My Pain Relief

I think I might have slept on the wrong side of the bed last night. My neck is aching terribly and I am feeling miserable. My good colleague bought me a relief package during lunch.  Ta-Da! Its none other than Champagne Nama Chocolate from Royce! Oh boy, I am going to have them as desserts after my meal.

I was beamed with joy. At that instant, I forgot about the pain I had in my neck.I unwrapped my pain relief package immediately.

Oh boy!! The sight of these Nama chocolates has tantalized my taste buds. I can't wait to sink my mouth into these luscious pieces.

Nine pieces of gems. Wow!! So sweet and divine. It was an instant pick-me-up and works wonders on me because I have forgotten about my aching neck. As I placed one in my mouth. Oooh!!! These Champagne Nama chocolates taste so good. The beautiful harmony of champagne with raw milk chocolate is one of the best Nama chocolates I have eaten.

Nama chocolates tend to be very rich but this contain champagne so it gives a subtle delicate after taste. The champagne was not too strong as I have expected but the it gives a flowery flow to the texture. As I sinked my teeth into these pieces, they were absolutely lovely and divine. My heart has just melted together with the pieces of Nama chocolates in my mouth. I love them!!

Before I knew it, I finished the whole box! Okay, nine pieces wasn't that much yeah! Besides I was in pain and these gems made my day. They were my pain relief and I have to thank my good colleague for that. I am all pump up now. Back to work! Oops, I forgot to rub my pain relief cream over my neck!

Jewels Artisan Chocolates

It was a hectic morning at work and I was feeling peckish. I decided to treat myself to some chocolates. Remember, the salted caramel chocolate mooncake from Jewels I had previously. I love their truffles and was craving for them. I was even thinking about them during work so I decided to head there during lunch.

This time, I brought my friend along to prevent myself from buying the whole range of chocolates available. As  you know I am a chocoholic and I cannot resist my temptation for good chocolates.I decided to be disciplined today and get 3. Why 3? Oh well, I decided not to be so greedy this afternoon. Otherwise I would be feeling the sugar rush in the afternoon. I think 3 was a decent treat for myself.

When I was at Jewels, I was tempted with the array of chocolates on display. Luckily, my friend accompanied me. If not, I would purchase more than 3 chocolates and probably a box back. The chocolates at Jewels were very tempting. Probably, I was really hungry, the sight of these handcraft gems tantalize my my senses and has charm my eyes. It sure made me an excitable lady!

I had a hard time choosing and with my friend's help, I decided on Chrysolite, Cornelian and Kyanite. I can't wait to savour them immediately. Of course, I ate them immediately after my purchase.

Chrysolite (the front white truffle) is actually a champagne truffle, made from fresh cream and dark chocolate dipped in white chocolate.
I was craving for the champagne truffle mooncake I had preciously so I chose this. This was good because the champagne in the truffle was generous and it was oozing out from my mouth as I pop this truffle in.

Next, I tried the Cornelian ( the top left brown truffle). Its a caramel ganache coated with dark chocolate topped with caramel nibs. As you know, I love salted caramel, so I decided to give this version a shot although the caramel is not salted. Surprisingly, the caramel truffle was too sweet and it has a nice crunch to it as you bite the caramel nibs. However I think I still like salted caramel better as the salty-sweet pairing excites my taste bud.

Lastly, I had the Kyanite ( the top right white truffle with dark chocolate dirzzle). This is so divine and its my favourite among all. Its a melting pot of pandan, coconut and white chocolate. Jewels has expertly melded exotic Asian ingredients into their chocolates. This version reminds me of kaya toast we have in the morning. Kyanite taste almost like that except there was no toast. It was decadent and definitely excites my taste bud for the day. I am going back for more!!!

I definitely enjoyed my little treat during lunch. It was a journey of decadence. I am fully pump up for work now. My taste buds and eyes has been charmed and excited by the tantalizingly chocolates at Jewels. I can't wait to grab more of these gems after work.

