Soon it will be the time of the year where families gather. On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, many Chinese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) also known as the Mooncake Festival. What is Mid-Autumn without the star of the festival, mooncakes? If you are the clueless shopper who goes blank seeing all the exhibiting mooncake deals at Takashimaya’s mooncake fest, fret not. We have listed 2 brands – Intercontinental Mooncakes and Peach Blossoms to guide your choice.
InterContinental Mooncakes – Man Fu Yuan
Man Fu Yuan is easily one of the finest Singapore’s Chinese Restaurant and when it comes to mooncakes, it is a familiar name to many households. Other than the traditional presentation and mooncakes, Man Fu Yuan is coming up with something different. What is so special about Man Fu Yuan this year?
1) Packaging
Intercontinental Singapore main focus for this year’s mooncake selection is the packaging designed in collaboration with students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. The amethyst-shade is pleasing to the eye and the box is enclosed by a tile. Opening up, you are greeted with individually packed mooncakes in a box with life-like butterflies as decoration. Man Fu Yuan presents a beautiful packaging which is perfect for gifts to business partners, relatives or your in-laws. With a box this beautiful, you can reuse it for other purposes after Mid-Autumn!
2) Snowskin ‘Mao Shan Wang’ Durian Mooncake… With Coconut!
Durian is a confusing fruit – many either love it to death or hate it to the core. Man Fu Yuan brings you the snowskin “Mao Shan Wang” durian mooncake. The premium durian used is rich and creamy in flavour without being overpowering. What sets Fu Man Yuan’s snowskin durian mooncake is the infused coconut milk, which is light and removes any tinge of bitterness that may come from the durian. The snowskin mooncake is best chilled (but not frozen) to maintain the texture of the snowskin and the creaminess of the filling. Price: S$31.00+ (2 pieces) and S$57.00+ (4 pieces)
Man Fu Yuan mooncakes will be made available till 8 September 2014 at Tea Hut, located at the entrance of InterContinental Singapore from Bugis Junction. They will also be made available at 20 other locations across Singapore, closer to the heartlands such as North Point, WestMall, Bedok Mall and Compass Point. Check out their website (singapore.intercontinental.com/mooncakes) for more information. Price range: S$29++ for 2 pieces and S$49++ for 4 pieces
–
Marina Mandarin – Peach Blossoms
Presented in the way of a drawer, opening up this box of mooncake is a pleasant surprise. Peach Blossoms never disappoint in their elegant design and this year, it is no different. They are rolling out a new exotic mooncake! What is special about Peach Blossoms this year then?
1) Mini Yolk Gold Dust Charcoal Black Sesame with Melon seeds
Described as the “Le Noir” shade, it is more than just a pretentious way to call the charcoal mooncake. The mooncake comes slightly smaller than the palm and other normal-sized mooncake – which means that each cut will give you better proportion of the salted egg yolk! The black sesame taste is strong but not as sweet as you would expect. Melon seeds added helped in elevating the texture, giving it a light crunch. With the gold dust sprinkled on the mooncakes, the drawer box exudes a classy pompadour. Price: Box of 8 pieces at S$70.00
2) The Less-Sweet option
Health-conscious people are in luck. Peach Blossoms introduced the less-sweet Lotus Paste mooncakes that will definitely be a healthier choice for many. They come in the denomination of: Pine Nuts (S$58 / 4 pieces), Single Yolk (S$60 / 4 pieces), Double Yolk (S$62 / 4 pieces), Mini Yolk (S$64 / 8 pieces) Eight Treasures (8-yolk) White Lotus Paste (S$70 / 1 piece, 6½ inch with 6 teabags)
We hope that the in-depth look into Man Fu Yuan and Peach Blossoms’ selection of mooncake will aid in your decision-making when it comes to the quite-chaotic Mooncake fest!
Writer: Leong Chee Sheng Photos: www.nichology.net