Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet TM
Copyright all rights reserved
All food photos are of real food with no photoshop
The inspiring and indomitable Travelling Gourmet TM visits the marvellous Marriott Singapore to taste…
MOONCAKES! This year Marriott and their fine dining Chinese restaurant Wan Hao have outdone themselves in creating some exquisite Mooncake flavours that are out of this world! For the health conscious they are all made with low sugar Lotus Seed paste. For thosMooncakes and Chinese Teae not in the know , Marriott is one of the few hotels that make their Mooncakes IN-HOUSE by hand piece by piece…and not in some factory in Johor, Malaysia. I won’t mention those places that outsource their Mooncakes…If you are a Mooncake connoisseur, the taste and quality will let you know…
Mooncakes and Chinese Tea
I was privileged to do a special tasting with dynamic Erin Proud, the Director of Operations for Food and Beverage and Edwin Lee, Director of Restaurants.
Left to right: Edwin Lee, The Travellig Gourmet TM & Erin Proud
This year the Mooncakes are paired with high quality Chinese Tea like strong Pu-Er with hints of smoky caramel…which makes it ideal with the new Salted Caramel and Peanut Praline Snowskin Mooncake. There are nibs of Salted Caramel with that sweet-salty tang and peanuts too for a nice “crunch” and a lovely texture when you bit into it…The center is made of Peanut Praline! Simply Yummie! ($61+GST for 8 pieces)
Pu-Er goes hand in glove also with with Chocolate Brownie with Cookies and Honeycomb in a light Snowskin coat. The harmonious flavours of this Mooncake are very palate pleasing and the texture contrast is beautiful. Everyone loves Brownie Cake! The crunch is different from crunching into peanuts or macadamias…but more like crunching into the crisp shell of a macaron. The honeycomb center has a lovely sweetness that is not cloying. As you munch away the flavours combine together and linger for a very longtime on your palate…just like a fine Negroamaro wine from Puglia in Italy. It would go well too with a strong espresso coffee. It retails at $61+GST for 8 pieces.
Ah Noh Neh…KARASUMI!
Classic light and floral Teh Kuan Yin tea is matched with the exotic and first of its kind White Lotus Seed Paste with Prized Karasumi & Angelica Root ( Angelica Archangelica) Baked Mooncake. Try it too with Aged Pu-Er tea. What is Karasumi then?? It is similar to Bottarga from Sardinia. What is Bottarga? Well, mes amis, they are the cured Roe of the Mullet fish. In short, flavoursome fish eggs that are normally used in savoury dishes like pasta in Sardegna, Italy. Prized Karasumi is a very expensive product! This Japanese inspired Mooncake has subtly bitter Angelica root in powder form too which explains the pleasing medicinal bitterness. Angelica helps to prevent high blood pressure and is also good for digestion. Whole Lotus Seeds inside the mooncake give a nice “bite” when you enjoy it. This is the Rolls Royce of Mooncakes hence it costs $188 + 7% GST, which is actually a very good price to quality ratio when you consider the premium ingredients and that is is hand crafted! Try this Mooncake with Chateau de Potiron Cuvee Excellence 2010 with its mixed Spice and Frutti di Bosco flavours!
From L to R: White Lotus Seed Paste with Prized Karasumi & Angelica Root, Chocolate Brownie with Cookies and Honeycomb in a light Snowskin coat and Chocolate Brownie with Cookies and Honeycomb in a light Snowskin coat
An excellent gift is the Assorted Snowskin Mooncakes in a gift box for $66 +GST. It has Chocolate Brownie with Cookies and Honeycomb, salted Caramel with Peanut Praline, Sencha Green tea with Japanese Red bean and traditional White Lotus Seed Paste with salted Duck Egg Yolk.
I must warn you that due to limited supplies of Mao Shan Wang Durian from Malaysia because of the recent drought, the supplies of addictive Pure “Mao Shan Wang” Premium Grade Snowskin Mooncake will run out very fast! Get yours early! Enjoying Durian Mooncakes always reminds me of when I was the First Gourmet in the World to match Durian the King of Fruits with wines at the Singapore Marriott in 2004. Everyone said it could not be done because Durian consumed with any form of alcohol is fatal. In the best traditions of the SAS and their motto “Who Dares Wins!” I proved them wrong.
Every year, Marriott never fails to suprise and delight me with their Mooncakes! As Carly Simon sang in the 007 movie “The Spy Who Loved me”…“Nobody Does It Better!”
The Mooncakes are available at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel Forecourt Stall outside the main entrance:
Just two days after Singapore’s 51st National Day on 11 August to 28 August, 2016 from 11am to 9pm and
from 29 August to 15 September – 10am to 10pm
They shall also be available at Takashimaya, Jurong Point, Ang Mo Kio Hub, Bugis Junction and other shopping malls.
Marriott Mooncake Hotline 6831 4708
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
320 Orchard Road
Singapore 238865
Tel: (65) 6735 5800
I played the theme from the hit 007 movie Moonraker in 2003 when I was the FIRST gourmet in the world to match Mooncakes with Wine at a special VIP event hosted by the Singapore Marriott! In 2008, I was the FIRST gourmet in the world to match Marriott’s marvellous Mooncakes with Moet and Chandon NV Champagne in the Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest and tallest giant observation wheel!
Bon appetit! :
The Travelling Gourmet 