GIFTS OF MID-AUTUMN BLOOMS AT CONCORDE HOTEL KL

Pretty Mid-Autumn Blooms adorn glass-topped jewellery boxes in baby blue and pastel pink from Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur to celebrate this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival.

Adorned with magnolia blooms, butterflies and birds, the beautifully designed gift boxes come with a choice of 4 mooncakes (180g each).

Priced at RM118 nett per set, take your pick from 3 different sets:

A.             Pure Lotus Double Yolk, White Pure Lotus, Lotus Paste Single Yolk & White Lotus Black Sesame

B.             Golden Pandan Pure Lotus Single Yolk, Japanese Red Bean, Assorted Fruit Nuts & Green Tea Lotus Paste

C.             Snowskin with Red Bean Paste, Snowskin with White Lotus, Snowskin with Pandan Lotus Single Yolk & Snowskin with Yam Lotus Paste Single Yolk

Set D priced at RM158 nett consists of 4 pcs of Snowskin Musang King Durian Mooncakes. The delicate filling is handmade with pure musang king durian flesh hence the mooncakes come in a separate cooler bag (while stocks last) to keep them chilled. Also, it’s best to refrigerate the mooncakes to maintain their freshness.

These luscious treats are strictly for durian fans as the rich, sweet filling is simply the next best thing to eating the actual king of fruits. They’re decadent but so irresistible, you’d find it hard to stop after the first mouthful. 

Hailed as the best snowskin durian mooncake in town by The Star newspaper in 2019, it’s a much s0ught-after delight during the Mid-Autumn Festival so be sure to pre-order your share in advance.

Credit cardholders of CIMB, Citibank, Hong Leong Bank, Maybank, OCBC, Public Bank, RHB, SCB and UOB are entitled to 20% discount for mooncakes under Set A-C. Delivery service is available (subject to charges and prevailing terms & conditions).

Pix courtesy of Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur

For more information, call Xin Cuisine, tel: 03-2144 8750 or WhatsApp +6 012 399 5021 or email: fbkl@concorde.net Address: Lobby Level, 2, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. 

LE MEI’S WASABI-SPIKED AND NUTTY MOONCAKES #FTW

The fleeting yet noticeably zingy presence of wasabi was inescapable the minute I bit into the wedge of Low Sugar White Lotus Paste with Wasabi and Pistachio Nuts Mooncake from Le Mei, Le Meridien Putrajaya.

I was hooked at first bite as the tantalizing taste had me returning for more. Since wasabi and pistachios aren’t the norm in mooncake-making, I applaud the chefs at Le Mei for daring to push the envelope when it comes to creating new variants of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival confection.

The mooncake’s subtle sweetness also scored with me as did the smooth lotus-pistachio paste. Handcrafted by the Le Mei team, the signature mooncake is priced at RM33 each and needs to be ordered 3 days in advance.

Another nutty variant comes in the form of Pandan Paste with Hazelnut Mooncake (RM30 each). Again, the thin baked skin encasing the fragrant pandan-scented filling flecked with hazelnut bits was palate-pleasing. The mooncake also had a nice glossy shine to it.

To please purists who prefer the tried and tested, I’d recommend the White Lotus Paste with Single Egg Yolk Mooncake (RM33 each). The confection is on-point, ticking all the requisite boxes and should leave no room for complaint.

Two other flavours: Assorted Fruits and Nuts (RM38) and Mini Snow Skin with Raspberry and Cashew Nuts (RM20) are also available. The Signature Mooncakes of Le Mei have to be ordered 3 days ahead of your desired collection date.

Available until 1^st October, Le Meridien Putrajaya’s Mid-Autumn Festival gift box features a sturdy laminated gift box with a magnetic flap, clad in a mosaic of colours and rabbit motifs reflective of the celebratory Mid-Autumn Festival.

For more information, please call Le Meridien Putrajaya, tel: 03 8689 6888 or email: dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com 

PETITE PRESTIGE MOONCAKES BY PLAZA PREMIUM GROUP MALAYSIA

Six mini Shanghai mooncakes packed in an elongated Gift Box from Plaza Premium Group Malaysia found its way to my Mid-Autumn Festival celebration this year.

Handcrafted by the chefs from Plaza Premium Group Malaysia in the time-honoured tradition of Mid-Autumn Festival, the petite, low sugar and preservative-free Prestige Mooncakes comprise crumbly Shanghai-style Crust and Crystal Skin variants. 

Launched for the first time this year, the mini mooncakes are available at Plaza Premium Lounge (next to Aerotel Kuala Lumpur at gateway@klia2), Plaza Premium First (KLIA), Flight Club (KLIA) and Flight Club Grab’n’Go (KLIA) from now until 1 October 2020.

Peeking into my Gift Box in maroon with discreet gold motifs, the sliding container tray revealed a pair of mini Shanghai Crust Pu Er with Pine Nuts Mooncakes, another pair of Lotus Melon Seeds with Single Egg Yolk and a pair of Black Sesame with Single Egg Yolk Mooncakes. 

I found the delicate taste of Pu Er pleasing on the palate, melding harmoniously with the subtle nutty-creaminess of pine nuts. The black sesame version was on-point too; its sweet-savoury filling somewhat richer due to the salted egg yolk in it.

