ONCE IN A BLUE MOONCAKE FROM DORSETT

 

Once in a blue moon, something emerges to catch our attention for major festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year, bunga telang or blue pea flower extract is the star ingredient chosen by Chef Alex Chan of The Emperor Chinese Restaurant, Dorsett Grand Subang for his handcrafted mooncakes.

 

The natural floral extract gives the Crystal Skin Pandan Lotus Paste with Single Yolk mooncake that distinctive Dorsett blue. Available until 4 October, you can buy the halal mooncakes in boxes of 2 or 4 pieces. 

In line with current health conscious times, the lotus paste is not overly sweet and just a small wedge or two of a well-made mooncake should be amply satisfying. Dorsett Grand Subang also has 3 new baked mooncakes to offer: Six Coarse Grains Paste, Coconut Pandan Paste with Single Yolk and Green Tea Paste with Single Yolk for those who want something inventive yet familiar in taste.

Walnuts, melon and pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, black sesame seeds and sunflower kernels packed healthy crunch into the Six Coarse Grains Paste mooncake. Again, the confection is less sweet on the palate and rich in Omega 3 from all those nuts and seeds.

Fragrant pandan leaves and the inherent sweetness of coconut combined to create the unique Coconut Pandan Paste mooncake. Locals will find great appeal from the enticing pandan aroma and lush coconut creaminess when they bit the festive treat.

Green tea paste is rather common in modern mooncakes but nobody would complain since green tea is a much vaunted antioxidant and high in Vitamin C. We loved the mild astringent tea aftertaste of this mooncake paste.

More trad versions such as salted egg yolks embedded in low sugar white lotus paste are also available alongside red bean paste and pandan lotus paste. 

The mooncakes come in a pretty Dorsett blue and matt gold box adorned with whimsical motifs. Prices start from RM27 per piece onwards depending on your choice of mooncake flavours. 

For information, call tel: 03 5031 6060 x 1954. Besides Dorsett Grand Subang, you can buy them from Dorsett Kuala Lumpur, Dorsett Putrajaya, Silka Maytower KL and Silka Cheras KL.

MOONCAKE MEDLEY FROM NOBU KL

Six different Japanese-style flavours set Nobu Kuala Lumpur's Mid-Autumn mooncake selection apart from the crowded arena this year. Word has it the confection is flying off the shelves so make haste and grab yourself a box or two in time for the festival this October.

We were told last year's lacquer boxes were a runaway bestseller and Nobu KL looks set to repeat the same feat this year. The attractive lure reeling in customers is the classy black lacquered box adorned with a pair of frolicking koi (Japanese carps to denote auspiciousness) with fluttering autumn maple leaves on the lid.

Inside each box is a set of six baked mooncakes. Priced at RM148 nett, Set A consists of Mochi Skin Shiso Mooncake with Lotus Paste, Mochi Skin Shiso with Miso Yolk and Pandan Paste, Baked Charcoal Bamboo Mooncake with Black Goma Paste, Baked Green Tea Paste Mooncake, Baked Azuki Bean Paste Mooncake and Baked Fruits & Nuts Mooncake.

 

Set B (RM168 nett) proffers 2 x Mochi Skin Shiso Mooncake with Lotus Paste, 2 x Mochi Skin Shiso with Miso Yolk and Pandan Paste and 2 x Baked Fruits & Nuts Mooncakes.

Out of the whole repertoire, I personally am partial to the pink skinned, sweet-savoury tasting Mochi Skin Shiso with Miso Yolk and Pandan Paste. True to Nobu's Japanese-Peruvian approach, the red skinned mooncake with lotus paste incorporated flecks of shiso leaf and pumpkin seeds in it; tempering the filling's sweetness with the natural lemony freshness of shiso.

Rich and toasty with nutty overtone makes the Baked Charcoal Bamboo Mooncake with Black Goma Paste agreeable although not particularly outstanding. We reckon the mildly bitter and astringent green tea version is a good choice to balance the richer offering.

Even the Adzuki Bean Paste Mooncake boasts more pronounced 'beany' flavour compared to regular red bean paste. For the older generation who's nuts about dense mooncake filling, the Baked Fruits & Nuts variant should leave quite over the moon.

Nobu KL patrons will also find two house variants which can only be sampled within the restaurant. One features a classic pairing of Green Tea & Red Bean in a chocolate shell mooncake while the other is an inventive combo of Miso & Chocolate Ice Cream Mooncake (RM50 each).

Nobu KL's medley of mooncakes are sold at Nobu KL restaurant, Level 56, Petronas Tower 3 and at the Mid-Autumn Festival kiosk at Pavilion KL, Level 1 (in front of Komugi) while stocks last. Call tel: 03-2164 5084 for more information.

