August 29
Mooncake Frenzy ... & review
Ok ... not sure whether is because of my love for mooncakes or I am 'suffering' from some hormornes 'imbalance' ... heehee ... this year, I am totally crazy over mooncake and have started to eat them even before the 8th lunar month.
Oh well ... blame it on the pregnancy I say :p
Anyway, till date, I've tried mooncake from a few places ... and here's my say to it:-
Bengawansolo
Tried the Double Yolk Lotus Paste Mooncake. Quite ok only and not really that fantastic. Plus it is quite oily. My conclusion, never getting this type of mooncake from there.
Swee Heng Bakery
Hub and I walked past and saw that they sells mooncakes too. Their mooncake flavours very unique also and very importantly, it is DAMN CHEAP. Buy 1 get 1 free somemore ... haha. Anyway, we got attracted to their funny flavours and price hence decided to try some. Raspberry Cheesecake & Black Sesame Seed Mooncake. Overall looks of the mooncake really look not bad ... even the inside also quite impressive. However, after the 1st bite ... gosh ... it is the SWEETEST mooncake I ever tasted and can taste nothing else but sweetness. Lesson learnt ... never go for cheap mooncake again !!!
Tupperware
Haha ... must be surprised to know that tupperware have made their own mooncake right. I was also surprise when I browsed through their catalog. I was flipping through the catalog looking for tupperware containers and so happen the one that I like comes in a mooncake gift box set. It contains 2 mooncake, Single Yolk Lotus Paste & Green Tea Mooncake. Surprisingly, these mooncakes are much better that the ones at Swee Heng ... of cause cannot compare to mooncake from else where ... but for something that is 'free' it is not bad. In fact, I think it is better that the one from Bengawansolo cause it is not as oily.
Raffles the Plaza (Sze Chuan Court)
Bought their Mixed Snowskin Mooncake. Consist of 8 mini snowskin (4 flavours) - Lychee, Rum & Rasin, Baileys & Champange. Snowskin with white lotus paste and inside a chocolate ball fill with the respective flavours mentioned. As I am not really an alcoholic lover, I don't really fancy the alcoholic taste ones ... out of the 4 flavours, lychee is my favourite. Other than the flavours, what I like most is the snowskin. Soft & does have a 'snowy' feel when you bite into the skin. Conclusion, might or might not get them again next year cause a box of 8 lychee mooncake is abit too much and I don't really fancy the mixed selection cause I don't really like alcohol. Guess I will only consider them next year if there's someone else to share the alcoholic flavoured ones.
Shangri-La Hotel (Shang Palace)
White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Yolk. My MIL loves it. She said the sweetness just right and the lotus paste very smooth and lots of melon seeds. Personally, I share the same view as her but the only thing is that I find the pastry skin abit too thin ... can't really taste the pastry taste. But overall, it is still a nice mooncake.
Mandrian Marina (Peach Blossoms)
Similar to the snowskin mooncake from Raffles the Plaza (Sze Chuan Court), they too have a Snowskin Combination pack - 8 mini snowskin (4 flavours) - Vodka Peach Truffle, Green Apple Truffle, Chocolate Rochelle Truffle and Toffee Truffle. This I say would be a better buy if you don really like alcohol. Personally I find the green apple truffle quite unique and not to mention it taste not bad too. Worth a try if you are a snowskin mooncake lover. Just to add on, for their baked mooncakes, they do have 1 flavour quite unique too. If I remember the name correctly it is Lotus Paste with Macadamia Nuts & Peppermint ... it has a minty after taste. Quite nice but just too bad I am not a peppermint lover to really appreciate this.
Ritz Carlton
Bought this combination set whereby you can mix any flavours. My final pick is their Baked Chocolate Mooncake and Double Yolk White Lotus Mooncake. Choosen their baked combo cause I've already gotten a box of snowskin one from Mandrain Marina. Also, I was attracted to their Baked Chocolate Mooncake. This mooncake still have the white lotus paste in it and does have the traditional baked mooncake skin on the outer layer but the different thing about it is, instead of having yolk inside, it is replaced with dark chocolate. Nice combination also as the chocolate taste is not too over dose. Other than this special flavour, seriously, I find their mooncake is nothing really great. Plus it is on the slightly oily side compared to those I got from Shangri-La and so far this is the most expensive mooncake I've paid (even after discount). Guess this will be out of my list next year when it comes to mooncake shopping.
A recommendation made in Cuisine Asia Forum (formally known as Kitchen Capers) for their Durian Mooncake. A "die die must try" statement was placed in the post and it got me thinking. As a durian lover, I initially had made plans to get my durian mooncake from Goodwood Park already but later on was tempted by the attractive discount (25%) for HSBC card holder for the durian mooncake at Harbour City Restaurant. Then saw this "die die must try" posting in the forum ... then I decided to just give it a try since it was recommended. Well ... all I can say is ... it is WORTH EVERY SINGLE CENT and comparable to Goodwood Park durian mooncakes. Hee hee another alternative to durian mooncake next year.