Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet TM
All rights reserved copyright
The implacable and irascible but debonair Travelling Gourmet TM goes to taste the 2018 Mooncakes in the impeccable…
MARRIOTT Singapore Tang Plaza! This is a 5 Star hotel at the crossroads of Orchard Road and Scotts Road. The fine dining Chinese haute cuisine restaurant on level 3 called Wan Hao is helmed by modest and skilful Chef Brian Wong. This year for the Mid AUTUMN Mooncake Festival Chef Brian and his team has come up with more suprising creations to delight and please the most adventurous of palates. Building on the feedback form his guests, Brian has come up with traditional flavours with a twist PLUS using local tropical ingredients! Above all, healthy CORN oil is used. NO cancer causing palm oil is used! Moreover, the amount of sugar and oil has been reduced without compromising taste and texture…by as much as a whopping 25%! People are more health conscious and now with over 500,000 Singaporeans with Diabetes, too much sugar is not sweet but a deadly white poison! Worry not the Mooncakes at the Marriott orom Wan Hao, taste good, look good and are healthy too in moderation!
At a special tasting, I paired a little known, but good wine from THAILAND with the mooncakes. Yes, they make “NEW latitude wines in Thailand”! I selected a 2006 Sawadee Shiraz from PB Khao Yai Winery which had lovely balanced and harmonious plum and spice flavours BUT no pepper. Same grape but so unlike the classic Shiraz wines from Australia. The Thai Shiraz went hand in glove with the Cempedak and crunchy Pumpkin Seeds Mooncake baked to perfection. Chef Brian told me, ‘We picked Cempedak because the flavour is more strong than Nangka (jackfruit). Mooncake lovers please do bear in mind that the Mooncakes at the Marriott are all hand made one by one and are FRESH!!! They are not made months in advance in China or Hong Kong or Malaysia!
The Black dusted with Gold dust, YES! Real 24 karat Gold dust Charcoal powder Mooncake with cute nuggets of Serrano Ham is also super yummie. To be very frank, I am not a big fan of charcoal…seriously, who the hell eats charcoal?? You used it in Gas Masks and to make hot coals to barbeque Sate! Nevertheless, this crust of black works well with the yumm yum filling!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POLITICALLY INCORRECT WARNING!
You have been warned!
Do not read this part if you are a snowflake pinko-liberal libtard looney-like-george-clooney:
What gives with “Halal” Mooncakes with no pork and no lard, etc??? I have Muslim friends…and NOT ONE of them like or eat Mooncakes. So if you are MAKING Mooncakes, how about non-Halal Mooncakes…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
Another winner is Chicken Ham with Mixed Nuts! Super crunchy in terms of texture and moreover, nuts are very healthy as they RAISE up your good cholesterol! I kid you not! The flavours are well balanced and not too sweet or too salty. Yummie!
A right royal CRUNCH!
The Mocha Snowskin with Royaltine core is worthy of note and taste! Crunchy core is made with corn while the paste smacks of fragrant addictive chocolate. I love crunchy foods! I like it a lot!
The 15th Day of the 8th Lunar Month falls on MOnday 24 September 2018 when the moon is FULL and round in the night sky!!! Watch out for werewolves wahahahah! Maybe they won’t bite you if you give them Mooncakes from the Marriott!
Keep calm and carry on eating…MOONCAKES!!! 🙂
WAN HAO Cantonese Fine Dining Restaurant
Level 3
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza
320 Orchard Rd,
The Travelling Gourmet 