My only quibble was the underwhelming Lotus Melon Seeds version – the filling was dry and lacklustre. Possibly this imperfection was confined to my batch of mooncakes or it could be due to the confection didn’t have enough ‘resting time’ to allow the oil within to be released.

Under the Crystal Skin range, the selection includes Crystal Skin Durian, Red Bean and Green Tea encased in a layer of snow skin crust. Priced at RM12 per piece and RM60 per box of six (6) mini mooncakes, Prestige Mooncakes by Plaza Premium Group Malaysia come packed in refined gift boxes befitting the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration.

 

For every bulk purchase of 10 boxes and above, corporate partners may customise their company logo placement on the gift boxes (subject to terms and conditions).

Special Prestige Mooncakes Offers:

- 10 % OFF online purchase for all types of mini mooncakes in a single receipt via https://malstore.plazapremiumlounge.com/ .

- Additional 5% OFF (on top of 20% OFF online purchase) for corporate clients and Aerotel Kuala Lumpur room guests (with valid promo code)*.

- For every room booking at Aerotel Kuala Lumpur, guests will receive ONE (1) piece of complimentary mini mooncake per room booking upon check-in as a welcome gesture.  Available from 28 August – 1 October 2020.

For further information or to place an order, contact Plaza Premium Group: tel: +6 03 8778 0808 or email: onlinestore.mal@plaza-network.com 

ZUAN YUAN TOUTS LOW SUGAR MOONCAKES

Melon seeds embedded within the Snow Skin Mooncake with Red Bean Paste with Melon Seed (RM21.50 per piece) from One World Hotel are evocative of the traditional versions I ate as a child. It’s a nice touch as the seeds are noticeably missing in many of this Mid-Autumn Festival treat lately.

 

Another recommended snowskin variant is Durian Lotus Paste (RM23 per piece) – the durian aroma is discernible in the lotus paste; its subtle sweetness a perfect balance to complement the astringency of Chinese tea. Other snow skin, low sugar variants available include White Lotus Paste (RM23), Pandan Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM25) and White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM25).

 
This year, One World Hotel Dim Sum Chef Jordan Chin Chee Hong has decided on 12 varieties of mooncakes to offer for the traditional celebration. Available now until 1^st October, Chef Chin said “A good mooncake will not stick to the teeth”. Having travelled to many Asian countries to taste different mooncakes, Chin is adamant Malaysia’s is the best.

 

He also offers a classic Deep Fried Teo Chew Yam Paste with Single Yolk (RM26 per piece), a tricky to make but scrumptious creation for the occasion. The crisp, swirly pastry is airy-light and generously filled with a savoury-sweet yam paste and salted egg yolk.

The mooncakes come in an Oriental themed gift box with a magnetic flap. Maroon with floral and lantern motifs, it holds four boxes of your choice of baked or snow skin mooncakes snugly.

 

As for the baked versions, the mooncakes are low sugar to cater to health-conscious market demand. We can vouch for the White Lotus Paste with Double Yolks (RM26) which taste great despite the reduced sweetness. Other enticing flavours in the selection include White Lotus Paste, Red Bean Paste, Pandan Lotus Paste and Supreme Mixed Nuts.

For further enquiries or orders, please call Zuan Yuan at 603 7681 1159 or email: zuanyuan@oneworldhotel.com.my

MID-AUTUMN MAGIC AT DORSETT HOTELS

A limited edition Dorsett Eski Bag will be yours with every box of 4 Crystal Skin Mooncakes purchased from Dorsett Grand Subang this year. For every box of 4 Baked Mooncakes, top-up RM15 to get the useful Dorsett Eski Bag.

Available now until 1^st October, The Emperor managed to nab the Bronze Award at the Star 2020 Mooncake Awards for its Premium Musang King Durian Mooncake (RM40 per piece, a day’s advance notice required). Made from freshly extracted Musang King durian flesh, the potent treat was a runaway best-seller last year and looks set to repeat a similar feat this year.

The aroma of the Premium Musang King Durian Mooncake heralds its arrival at our table during a recent sampling session. Encased in a chilled snowskin layer, the mooncake’s melt-in-the-mouth creamy sweetness hit the spot for us durian lovers.

Another award-winning creation is Dorsett’s Signature Blue Mooncake: Pandan Paste Single Egg Yolk with Crystal Skin infused with Blue Pea Flower Extract (RM35 each). The fragrant vanilla-like scent is discernible in the subtly sweet pandan flavoured lotus paste. You can also buy Pandan Paste with Crystal Skin infused with Blue Pea Flower Extract (RM33 each).

Other baked mooncake variants available include Baked White Lotus Paste with Double Egg Yolks (RM38 each), White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM35 each), Pure White Lotus Paste (RM33 each), Pandan Lotus Paste with Single Egg Yolk (RM35 each) and Pure Red Bean Paste (RM30).

Dorsett Mooncakes are available at Dorsett Kuala Lumpur, Dorsett Putrajaya, Dorsett Hartamas, Silka Maytowet Kuala Lumpur, Silka Cheras Kuala Lumpur and Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur. To place orders, call 03-5031 6060 extn 3033/3032. Website: www.dorsetthotels.com