It is customary to send festive snacks to relatives, friends and business partners. This is why we suddenly found our kitchen piled high with candies and pastries. Here are some:

These gold coins are actually milk chocolate candy wrapped in gold foil. While the chocolate may not taste as good as Ferrero Rocher or Royce, it is certainly more delightful to look at! Some merchants would even package these “gold coins” in cute boxes resembling treasure chests. What fun!

Pineapple tarts are considered a staple when it comes to Chinese New Year cookies. The homemade ones are the best, because they come with a generous amount of pineapple jam on top of a rich, buttery cookie.

A Muslim friend (very sweet of her) gave us these goodies — coffee-flavored cookies topped with a dollop of chocolate! Coffee and chocolate make such a luscious combination!

Another staple at Chinese New Year is the traditional peanut cookie. Peanuts are popular during this time because they symbolise longevity to the Chinese. The bite-sized pastry is soft, crumbly and savory. We have to go easy on these however yummy they are as they are sore throat-inducing at the same time.

My most favorite snack may well be the simplest of them all — the Kuih Bangkit. This is made with tapioca flour, coconut milk and scented with pandan leaves. The best ones have a light and melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Of course, a nice, steaming hot steamboat meal is to be enjoyed at the family reunion dinner, too. Snowy partakes with a whole fish all to himself!

Have Your Say!

What food do you enjoy most at Chinese New Year? Is it the Bak Kwa, the snacks or the steamboat? Leave your comments below!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | Chinese, Chinese New Year, holiday food, Snowy

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Picture this: The two of you are enjoying a wonderful dinner. The panoramic view of the illuminated skyline, the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands integrated casino resort are spread out before your eyes. Soft ambient music plays in the background while you and your sweetheart sip on red wine into the night. Picture perfect?

This is why we feel Forlino is one of the most romantic places to dine in Singapore.

Photo by JP Concept

Designed by JP Concept, the same interior design firm behind eateries like il Lido and Claypot Fun, the decor here is done in the quaint Victorian style. Walls in baby blue with gold rims line the corridor leading up to the dining area.

Photo by JP Concept

Floor-to-ceiling glass panels offer a stunning view of the surrounding Marina Bay and Esplanade area, undoubtedly Singapore’s most photographed skyline.

Valentine’s Day Dinner

Check out their Valentine’s Day dinner promotion for 2010.

The Valentine’s Day dinner comprises 6 courses, including a choice of main course. We food-taste all the dishes and here’s the scoop on what you can expect.

The Italian flat bread Focaccia is first served, lightly salted and brushed with olive oil.

Amuse-bouche (Scallop carpaccio)

The Amuse Bouche (love the way it’s pronounced!) is a dish of razor-thin slices of scallop soaked in a tangy and salty sauce, topped with Osetra caviar and a hot pink berry sauce on the side. This one really wakes up your taste buds for more to come.

Jumbo crab salad

One of my favorite items on the menu is the Jumbo crab salad. Shreds of succulent crab meat sit on a bed of rocket leaves with cantaloupe sauce around. It should easily become a crowd favorite.

If you love crab meat, you can check out another restaurant’s take on the Alaskan King Crab in the form of Chinese Yu Sheng.

Beetroot cake with Robiola cheese fondue

What follows next is beetroot cake. Our first thought is, oh how cute! The texture is dense and rich, thicker than mousse. Nice color, too. The little yellow flower on top provides the icing on the cake. This is one of the few edible flowers around. Does anyone know what is the name of this flower?

Interestingly, the moat of Robiola cheese fondue is made from the milk of three animals: sheep, goat and cow.

To be frank, this is rather heavy on the palates and I’m surprised it is served so early in the meal, especially with a pasta following right after.

Squid ink tagliolini

I am most looking forward to the squid ink pasta, which is perhaps the most novel item on the menu. Squid ink gives me a little high. Whether it is pasta or pizza, squid ink lends it that unusual look and actually tastes good at the same time, even if it makes your mouth as black as Tia Dalma‘s from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The squid ink pasta here is served with tagliolini (made in-house) with sea urchin sauce and the sweetest cherry tomatoes. Praba, the assistant manager, explains that the squid ink is added while the pasta is being made rather than after. This way, the ink does not stain the teeth, and you will still look attractive to your valentine. The downside is that the natural seafood flavor is somewhat diminished.

Black cod fillet with asparagus and Sicilian Blood Orange sauce

For the main course, you get to choose between fish or beef. The fish comes in the form of a chunky black cod fillet, served with asparagus and Sicilian Blood Orange sauce. The sauce is light, almost foamy, with a sweet and mellow taste to it.

Angus Prime beef tenderloin with goose liver

The other option is the Angus Prime beef tenderloin. This comes with goose liver on the side, and a wonderfully sweet and rich red Port Wine sauce. Personally I feel it is quite a waste to serve this dish to someone like myself as I can appreciate neither good beef nor Foie gras or goose liver. I really like the sauce though.

Strawberry & yogurt mousse with peppermint chocolate sauce

Mamma Mia! Look at that! The strawberry and yogurt mousse dessert is the highlight of the meal. Every part of it is meticulously done up to look gorgeous. And there’s that edible flower again. What’s its name?

Scattered around are little pink and chocolate candies that taste like Nerds candy. The two intersecting hearts perfectly sum up what the night is about. Of course, we spend about ten minutes oohing and ahhing over it before wolfing it down, nerds and flower and all.

Coffee & petit four

To round up the sumptuous and very filling meal, coffee and petit fours are served.

Have Your Say!

What is your ideal way of spending Valentine’s Day? Share your romantic ideas in the comments section!

