paste filling. At $47.30 (original price $52) for a box of four, it is definitely a must try for those who love yam paste and mooncake alike.
Ph.Ds of FOOD 