DATUK JIMMY CHOO X FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KL FOR MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL

Legendary designer Datuk Jimmy Choo has stepped up to this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, by collaborating with Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur to design an exclusive mooncake gift box.

Available from 1^st July 2022, the stylish round totem box in vibrant pink and muted lavender hues, and peacock origami pattern expresses the traditional Chinese custom of a family admiring the full moon while enjoying delicious mooncakes together. Tucked inside each gift box are four smaller individual boxes boasting stylish high-heel designs by Jimmy Choo.

(Left-right) Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts regional marketing director Nelson Hilton with Datuk Jimmy Choo and Four Seasons Hotel KL Director of PR Dato' Rosemarie Wee 

Datuk Jimmy Choo elaborates, “In Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn full moon represents completeness and good luck. On this joyful occasion, we are reunited with our beloved family and friends. My design for the Four Seasons Hotel mooncake gift box represents happiness, good fortune and abundance.”

According to Four Seasons Hotel's regional marketing director Nelson Hilton (left), only a thousand of the limited edition Mid-Autumn Festival gift boxes will be available effective 1st July 2022. He thanked the renowned designer for agreeing to step up in collaborating with the hotel on the project.

At the launch, we were also treated to baked and snow skin mooncakes handcrafted by Chef Jimmy Wong of Yun House. The most outstanding variant that left an indelible impression is White Lotus Paste with Seaweed and Macadamia Nuts Snow Skin Mooncake. We attribute it to the seaweed’s subtle savouriness and macadamia’s inherent richness lending a nice balance to the overall sweetness.

 
Another winsome salty-sweet creation is the Valrhona Chocolate with Himalayan Salt and Egg Yolk Snow Skin Mooncake. Some chocolate mooncake could be too cloying and heavy on the palate but in this instance, the dark chocolate bittersweetness spiked with Himalayan salt strikes just the right chord.

 
Cocktail connoisseurs may be intrigued by the Trigona Rum Ki Tiki, an edible signature mooncake crafted in collaboration with the award-wining Bar Trigona. While we reckon the snow skin mooncake could do with a little more of rum (the Rum Ki Tiki cocktail recipe is concocted with aged rum, whisky, lime, trigona honey, and milk), the peanuts in the lotus paste filling seem to eclipse everything else.

Die-hard durian fans will find love at first bite once they savour the luscious Musang King Durian Snow Skin Mooncake. This perennial favourite has always been a runaway best-seller with the fans of the King of Fruits so it needs no further introduction.

 
Also on the menu are Baked Mooncakes with four different fillings: Pu Er Tea Paste with Tangerine Skin, White Lotus Seed Paste, Pandan Paste with Single Yolk and Lotus Seed Paste with Single Yolk.

Lotus Paste with Single Yolk

Pandan Paste with Single Yolk

Pu Er Tea Paste with Tangerine Skin

The limited edition mooncake gift boxes are priced between RM488 and RM588.
 
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur will start taking orders from July 1, 2022. To place orders, visit the Shopify page here.
 

A TASTE OF CULTURE FOR BUKA PUASA AT CURATE

Sajian Tradisi Kita – a flavourful Malaysian sojourn by Chef Dato’ Fazley Yaakob – together with the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur team awaits buka puasa diners at Curate this year.

General Manager Alex Porteous (right) says “the fasting month is a special time to renew connections with family and friends, and sharing a meal together is one of the most meaningful ways to do so.

“Chef Dato’ Fazley (right) has once again joined forces with Executive Chef Junious Dickerson (left) and the Four Seasons Hotel KL team, to make each dining experience even more memorable.”

Indeed, the culinary team rolled out the red carpet for recent sneak preview with a plethora of traditional and distinctive delicacies from different parts of Malaysia. 

The curtain-raiser of Sarawak-inspired Umai Umai Seafood Salad alone was mind-blowing. A prettily plated mound of chopped baby squid, prawns and lobster scented with daun kemangi, coconut oil, and native pickles left us eagerly chomping at the bit for more.