(Hint: If you’re celebrating Chinese New Year, you may wish to check out the festive dishes at the seafood restaurant, also at One Fullerton.)

Forlino
One Fullerton
1 Fullerton Road #02-06
Singapore 049213
(65) 6877 6995 | Website | Regular menu | Valentine’s Day menu
Service:

Bus services: 10, 57, 70, 75, 97, 100, 107, 10E, 128, 130, 131, 162, 167, 196, 700, 97E, NR2, NR5, NR7, NR8, 196E
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place

Opening hours: 12noon – 2.30pm, 6:30pm – 10pm daily

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | fine dining, Fullerton, holiday food, Italian, pasta, Valentine's Day, waterfront

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Are you still looking for a restaurant to dine at this Chinese New Year? Do you fancy having great seafood and customary festive goodies with wonderful-sounding names like “好事发财” or “步步高升” that actually taste as good as they sound? Welcome to Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant.

For more than half a century, the restaurant has been serving delicacies from the sea. From their first home at East Coast to their present premises at the scenic and tourist-favorite One Fullerton, the restaurant has evolved with the times, bringing innovative dishes to our seafood-loving population.

During this most important Chinese festival of the year, you can enjoy an array of festive dishes here with your loved ones or colleagues ;)

Alaskan King Crab Yu Sheng 鱼生
SGD58++ / 88++

The Yu Sheng (raw fish salad) has become quite a staple for this occasion. Here’s a very good write-up on the history and tradition behind it. Typically eaten as an appetiser, this is the one dish that would usually elicit the most oohs and ahhs at the table.

A kaleidoscope of colors is created from the various types of shredded ingredients that include red pepper, carrots, ginger, chopped peanuts, vegetables, jellyfish and raw salmon amongst others. Over here, it even comes with pitaya (dragon fruit) slices! By the way, did you know that this fruit comes from a cactus plant?

To up the posh factor you can even have shredded Alaskan King Crab or lobster added to your salad. The crab meat is extremely succulent and sweet. What a great way to pamper oneself!

And that’s the aforementioned majestic Alaskan King Crab. Executive Chef Andy Lau (yes, exactly like the Hong Kong starlet) amusingly informs us that at times, the crab manages to make its escape out of the tank! I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t want a mega-huge crab like that to be freely crawling ’round my feet!

Amazingly, the Alaskan King crab is nowhere near as big as the Japanese Spider Crab.

The Japanese Spider Crab is the largest crab in the world, boasting a leg span of almost 4 meters!

Oysters with Prosperity vegetables 好事发财
SGD48++ / 68++

The Chinese, as a group, like to hear auspicious sayings and anything that sounds remotely like an auspicious saying. So when you have a dish with a name like 好事发财 (good fortune), we lap it up like crazy. Can you tell why oysters + black sea moss = 好事发财?

What intrigues me the most is the black sea moss. While this is apparently a very common ingredient in Chinese dishes, I have never had it in my life! My Mom never cooks it because it “looks gross”. Really, this peculiar vegetable (or weed) from the sea looks just like human hair! Or as the Cantonese would call it, “Fatt Choy!”

Taste-wise, the hair-like moss actually goes down very well. It suffices to say that I like it. Apparently it doesn’t make an appearance aside from Chinese New Year, just like the God of Prosperity.

Nian Gao (Chinese New Year cakes) 步步高升
SGD18++ / 28++

Next, we have the Nian Gao that have just the cutest Mandarin name of all: 步步高升! What this means in English is, uh, improving step by step? Can someone offer a better translation? Basically, the 高 character sounds exactly like pastry in Chinese.

The “small” portion comes with a dozen pieces of the pastry evenly divided between deep-fried or coated in coconut shavings. Both are yummy but our favorite is the deep-fried one.

Rather than being wholly Nian Gao, it also features a layer of yam and a layer of sweet potato. This way, it does not get too cloyingly sweet. Yum!

Have Your Say!

As you may already know, two important occasions happen to be on the same day this year. We’re curious to know: which would you be celebrating?

Do you intend to dine in style at a fancy restaurant this Chinese New Year, or would you prefer a quiet reunion dinner at home? What are your must-have food during this time of the year? Share with us below!

(Hint: If you are still racking your brain on where to bring your sweetheart this Valentine’s, check out our review of an Italian Valentine’s Day dinner!)

Many thanks to Karin and Gail for hosting us at Palm Beach.

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | alfresco/outdoor dining, Chinese, Chinese New Year, Fullerton, holiday food, seafood, waterfront

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Looking at the Christmas decorations, I would never have guessed that they are made from recycled materials! The innovative creation involves months of effort where staff went around collecting coconut husks, parking coupons, lottery tickets and fruit wrappers to churn them into beautiful works of festive art.

The hard work paid off as the mall wins this year’s Best Dressed Building title, beating out ten other competitors in Orchard Road including Orchard Central, Paragon, Ngee Ann City and The Heeren.

Photo by chooyutshing

This is not the first time that the mall has gone green. Last year, their tree was made with shredded plastic bottles.

Photo by chooyutshing

One big draw every year is the simulated snow storm. The snow may not be the real thing, but that does not stop the crowd from covering themselves in bubbles and engaging in snowball fights every night the snow falls!

Photo by muzikbug

Hope you enjoyed this year’s Christmas Tree of the Day series. Merry Christmas!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Tanglin Mall

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We have seen trees with Swarovski crystals, white gold, and — the most precious stone by any standard — real diamonds in a year when the economy was still doing swimmingly.

The jeweled tree for 2009 is this, a tree made of tightly strung crystals. This glittering tree is located at the glass-covered mall, Bugis Junction.

