I ATE 60 MOONCAKES AND SURVIVED TO TELL THE TALE

There’s always a first time for everything, including sampling close to 60 different mooncakes in one session last week. As one of the external judging panel members invited by The Star along with veteran food writer Marian Eu Hooi Khaw, I had the chance to taste the Mid-Autumn Festival creations submitted by participating hotels and restaurants for The Star Mooncake Awards 2019.

Kudos to Metro Deputy News Editor Esther Chandran (centre) and the Star team who worked hard to co-ordinate and organise the event. The judging room was nicely set-up with participating hotels invited to showcase their own creativity in presenting their Mid-Autumn treats and packaging.

 

Competition between the various entries was stiff. As judges Marian and I had a hard time trying to cram in all that mooncakes so we had to resort to sampling a tiny piece of each; just enough to ascertain the taste and texture for scoring purpose.

We also rinsed our mouths with Chinese tea and water when the going got too cloying. A few of the newer variants caught our imagination whilst others were too over the top in the inventiveness stake.

 

Nice packaging is increasingly the name of the Mid-Autumn Festival gifting game as well. From pretty and practical tiffin carrier to fashionable designer tote, the sky’s no longer the limit for mooncake boxes now.

Red and orange hues seem to dominate possibly because the perceived auspicious symbolism evoked by these colours. Reusable packaging is also increasingly popular.

 

The Star should be lauded for holding this friendly competition as it shows Malaysian hoteliers and restaurateurs continue to raise their mooncake-making and marketing game yearly. It’s also good to know traditional baked variants still have a place in the marketplace without any compromise on quality and taste.

Read the full story in The Star here:

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/eat-and-drink/2019/08/30/crowning-delights-of-mid-autumnfestival?fbclid=IwAR0eO3bJ0vjbQjvMDpznYMdVWB8BOOSnG2gKZsoSyoTQak4v_toeWEocqFA

CONCORDE KUALA LUMPUR AGLOW WITH MID-AUTUMN SPARKLES

Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur stays true to its game-changing form by thinking out of the box this Mid-Autumn Festival, with the introduction of its crackle glass light globes.

Meticulously handcrafted, the hotel’s exclusive 9-inch and 5-inch blown glass light globes with crackle effect and LED lights come in Sparkling Gold, Sparkling Blue and Sparkling Pink. Priced at RM138 nett per set, each 9-inch glass light globe with 4 x 180g mooncakes are sold in four different sets:

A.               Japanese Red Bean, White Pure Lotus, Pure Lotus Double Yolk & Golden Pandan Pure Lotus 

B.               Japanese Red Bean, Lotus Paste with Loh Hon Ko (new variant), Pure Lotus Single Yolk & Pandan Lotus Single Yolk

C.               Assorted Fruit Nuts, Yam Lotus with Single Yolk, Lotus Paste with Chestnut & Custard (new variant) & White Lotus Black Sesame

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

In conjunction with the Merdeka celebration, Concorde Hotel KL is offering a Merdeka Special promotion as shown:

Crowned by The Star newspaper as the best snowskin durian mooncake, Concorde’s Snowskin Musang King Durian Mooncake is also available at RM168 nett per set of 4 pcs. Customers who prefer the smaller glass light globes may buy a pair of the 5-inch glass light globes with 2 pcs of mooncakes at RM90 nett.

Alternatively, pretty lacquer jewellery boxes in red, pink, lilac and baby blue containing 6 x 90g mooncakes are available at RM148 nett. Flavours include Japanese Red Bean, Pure Lotus, Golden Pandan Pure Lotus, Yam Lotus Paste with Yolk, Chocolate Peppermint Paste and White Pure Lotus.

 

 

Sales are in full swing at Hotel Lobby from 10.30am-8pm daily until 13 September. A separate kiosk at Ground Floor, South Court of Mid Valley Megamall is opened daily from 10.30am-10pm.

SPECIAL MENU BY CHEF RICKY WONG

On your next visit to Xin Cuisine, remember to sample the specialities of new Chinese Chef Ricky Wong. With three decades of experience under his toque, Wong interprets familiar dishes using his own expertise and inimitable touch.

The Sweet & Sour Pork in Ice Bowl (RM40-small, RM60-medium, RM80-big) proves a winsome appetite-whetter; every mouthful an enticing balance of fatty and lean meat generously coated in a palate-pleasing caramelised sweet-sour sauce. A dusting of parmesan crumble gives the dish a savoury finish.

 

While most Chinese chefs prefer to stick to the tried and tested when it comes to steamed fish, Wong surprises us with his bold employment of a bright, assertive rempah blend for the Steamed Soon Hock with Nyonya Sauce (RM30 per 100g). Fortunately, the fish’s natural sweetness remains discernible despite the blanket of zingy turmeric-galangal-chilli sauce on top.

 

Blended spinach lends extra nutrition to the chef’s Spinach Beancurd with Special Sauce (RM35-small, RM50-medium, RM70-big). Topped with white Japanese mushroom, the delicate morsels pose a nice contrast to the heartier offerings. The notable dried scallop and oyster sauce deserves special mention.

 

Bentong ginger piques our interest, adding warmth and textural depth to the speciality of Baked Spare Ribs with Crispy Sliced Ginger (RM40-small, RM60-medium, RM80-big). Lightly battered, the ginger slices not only amp up the dish’s appeal but also counter the meaty richness and the slightly cloying sauce.

Although not new to us, the Stir-fried Hong Kong Kai Lan Two Styles (RM35-small, RM50-medium, RM70-big) is a welcome relief from the porky overload. The greens’ crispy floss and crunchy stalks make enjoyable mouthfuls from the usual blanched vegetables.

 

Nam yue (red fermented beancurd) plays a central role in enhancing the overall taste of the Braised Pork Belly with Fermented Beancurd Sauce (RM58). The resultant slab of gelatinous yet tender pork doesn’t bear ample testament to the arduous, multiple preparatory processes: searing, steaming, marinating and braising involved.

Remember to sample these new chef’s specialities when you next lunch or dine at Xin Cuisine.

For reservations at Xin Cuisine, call tel: 03-2717 2233. Address: Lobby Level, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.