Sup Campur was Chef Dato’ Fazley’s more refined version of the popular ‘sup gearbox’ (beef bone marrow soup). Again nicely presented, the chunk of smoked bone marrow was richly flavoured with local spices and kampung herbs.

We also sampled Chef Dato’ Fazley’s Traditional Platters featuring Nasi Dagang with Gulai Ikan Tongkol, and Nasi Kerabu with Ayam Golek Pekan. Each rice platters came accompanied by various condiments customary to the said speciality: fresh ulam (herbs), sambal, crackers, cooked vegetable, and/or pickles.

The dishes’ piquancy and robust flavours were uncompromising; a testament to the chef’s staying true to the theme. Purists will have plenty to cheer about and relish the true tastes of home.

Ingenious combinations of spices and herbs were employed to create more signature offerings to tantalise our tastebuds including Tempoyak Daun Kayu (a show-stopper for die-hard durian fans), Daging Dendeng, Ketam Salai Masak Lemak, Lontong Dengan Sayur, Rendang Rembau, and Lamb Shank Curry among others.

Dessert was no less intriguing. Lovers of the thorny King of Fruits will embrace the luscious Pengat Durian Goreng – a rich and creamy coconut milk-based broth with grilled durian in it.

Rare, uniquely traditional sweet treats such as Ubi Telampong (steamed tapioca in banana leaf served with palm syrup), Puding Di Raj and Lepat Loi (glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaf, a staple of the Bugis community) proved to be memorable discoveries. Seasonal delicacies of Tapai Ubi and Tapai Pulut (fermented glutinous rice and tapioca) were also served.

The Sajian Tradisi Kita dinner buffet (6 pm-10.30 pm) is available from:

April 3 to April 9: RM198 per adult, RM99 per child

April 10 to April 25: RM238 per adult, RM119 per child

April 26 to May 2: RM198 per adult, RM99 per child

For reservations, contact Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-2382-8888.

A ZINGY TWIST TO MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR

“Szechuan” Ma La Mung Bean mooncake anyone? Or perhaps a summer-inspired Mango with Lotus Seed Paste variant? These inventive conversation stoppers along with baked and snowskin creations form part and parcel of Yun House’s Mid-Autumn Festival cachet this year.

Trust Chef Jimmy Wong to imbue the traditional mooncake with a core of zingy-hot ‘ma la’ filling. When you bite into a wedge of his “Szechuan” Ma La Mung Bean (RM42), your tastebuds will tingle pleasantly when the sensation of burning heat blooms on your tongue before the confection's sweetness gradually creeps in.

Since gifting and sharing mooncakes is a beloved Malaysian tradition, Chef Jimmy has taken great pains to craft a variety of inventive and timeless selection for the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“This year, the ritual has taken on added importance, since many of us haven’t been able to meet loved ones and close colleagues for a long time”, said Chef Jimmy Wong. “Sending and gifting mooncakes expresses our good wishes, to remind people we care about them and a gesture to value their presence in our lives.”

His Baked Mooncakes with luxurious fillings include Pu Er Tea Paste with Tangerine Skin (RM42) and the summer-inspired Mango with Lotus Seed Paste (RM42). The former is subtly sweet with the citrus peel lending it a nice ‘bite’ while the latter yields a sublime candy-sweetness, remarkably similar to the fruit itself.

 According to the chef, mooncakes with egg yolk are symbolic of the harvest moon and good luck hence his Pandan Paste with Single Yolk (RM42), and Lotus Seed Paste with Single Yolk (RM42) offerings. For purists, there’s White Lotus Seed Paste (RM42).

 

Overall, the timeless selection are on-point and should please sticklers for tradition.

The mooncakes come packed in the Four Seasons gift box. Clad in theatrical red with a magnetic gilt clasp, the oblong box is embossed with the floral outlines of lotus leaves and butterflies, evoking feelings of joy and harmony with nature.

For more information, contact Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur: https://www.fourseasons.com/kualalumpur/dining/restaurants/yun-house/