Photo by amos1766

While this tree may not be as posh as the ones with actual Swarovski crystals and shimmering diamonds, it is by far one of the prettiest trees around. Unlike the conventional Christmas trees that are topped with stars or angels, this one wears a silver crown!

Notice the anchors and life buoys hanging in the background? They are part of the running nautical theme of the mall. Here’s their one-of-a-kind nautical Christmas tree.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Bugis, Christmas tree

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Shoppers can look forward to admiring these lovable teddy bear trees at Takashimaya every Christmas. One year they had black and sparkly bears. The following they had the bears in green, white and pink. This time round they included brown bears, the most authentic color for teddy bears, in my opinion.

Guess how many bears there are on this tree? Oh wait, Conrad Hotel already did that. But here’s a closer look at the cute bears anyway. You can never get enough!

Don’t the bears look snuggly and warm tucked together?

Look! There isn’t just one, not just two, but three beary trees altogether! Have an extra beary Christmas!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Ngee Ann City, Orchard Road

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If you are planning for a party, or just having a quiet celebration, hopefully these would provide some festive cheer and tips for the kitchen.

Have a Merry Christmas!

1. Snowflake cookies

Photo credit and recipe: Sam Foster

2. Snow globe cupcakes

Photo credit and recipe: Bakerella

These Coca-Cola polar bear cupcakes are truly amazing. Detailed instructions for making the polar bear and how to obtain the transparent globes and coke bottles are available. Even if you aren’t actually planning to make these, the instructions are still a fun read!

3. Snowman sandwich cookies

Photo by Ezra Pound Cake | Recipe: Living the Life

4. Champagne Christmas pudding

Photo credit and recipe: Coconut Raita

5. Gingerbread farmhouse

Photo by Kim Denise

A detailed gingerbread house that even includes a pond!

6. Santa bun

Photo by wowyt

7. Christmas tree cupcakes

Photo by Cupcake Shop

8. Chocolate cherry trifle

Photo credit and recipe: Food Network

A definite show-stopper! This layered dessert is ideal for sharing.

9. Struffoli (honey balls)

Photo by Scuzzi | Recipe: Food Network

These Italian pastries are traditionally made for Christmas. The rainbow-colored sprinkles are a fun touch.

10. Christmas macarons

Photo credit and recipe: dolce!

11. Flourless Yule log

Photo credit and recipe: Gastronomer’s Guide

12. Cake mix cookies

Photo credit and recipe: saucy dragonfly

13. Christmas jumble cookies

Photo credit and recipe: Sugar Plum

14. Fondant cakes

Photo by Flavette

15. Salad

Photo credit and recipe: A Smart Mouth

16. Cannoli with peppermint mascarpone filling

Photo credit and recipe: Life’s Ambrosia

17. Christmas bulgur with saffron

Photo credit and recipe: Green Kitchen Stories

18. Christmas pasta

Photo credit and recipe: One Perfect Bite

The pasta is made with onion, red bell peppers, peas and basil — the colors of Christmas!

19. Sage and lemon cornish game hen

Photo credit and recipe: Dianasaur Dishes

An alternative to turkey.

20. Vegan faux turkey

Photo by quarrygirl

A cute vegan turkey that is shaped like the real thing, complete with legs and a hole for stuffing.

21. Christmas roast chicken

Photo credit and recipe: Eat My Tortes

22. Christmas Bento

Photo by bentomom

23. More Christmas Bento

Photo by Bento Business

24. Christmas wreath with cheese truffles

Photo by MonikaDesign

25. Minty chocolate Christmas bars

Photo credit and recipe: CookWomanFood

26. Chocolate mousse with red jelly

Photo credit and recipe: CotéMaison

27. Japanese sweets Christmas tree

Photo by anzyAprico

28. Seven layer cookies

Photo credit and recipe: Culinary in the Desert

29. Swirly white and semisweet peppermint bark

Photo credit and recipe: Confections of a Foodie Bride

30. Tiny gingerbread house for your mug

Photo credit and recipe: not martha

The tiniest gingerbread house is made to balance on the rim of a mug.

31. Peppermint hot chocolate

Photo credit and recipe: Life’s Ambrosia

32. Chocolate-y Christmas Cafe au Lait

Photo credit and recipe: Food Network

Lots of cocoa with a dash of cinnamon and a touch of spice.

33. Christmas cake

Photo credit and recipe: i am baker

34. Chocolate salami

Photo credit and recipe: The British Larder

Don’t be fooled by the name. No meat actually comes in this, thankfully.

35. Candy cane martini

Photo credit and recipe: Sweet paul

36. Santa suit cocktail

Photo credit and recipe: CityFood Magazine

Santa cocktail with vodka, brandy, egg white and cranberries!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | holiday food

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This Christmas, the iconic wheel has a new addition. Displayed proudly at its pillar center is an illuminated 83 meter tall Christmas tree made up of strings of lights, complete with a star on top. From far, it looks like a shining beacon!

Photo by laputa12

That’s pretty striking isn’t it? They are even marketing it as “Where the World’s Largest Giant Observation Wheel Meets Singapore’s Tallest Christmas tree”. Sounds pretty catchy, if a little gimmicky, to me! Technically speaking, this isn’t a tree so much as a display of lights in the shape of a tree.

If you travel on the East Coast Parkway (ECP), no doubt you would see it. That’s where I shot the following video. Watch how the lights move!

