SWEET, SWEET MID-AUTUMN FEST

CONCORDE KL LIGHTS UP THE SWEET LIFE

This year's 'it' item for Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on 8 September...Concorde Hotel KL's ingenious mooncake box which can be upcycled into a table lantern lamp! Available in a range of pretty eye-catching colours and a choice of tall vertical or square box-style, the ornate table lights are definitely going like hot cakes!

Pretty lanterns cum mooncake boxes all in a row...photo courtesy of Concorde Hotel KL

This pix of Concorde's durian mooncakes don't do the taste justice...eating is believing. Photo courtesy of Concorde KL

The hotel's scrumptious Musang King snowskin durian is another winner in the mooncake stakes. Packed with rich, creamy Musang King durian pulp and its unmistakably pungent aroma, no die-hard durian fans can resist this heavenly treat. If you want to a sample, you'd better hurry before stock runs out...

Of course, there's different mooncake varieties available to please the palate. My choice is the classic lotus paste with single yolk and pandan lotus paste with single yolk - both decent varieties that aren't too sweet. Priced from RM108 onwards per box, the selection can be viewed at this link:
http://goo.gl/j9sVd8

Sneak peek of the lotus paste with single yolk mooncake from Concorde KL

Pandan lotus paste with single yolk

Mooncake with Japanese red bean filling

Concorde KL's mooncakes are sold at the hotel lobby from 11am-8pm until 8 September (while stocks last). Call tel: 2144 8750 for information and placement of orders.

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HILTON KL'S CLASSY CARRIER

Creative carriers...Hilton KL's mooncake boxes can be turned into a wine carrier

Upping the ante on their luxe boxes of past Mid-Autumn Fests, Hilton KL has also drawn much interest with their classy mooncake boxes that look like tiffin carriers. Once the mooncake box insert is removed, it turns into a nifty wine carrier! You can tell a lot of thought has gone into the design thanks to the flow of creative juices from the in-house graphics team.

The hotel also shows its Midas touch with opulent boxes to present its famed snowskin durian mooncakes. Taste-wise, the exquisitely indulgent snowskin with pure premium Musang King durian  creation is neck-to-neck with Concorde's. Billed as Heavenly Gold, it is available in a box of 4 or 6 at RM198 and RM276 respectively.

Close-up of the exquisite snowskin durian mooncake

The other popular variant that piques our interest is Blue Moon, a bright blue snowskin mooncake with amaretto lotus paste and blueberry cheese feuillantine filling. There's something about that sweet-salty balance that tickles the tastebuds, leaving behind an urge to eat more of it.

 

This traditionalist is equally besotted by this year's signature offering of Autumn Jade - a snowskin pandan mooncake with parmesan cheese and a praline-like mandarin orange-infused chocolate centre. Incorporating the citrusy accent was a brilliant move as the refreshing aroma and nuance help to balance the sweet and rich profile of the mooncake.

 

Another new variant to sample is Flower Drum - a snowskin lotus paste mooncake with soft custard egg yolk. After savouring the more distinctive flavours, the subtle delicacy of this creation is somewhat eclipsed by its counterparts but it should appeal to those who are partial to subtler tastes.

 

Purists need not worry as the hotel's baked selection is guaranteed to delight. Our top pick has to be the white lotus paste with single yolk which comes in an impossibly thin baked skin. If you prefer nuttier and crunchier overtones, the baked mooncake with five nuts would be ideal.

Luscious lotus paste with single yolk from Chynna, Hilton KL

 

Go nuts with this traditional offering from Chynna

The Hilton KL's mooncake selection is available at RM88 per box of 4. For enquiries, call 03-2264 2405.

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CLASSIC WESTIN

The Westin KL also has its own range of mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Among the baked variants available are pure lotus paste with single yolk, healthy black sesame with lotus paste filling and golden emerald (pandan) paste with single yolk. 

The health-conscious choice...healthy black sesame paired with lotus paste for that subtly rich accent

Most of the mooncakes we sampled from The Westin KL are mildly sweet with a smooth, slightly nutty texture from the inclusion of sunflower seeds in them.

The emerald paste with single yolk mooncake

One advantage of buying mooncakes from The Westin KL is these are produced in-house by the Five Sen5es team so the treats are preservative-free. The crumbly Shanghainese mooncake is one that's rarely seen nowadays but if you like cookie-like skin for your mooncakes, this would go down well.

Crumbly coating for the Shanghai mooncake

Packed in a cheery purple and silver box with blind embossed pattern, the mooncakes are sold at The Westin KL from now until 8 September.

Call Five Sen5es, The Westin KL for more information. Tel: 03-2773 8338.