BEATS & BRUNCH A HIT AT LAFITE

It is said music is food for the soul…perhaps that’s the inspiration behind Lafite’s newly launched Beats and Brunch promotion on every first Sunday of the month at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur.

Live DJ music and free flow of champagne, wine and cocktails add to the merriment of in­dulging in a fine brunch prepared by Executive Chef Olivier Pistre. As we were among the privileged few to experience Beats & Brunch recently, we went away impressed with the lavish, all-you-can-eat affair.

Who wouldn’t be when chilled glasses of Veuve Clicquot welcome you upon entry into the marbled confines of Lafite? Gasps of delight and astonishment were heard as we gaped at the centrepiece: a glass column bearing a bountiful pile of freshly shucked Cadoret oys­ters and lemon wedges on ice, flanked by little bottles of Tabasco.

Brunch started off sumptuously with an amuse bouche of buckwheat seasoned cream and scrambled eggs flecked with smoked salmon, accompanied by oven-fresh breads (so good but we had to restrain ourselves from stuffing ourselves with them!). A reverential hush soon descended as everyone savoured the lush offering.

A cachet of sig­na­ture en­trees fit for a king left us awed. We soon made short work of our half of the Cana­dian lobster thermidor. Gratinated with a light creamy-cheesy stuffing, the natural sweetness of the slightly underdone lobster was so sublime. 

The decadence brunch also saw us feasting on a slab of baked apple stuffed with foie gras accompanied by a slice of chocolate-streaked brioche. I daresay even Marie Antoinette would kill for such wicked temptations: a spoonful of oscietra caviar, appetising cold cherry tomato wedges with buffalo mozzarella, chilled tomato gazpacho and green pea veloute.

While waiting for our main courses to arrive, we had our fill of ocean-fresh, succulent oysters. The bubbly also continued to flow uninterrupted – most of us soon lost count on how much we imbibed!

 

 

In keeping with the Beats & Brunch theme, we found the main courses listed on an upcycled vinyl record; a surprising and quirky touch. My choice of Seared Hokkaido Scallops with Artichoke Veloute and Cooked A La Barigoule (stewed in olive oil) was a classical French preparation, allowing the fresh, plump scallops to take centrestage.

 

However, the day's show-stopper in my book was the Grilled Octopus with Corn Cream, Japanese Black Garlic Puree and Provencal Sauce Vierge (French sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, onion and garlic). Tender and faintly smoky, the chunk of octopus formed a delicious affinity with the various saucy components.

My dining companion's Slow­-cooked Lamb Shoul­der with Red Onion, Parmesan Gnocchi, Promegranate Gel and Lamb Jus was passable. It was unexpectedly eclipsed by the sumptuous Smoked Cohiba Grilled Wagyu Beef with Cauliflower Puree, Lemon Gel, Oyster & Seaweed Emusion.

Smoked a la minute, Chef Olivier Pistre's beefy creation stood out like a gem at first bite. Once I tried a mouthful of that, the remaining mains: Eggs Parfait Cooked at 63°C with Asparagus Ragout and Veloute Parmesan, and Seared Cabbilaud (Cod) simply paled by comparison.

 

Chocolate Surprise was a befitting dessert choice to bring the curtains down on our classy affair. The chocolate sphere looked plain and simple at first until hot chocolate sauce was poured onto it. As the chocolate melted, we discovered the ball also contained vanilla ice cream, fresh black­ber­ries and syphoned chocolate on a bed of Sable Breton (French shortbread) crumble.

Updated classic  dessert of French Rum Baba - sponge cake soaked in rum, syrup and orange, topped with Chan­tilly cream was a sight to behold and mildly boozy to taste. Decorated with tufts of pis­ta­chio sponge, fresh rasp­ber­ries and rasp­berry gel, it was a nice treat to enjoy prior to coffee.

There was also assorted eclairs with different fillings you can help yourself to before dessert arrived. We just couldn't manage to fit in more and decided to save our tummy space for the plated dessert.

Beats and Brunch at Lafite is priced at RM499 nett per person and will be taking place every first Sunday of the month, from 12noon to 3pm. A free flow of Veuve Clic­quot Cham­pagne, Ter­razas Reserva Chardon­nay, Ter­razas Reserva Mal­bec and Belvedere Spritz cock­tails is included. The next Beats & Brunch sessions will be on 1 October, 5 November and 3 December 2017.

 

For reservations, call LAFITE, tel: 03-2074 3900. Address: Lobby Level, Shangri-La Ho­tel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sul­tan Is­mail, Kuala Lumpur.