Soundtrack: Plain White T’s – Hey There Delilah

If you are still looking for a place to have Christmas or New Year’s dinner, the Flyer has festive dining packages available. We experienced the sky dining first hand and it sure was a memorable experience!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Singapore Flyer

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Yes, it’s maritime, complete with sailboats and life buoys and all. Is that unique or what? Not only is this one of the rare white trees around, it also daringly sports a novel theme that no one else has done before. So what it does not exactly spell Christmas? It looks awesome!

Here’s a closer look at this one-of-a-kind Christmas tree from another angle.

The glass-covered shopping mall has a knack for having truly exceptional displays at Christmas. Last year, they had a curvy swurvy tree with a revolving carousel, and a remarkable tree with life-sized angels in 2006.

SEAson’s greetings!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Bugis, Christmas tree

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Now it’s the time to mix things up a bit and turn things ’round a little. So, I present a quirky Christmas tree to you for today, a tree that has literally been turned upside-down!

An upside-down Christmas tree! What fun! Have you ever seen one like it?

(If you are interested in owning an upside-down Christmas tree for your own home, I have seen it being sold at Lim’s Arts and Living.)

This tree stands on its tip. Gift-wrapped presents are scattered at the bottom just like any other Christmas tree. A giant present wrapped in bright red and yellow perches on top (or the base?) while shiny baubles in all colors of the rainbow adorn the canopy.

And that’s not all that is unorthodox over here. Check out Santa!

Santa Claus has gone punk! With hair slicked back, shades, and a trimmed beard, he doesn’t resemble the jolly Santa that we have all known since young, does he? I wonder if his belly still shakes like a bowl full of jelly?

You can catch Punk Santa and his upside down Christmas tree at Tampines One.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Tampines

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In the past, they put on their creative hats and decorated their Christmas trees with stars, strings of pearls and dancing fairies.

Photo by GenkiGenki

This time round, they have opted for a whimsical display comprising illuminated butterflies fluttering above thousands of lights. It looks stunning at night!

In the day, the Christmas tree actually looks quite ordinary. A band of red and blue flowers twirl around the tree. Other than that, the design is rather plain without the bed of lights.

Photo by Good Home Ideas

Check out the Christmas trees by Paragon in the past years.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Orchard Road, Paragon

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Today’s Tree of the Day is all decked out in silver! Spotted outside the Heeren along Orchard Road, everything, and I mean everything, on this tree is shiny and silver!

A bright pointy star on top and reindeer pulling sleighs form the Christmas tree decorations. The leaves, in this case, are really dangling strips of silver holographic foil that appear rainbow-colored under sunlight. Very nice.

(Aside: The construction going on in the background is for T.G.I. Friday’s. I visited Friday’s in Tokyo and absolutely loved it! Yes, Friday’s is making a return to Singapore! Too bad for the Balcony Bar though.)

Does the tree look familiar to you? I thought it looks strikingly similar to the one at Bugis Junction a few years back. Here it is for comparison:

It’s less than 10 days away from Christmas! Have you made your plans yet?

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Heeren, Orchard Road

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(Just between you and me though, Royce’ is my preferred choice when it comes to chocolate. The calories are totally worth it!)

Now, here’s something that is quite different. Have you ever seen a Christmas tree made out of Ferrero Rochers?

This golden chocolate tree can be admired (but not eaten) just outside Ngee Ann City. It’s certainly a show-stopper!

Amongst the golden balls are small disco balls, arranged in the shape of snowflakes.

Photo by woodward1

What a great product placement! It comes at just the right time of the year, too! German brand Braun Büffel did it one Christmas. So did Mercedes-Benz the year before that.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Ferrero Rocher, Ngee Ann City, Orchard Road

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Christmas trees work wonders in brightening up a place, don’t they? This is just part of the string of recent improvements that AsiaMalls Management has been diligently making to the shopping mall. Over the past two years, various sections of the building have been extended to allow more food and beverages outlets to come in. The mall even has its own Twitter account and Facebook page!

If you are headed there, do check out the grilled chicken (adapted from the famous one at Plaza Singapura Kopitiam) or the 24-hour Mr. Teh Tarik. Other than that, there is also the nearby Tiong Bahru Market with shark meat lor mee, chee cheong fun and pork rib prawn noodle.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Tiong Bahru

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Well, here’s one:

This tall tree sprouts leaves in a bright shade of orange-red. What an attractive sight! You would find this fiery tree at Orchard Central, one of the newly-opened shopping malls along Orchard Road.

The decorations are simple — shiny baubles in shades of orange, plum and magenta. The color combination is nice and vivid. A tree in such an unusual shade of color is certainly memorable. Not bad for a newcomer that wants to create an impression!

I always appreciate unique trees. Some of my favorites include the pink tree that Cathay did in ’06 and ’07, and West Coast Plaza’s blue tree last Christmas. Then there’s the purple tree spotted in China that is made with feathers.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Orchard Road

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If you visit Ngee Ann City at Christmas, there is one towering sight you definitely can’t miss. The giant flagship tree at the mall stands at a height of over four storeys tall. It kick-starts my Christmas Tree of the Day series for 2009!

Shiny pink and gold baubles adorn the tree on all sides. Yet, it is the giant pink bow wrapped ’round the tree that makes it pop.

Here’s a snapshot of the setting up in progress.

Photo by Keropok Man

From far, the tree looks like a present!

And that is the first tree of the series of 12 Christmas trees. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog and celebrate with a tree each day all the way to Christmas!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Ngee Ann City

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Trick or treat?

1. Black Widow cocktail

Photo credit and recipe: Talk of Tomatoes

2. Transylvanian gourmet chocolate truffles

Photo credit and recipe: MyRecipes.com

Who knew gourmet chocolate truffles can look so spooky?

3. Vegan cooking: Ghost cake

Photo by veganbakesale

4. Halloween Shortbread cookies

Photo by junebugmomma

5. Organic cake: Spooky tree

Photo by The Bleeding Heart Bakery

An organic cake with a crazy squirrel on top, made with organic milk, organic eggs and pure organic products.

6. Vampire blood tomato soup test-tube shooters

Photo credit and recipe: Food Network

7. Brain food

Photo by treedork

Now that’s an extreme Halloween dish! It’s made with peach jello and red grenadine syrup.

8. Halloween Bento

Photo by pkoceres

9. Halloween cupcakes

Photo by covetthycupcake

10. Eyeballs

Photo credit and recipe: Jojoebi

Eyeballs are always a staple at Halloween parties.

11. Caramel pear mice

Photo credit and recipe: Food Network

12. Dark and spooky cocktail

Photo credit and recipe: Food Network

13. Halloween cupcake toppers

Photo by Artisan Cake Company

14. Monster’s eyeball pasta

Photo by HAMACHI

15. Multi-tiered Halloween cake

Photo by jewelsb78

16. Spoooky Ghost Cupcakes

Photo by The Frosted Cake Shop

17. Pot O’Gross Stuff cake

Photo by debbiedoescakes

18. Halloween chocolate martini

Photo credit and recipe: bloomacious

19. Candy corn mousse

Photo credit and recipe: The Runaway Spoon

20. Mummy cupcakes

Photo by delish.com

21. Halloween marshmallows

Photo credit and recipe: Distracted Gourmet

22. Tombstone cookies

Photo credit and recipe: MyRecipes.com

23. Brew-Ha-Ha punch

Photo credit and recipe: SouthernLiving.com

24. Eyeball cheesecake & ghost toast

Photo credit and recipe: Woman’s Day Eyeball cheesecake | Ghost toast

25. Gingerbread haunted house

Photo by jybikerboy

I hope you enjoyed this roundup of Halloween dishes. Have a happy Halloween!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | Halloween, holiday food

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Many legends and customs surround this much celebrated festival. Who hasn’t heard the story of the beautiful Chang’e flying to the moon, or the one of the adorable rabbit who sacrificed his own flesh to feed a hungry old man?

Photo by Shutterbug Gal

The most popular tradition is undoubtedly the eating of mooncakes. There are several variations of the history behind it. One that I particularly like is the story of the Chinese overthrowing their Mongolian rulers by coordinating a rebellion through mooncakes with specially hidden messages.

Here’s a list of all the Chinese mooncakes I have featured over the years for your festive enjoyment :)

Mooncakes in Singapore

Raffles Hotel: Snow-skin Mooncake with Champagne Truffle & Ganache
Raffles Hotel Mooncakes 2009 – Have You Ordered Yours Yet?
Kia Hiang Restaurant – Mooncakes Packed with Tradition & Innovation
12 Mooncakes You Don’t Want to Miss in 2009
12 More Mooncakes You Don’t Want to Miss in 2009 – A Remix!

Mooncakes around the world

Mooncakes with a Difference! (Part 1)
Mooncakes with a Difference! (Part 2)

Mid-Autumn Festival greeting card

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Mid-autumn, mooncake

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If you have enjoyed my compilation of the 12 most interesting mooncakes you can find in Singapore, you may find this remix selection of 12 spanking new mooncakes useful, too.

One cannot help but notice that the seasonal dessert has evolved into increasingly exotic and tantalising variations. So, here are 12 more mooncakes you don’t want to miss in 2009!

Enjoy your mooncakes, everyone!

1. Meritus Mandarin

To suit various palates, over a dozen mooncake flavors have been launched at meritus mandarin’s Pine Court restaurant.

Of these, the oh-so-pretty osmanthus snowskin mooncake stands out effortlessly, thanks to its unusual dual-colored osmanthus-scented skin. Osmanthus is known as “gui hua” in Chinese.

The skin is a pastel yellow with rosy hues. This delicate snack is not only attractive on the outside, it has substance, too! The filling is a mixture of black bean paste, egg yolks, pine nuts, macadamia nuts and melon seeds. If you like having something crunchy to munch on, this one’s for you. ($25+ for 2)

Speaking of multi-colored mooncakes, have you seen these rainbow-colored ones?

The lavish set of “fortune dragon” mooncakes is guaranteed to impress. Crafted on five separate blocks is an intricate celestial dragon that simply screams of royalty.

All five pieces boast different flavors:
- lotus paste with double yolks
- lotus paste with macadamia nuts
- pandan custard
- assorted nuts and jinhua ham
- green tea paste
($118+ for the set)

2. COVA Pasticceria

Looking to grab a slice of the lucrative mooncake market is COVA Pasticceria, an Italian café at Paragon.

What do you get when you cross Western cakes with lotus paste?

Ta-da! Sponge mooncakes! These come in four flavors:

- chocolate and lotus paste
- mango and lotus paste
- rose and vanilla
- peanut and chocolate

One highlight is the peanut and chocolate sponge cake. It’s the combination of a chocolate feuilletine layer plus a peanut butter cream layer. Comes complete with bits of peanuts, too! Go nuts over this dessert. It sure gives new meaning to the phrase “delicious sin”. Yum!

Don’t forget the lovely rose and vanilla sponge cake. It is layered with chocolate and pastry cream, enfolded by a rose-infused snowskin.

To sample all flavors happily, grab the box of four assorted flavors at $36+.

3. Hilton

While we’re on that game… What do you get when you cross cheesecakes with mooncakes?

The best of both worlds — cheese mooncakes! Imagine the yummilicious flavors like peanut caramel, strawberry with white chocolate and vanilla, cranberry and raspberry, and mango and pecan — all with cheese! Get these at the Hilton. These babies are some of the richest and most satisfying treats you would find this Mid-Autumn Festival. ($38 for four)

Have I mentioned that the elegant fabric packaging is gorgeous, too?

4. Häagen-Dazs

When we think of ice cream mooncakes, swensen’s is probably the first name that comes to mind. Do you know that they aren’t the sole player in the ice cream mooncake business?

Check out häagen-dazs’ range of Mid-Autumn delights!

The mooncakes are handcrafted and coated in a layer of dark chocolate. This isn’t just another all-sweet-and-nothing-else dessert. Nestled within the chocolate and vanilla ice cream is a delightful mango sorbet core. To experience a burst of fruity flavor amidst the sweet frozen bliss certainly comes as a nice surprise! ($32+ for 2, $56+ for 4)

5. Crystal Jade

When it comes to Chinese cuisine, Crystal Jade is never too far away. The chain of Chinese restaurants has put together a myriad of dazzling creations, ranging from the classic to the “nouvelle”.

A new item is the bak kwa mooncake with mixed nuts ($42 for 4). Kia Hiang Restaurant introduced a bak kwa mixed nuts mooncake this year, too. Are we looking at a new trend here?

More artful creations abound in these agar-agar/gelatin lookalikes. They come in four tempting flavors:

- tiramisu
- chocolate with marshmallows
- mango with nata de coco
- green tea with red bean

You can purchase these at $19.80 for 4 at the Crystal Jade my bread outlets.

To please the coffee fanatics amongst you, there is a snowskin mooncake with coffee and black sesame paste. ($32 for 8)

Lending a little cute are these colorful cupcakes. I know they aren’t mooncakes… But look, how kawaii! They are adorned with festival icons like adorable bunnies and moons to spread some cheer. ($9.90 for 6)

Pair these with the Hello Kitty mooncakes from polar puffs and make any kid the happiest child in the world!

6. Rendezvous Hotel

A star buy at Rendezvous Hotel’s Straits Café is the black forest mooncake with cherry chocolate truffle, a signature item on the menu.

Photo by sgdessert

This gorgeous morsel is packed with the wholesome goodness of pistachio nuts, cashew nuts and chocolate sauce. Perfect for people that prefer cakes more than mooncakes, but wanna indulge in the festivities anyway. ($45 for 8)

For better variety, the 8-piece set comprising four flavors — durian, coffee, peach and raspberry cheese — is available at the same price.

(Aside: I happen to love the buffet dinner at Rendezvous Hotel. I have dined there a few times. So far they have yet to disappoint.)

7. Starbucks

Do mooncakes complement coffee? Starbucks says aye. That is why you find the café chain baking up a storm every Mid-Autumn Festival.

You can immediately recognise a Starbucks mooncake from the famous mermaid logo that fits nicely on the round surface.

This year, however, the pastries take on a whole new swirly design.

The signature flavor here is the espresso roast almond truffle that totally ties in with the coffee theme. Made using espresso roast coffee, with a chocolate and almond truffle tucked within the white lotus paste, this is naturally a hit with coffee lovers. For completeness, order a cup of joe to go along and you have yourself a fuzzy little Mid-Autumn breakfast!

If you prefer something non-caffeinated, go for the white chocolate macadamia truffle. It comprises white lotus paste with pieces of macadamia nuts and a white chocolate truffle center. ($5.90 apiece, $23.60 for a box of 4, $21.25 for purchases of 10 boxes or more)

8. St. Regis

Over at St. Regis, they have unveiled the ultra-posh almond snowskin with premium bird’s nest and custard. A touch of class!

While the most innovative mooncakes today tend to contain truffle fillings the likes of chocolate, caramel, and perhaps even champagne, this one trumps the rest by featuring a bird’s nest core! We’re talking oodles of the golden strands.

Obviously, this fine delicacy doesn’t come cheap; it costs a cool $246 for 8 pieces.

Fancy some posh nosh that wouldn’t blow a hole in your pocket? There’s the seven perfumes snowskin with martell cordon bleu cognac truffle. ($72 for 8)

One flavor that I must highlight is the inventive ginger-infused milk snowskin mooncake with century egg and custard. Yes, you read that right. Pieces of century egg hidden amidst the custard paste. Talk about novelties, this one takes the cake! ($46 for 8)

9. Emicakes

Durian, love it or hate it, it is here to stay. The pungent fruit has found its way into mooncakes as well as the hearts of mooncake lovers. Durian devotees would be happy to know that several mooncake merchants are selling durian flavors this year.

Local bakery Emicakes has rolled out the durian snowskin mooncake in both big and mini sizes:

- ultimate 8 = 2 regular + 6 mini – $58
- golden 4 = 4 regular – $59.60
- fortune 10 = 10 mini – $47

These come with ample fillings of durian. Best eaten well-chilled!

10. Holiday Inn Atrium

Blue isn’t a color you would normally associate with food. And that’s exactly how Holiday Inn Atrium shines with their impressive take on the durian mooncake.

The most interesting thing about this Peranakan mooncake is its stunning color: a deep purplish blue derived from blue pea flower. The coloring also gives the skin a sweetened tang.

Enveloped within is a rich and silky smooth durian purée. Durian fans, this one may just send you to the moon! ($42 for 6)

11. Taipan

Hong Kong mooncake specialist, taipan, has brought their pioneered “snowy” mooncakes to town. Blast-frozen to minus 18 degrees Celsius, these are literally the coolest desserts around (with an equally cool name).

With over 40 flavors, some of the most skilful creations include (clockwise from top left):

- foie gras (!!!), cheese and bean paste
- cheese with chocolate chips
- caramel coffee and bean paste
- sesame and white bean paste

The fusion mini snowy mooncakes contain buttery and moist bean paste filling and cost $42 for 8 pieces.

If you wanna indulge in bird’s nest mooncakes but find St. Regis’ rendition too pricey, taipan offers the same item at a more affordable $52 (elite bird’s nest) or $63 (premium bird’s nest).

12. Mandarin Oriental

The good peeps from mandarin oriental have also churned out some highly appealing mooncakes. There’s even one with soya bean snowskin, egg white custard and crunchy chocolate pearls! Anything with soya bean scores brownie points with me.

The pale green snowskin mooncake with green tea and cherry blossom bears a subtle fragrance. One cannot help but wonder if this is indeed made in the namesake of cherry garden, the restaurant that created it. ($48 for 8)

Bonus: Chop Tai Chong Kok (Da Zhong Guo 大中囯)

Snowskin mooncakes have taken center stage so far. If you’re thinking: what about the traditional baked skin mooncake? Surely it deserves a place here, too? About time you feature it! Well, here it is!

When it comes to crowning the best classic mooncake, one name that always comes up is the long established tai chong kok, better known by its Chinese name “大中囯”. This humble shop along sago street in Chinatown has been around since the 1930s! Clearly, the business has stood through the test of time, with a recipe that has been handed down through the generations.

Photo by Camemberu

I love the fact that the baked skin is not oily and of the perfect thickness. It is filled with a creamy smooth lotus paste that is fragrant and not overtly sweet — just the way I like it. As for the yolks, they are moist and non-flaky.

Photo by sgpix

There is something very endearing about these humble brown paper bags. That’s what they use to hold the boxes of mooncakes here. We hardly get to see such carriers these days!

Note: there’s another Chinatown tai chong kok confectionery that is more commercialised and makes mooncakes, too. The two are unrelated.

And that’s it for my mooncake countdown! What is your favorite mooncake this season?

Just in case you haven’t had enough…

Want more mooncakes?

Don’t miss my original list of 12 mooncakes that sparked off this remix!

If you have found this photographic tour of the various mooncakes on the market useful, feel free to pass it on to your friends!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

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http://sparklette.net/food/mooncakes-remix-2009/ | 56 comments

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To aid you in your mooncake selection, I have compiled a list of 12 mooncakes you don’t want to miss in 2009.

So gather your family and pets ’round the computer, and let’s count down the 12 most interesting and delicious mooncakes you can find in Singapore this year!

1. Tung Lok

These gorgeous mooncakes belong to the new royale series from Tung Lok. When it is made by the Tung Lok group, you know it’s got to be good!

The pastry is first baked, before being chilled, a process that gives the skin a crunchy texture. Sounds intriguing? This marks the debut of the first baked-and-chilled mooncakes in Singapore!

They come in three flavors:
- green tea with chestnut lotus ($42.80 for 8)
- Hokkaido milk with mocha ($42.80 for 8)
- custard ($44.94 for 8)

I must also highlight the adorable bite-size mooncakes that are even smaller than your usual mini mooncakes. They come in eight flavors such as pomelo white lotus, strawberry, purple potato and longan red date. ($47.08 for 16; two of each flavor)

Besides the convenience, I think that these dainty pastries may actually help reduce overeating! Well, unless people start popping them like popcorn, of course.

2. Peony Jade

Fruits have made a foray into our favorite pastry this time of the year. Durian, the king of fruits, is undoubtedly the most commonly used fruit. Almost every merchant has a d24 durian mooncake on its menu.

Now, it looks like the “lesser” fruits are putting up a good fight, too! Check out the range of fruity mooncakes by peony jade restaurant.

Fancy tucking into these wild strawberry ($42 for 4) and banana ($40 for 4) mooncakes? They contain smooth, rich low fat yoghurt. Notice that chunks of fruits are present, too!

The alcoholic lychee-tini and ganache flavor really takes the cake! This is a limited edition offering that features a liquorice truffle at its core, filled with the taste of what happens to be my favorite cocktail, the lychee martini! ($45 for 9)

3. InterContinental Singapore

Man fu yuan Chinese restaurant at the intercontinental Singapore has a range of beautiful and meticulously-created mooncakes. Back by popular demand is their mini snowskin mooncake filled with Japanese sweet potato paste and champagne chocolate. ($42.80 for 8)

What’s new this year?

Snowskin mooncakes filled with cempedak, or avocado and mango mousse. Another fruit-inspired creation! The fresh fruits are blended and made into a paste, with mini cubes and pulp of the fruits thrown in for good measure.

The whole pastry is entirely made of fruity goodness with no extra additives. Oh, except for the fact that chocolate pearls are included, too. Good stuff! ($42.80 for 8; four of each flavor)

4. The Fullerton

From the ultra posh Fullerton Hotel, we would expect nothing less. Aside from their bestselling chocolate baileys snowskin mooncake ($52 for 4), they also have the 15 treasures premium gift set.

This lavish set contains 14 blocks of assorted baked mooncakes, all with varying fillings. What’s the 15th treasure, you ask? Well, it’s the centerpiece of a 6-inch-wide mooncake with 8 yolks. 8 yolks! Now, THAT is a full moon. ($168)

Then, they also have these milky-colored snowskin mooncakes.

Do not mistake them for bars of soap. Available in cranberry, blueberry and green apple flavors, these mooncakes are the hotel’s new offerings for 2009. The shape looks really exquisite, too, especially with that depression in the middle. ($52 for 4)

5. Kia Hiang Restaurant

Not to be outdone by the east-meets-west creations of the big players, the more than 30 year old Kia Hiang Restaurant has whipped up several creative new flavors. Bak kwa mooncake, anyone? Yep, yep, they have it.

More tantalising flavors include durian, chocolate with rum and raisin, green tea, and the creamy blueberry and cheese. For more, check out my full review of Kia Hiang mooncakes with pictures, ratings and prices.

6. Carlton Hotel

Carlton hotel has introduced three new snowskin mooncakes: lavender, wheatgrass & melon seed, and hazelnut & nata de coco ($47.08 for 8). Of these, lavender has got to stir the most curiosity!

Photo by sgdessert

When I think of lavender, aromatherapy and air fresheners come to mind. Having this floral scent in a mooncake is definitely unusual! In this case, the aroma is subtle, infused perfectly with the white lotus paste. Any stronger, I’m not sure if it could remain as appetising.

7. Fairmont Singapore

Year after year, szechuan court at fairmont Singapore never fails to wow its fans. This year, the restaurant continues its tradition of bringing impressive flavors to the table with the new pretty in pink feuilletine-hazelnut mooncake with wafer crunch nuts.

In place of the usual lotus paste, you get a velvety smooth hazelnut filling. At its center is a white chocolate ball filled with Swiss chocolate and bits of wafer and hazelnut nuts. Looks like this little beauty is all good on the inside, too! ($45 for 8)

Like Raffles Hotel, szechuan court has a champagne truffle and ganache mooncake ($48 for 8). Peony jade also has it this year. Does anyone know who first came up with this bestselling flavor?

Other flavors featuring liquor to bring a little high are rum and raisin chocolate truffle and baileys chocolate. What takes my breath away is the latter. That truffle simply screams of seduction! ($46 for 8)

8. Concorde Hotel

For Muslim friends, check out the mooncakes of concorde hotel (formerly Le Meridien). They are all halal certified!

Like Kia Hiang, the hotel has specially baked low sugar mooncakes that come with white lotus filling and yolk. Great for the health-conscious :) ($39/40 for 4)

If you’re not too concerned about the calories, go for the sumptuous chocolate omochi. With the soft and chewy mochi and all the rich chocolaty deliciousness, it’s hard to resist this one! ($38 for 4)

9. Polar Puffs & Cakes

Bet you didn’t expect to see this one here. The bakery chain of polar puffs & cakes continues its unique offering of cakes made in the shapes of cartoon characters.

Say hello to Hello Kitty!

Ahhh! Aren’t these the sweetest things? Perfect for families with little girls. Even older girls. Okay, girls. Hello Kitty comes in four flavors: white lotus, pumpkin taro, yam and white chocolate cheese. Everybody say yum yum! ($30.80 for 6)

Just when you thought that things can’t get any cuter, they even give you a free Hello Kitty lantern with every purchase of a box of kitty mooncakes! I think snowy would like that. Meow!

Oh yes, a reader highlighted that the bakery chain is also halal certified :)

10. Goodwood Park Hotel

Obviously, when we’re on the topic of the best mooncakes, the good name of goodwood park hotel always comes up. The hotel is famed for its tropical fruit mooncakes like mango with pomelo, durian, and cempedak.

This year, goodwood park fans can welcome another new fruity flavor — soursop! We’re talking silky smooth puree and juicy pulp made from the freshest soursops. The tangy taste may not be everyone’s cup of tea, though, especially in a pastry that is traditionally sweet. But I know some adventurous people would take a liking to it.

All four flavors are available at $22 for two pieces and $40 for four pieces, except for durian that costs $26 for two pieces and $48 for four pieces.

11. Bakerzin

Have you ever seen a black mooncake? Homegrown café chain Bakerzin has created the fascinating midnight-colored mooncake, the sesame truffle.

This quirky mooncake gets its skin color from bamboo charcoal powder. The filling is a combination of lotus paste and black sesame paste. In the midst of the dark filling is a ball of white chocolate ganache. What does that resemble? (hint: look out the window!) ($36 for 8)

If black isn’t your color, go for lighter pastels. They have brandied cherry truffle, rum and raisin, pink champagne truffle, and malt whiskey truffle. ($36 for 8)

As you indulge in these exotic mooncakes, you may feel good about the fact that you are doing charity at the same time. For every box of mooncakes sold, Bakerzin will donate $1 to the Singapore make-a-wish foundation.

12. Raffles Hotel

Having raved about Raffles Hotel’s legendary snowskin mooncake with champagne truffle and ganache again and again, you know it will make it to this list somehow.

Photo by mehmeh

When friends seek my opinion for the best mooncakes to buy, this is the first that I would recommend. ’nuff said.

And oh, here’s my review on raffles’ delectable mooncakes.

Bonus: Godiva

Look! Godiva chocolatier has launched a Mid-Autumn collection, too!

These Belgian chocolates are packaged like mooncakes, with 4 large pieces to a box. They are filled with classic praline and crispy bits of roasted hazelnut. I can live with that :)

What a kaleidoscope of colors and flavors! These are, of course, my personal picks. I’m sure I have missed out many other excellent choices! Add your own picks in the comments and we can all share!

So, have you bought your mooncakes yet?

Want more mooncakes?

Bet you thought this was the end, didn’t you? Nope, not quite :)

There is now a “remix” of this list! Yes, after doing more mooncake scouting, I uncovered more Mid-Autumn gems! I have compiled a list of 12 more mooncakes you don’t want to miss.

Check them out!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/mooncakes-2009/ | 88 comments

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