Sweet Gula Melaka

During my tea break, I was craving for cake. I overheard my colleague's conversation that there was a gula melaka cake at Cedele which was really good. I figured it was time for me to get there to satisfy my craving. I was curious how Cedele is going to put gula melaka into their cake.

Gula Melaka is a a palm sugar normally used in Malay desserts like chendol, ondeh ondeh and a few to list. I love gula melaka. The taste of palm sugar is similar to brown sugar but this tastes better. It has a butterscotch and caramel flavour with a good rich flavour at the end when you savour it into your mouth. I have gone on countless tasting of cakes at Cedele and I have to declare this gula melaka cake is one of my favourite.

The cake is frosted with gula meleka cream cheese frosting and finished with coconut shreds at the side. Its so lovely. The frosting was not overly sweet as you would expect it to be because gula melaka has a very rich flavour. Surprisingly, the gula melaka blends well with the cream cheese and went perfectly well with the coconut shreds. I was already extremely excited with the first bite.

With the second bite, you can taste the soft fragrant pandan cake sandwiched with pandan egg custard(kaya). Cedele is known for baking their cakes with organic produce so I am rest assured that this cake is baked with organic unrefined sugar and grapeseed oil. Now, I can indulge without guilt. The pandan leaves are freshly squeezed daily and the kaya is made by them.

I really love their sweet-salty kaya spread on the cake. The kaya is not too sweet and has a nice salty flavour at the end when you taste it. It was unexpectedly good with the gula melaka cream cheese frosting.

Initially, I was skeptical about this cake because the ingredients used to bake this is often used in our local Malay dessert. However after tasting this, I change my mind as the taste was familiar and comforting so close to our Malay desserts. I think this it really good. Probably I can say its a good new creation  of a Malay dessert.

How I wish they sell the gula melaka cream cheese frosting and the kaya in tubs. I am sure I will buy a few tubs home and spread a generous portion of gula melaka cream cheese frosting with kaya on my toast in the morning. I am pretty sure they will make a good spread during breakfast time. Gula Melaka and kaya toast anyone?

Salted Caramel Mooncake

When it comes to salted caramel, my knees will go weak. I have a soft spot for salted caramel because the pairing of sweet and savoury makes me drool. I feel the salt will not make the caramel overly sweet especially when good quality salt is used. Moreover, it makes an interesting kick to your taste bud.

I was overjoyed, when I found out Jewels created snowskin mooncakes with salted caramel truffle. Jewels is recognized for their hand made chocolates so I believe their salted caramel truffle mooncake will not disappoint me. Immediately, I picked up the phone to reserve a box of these salted caramel mooncake.

When I collect it the next day, I could not resist the temptation and opened the box on the spot to taste. Yes!! I am crazy!! I am totally obsessed with any dessert which has salted caramel. My first bite of this salted caramel mooncake, blew my mind away. Its totally sublime. As my teeth sink into the truffle center, the salted caramel oozes into my mouth and you can feel the saltiness of the caramel balance well with the sweetness from the lotus paste. Totally fantastic!

This gave me a tremendous pleasure from tasting the sweet and savoury combination of this dessert. The salt gave a good kick to the caramel. Later, did I know the salt was actually volcanic sea salt. Thumbs up to the chef!!  The chef has not made the truffle too salty or too sweet. Its a good balance. Sometimes, you may find certain salted caramel dessert either too salty or sweet but this was just perfect. I have to complement the chef's refine skill of crafting this creation together.

She is totally ingenious. The salted caramel paired very well with the lotus filling. When eaten as a whole, the mooncake was not overly sweet. On top of that, the chef has added melon seeds in the mooncake to give a good crunchy bite to the mooncake. The taste is so good that I feel as though I am floating over the moon. The whole experience is wonderful and addictive. After your first piece, I  reached out for another piece. I know I am not going to share this box with anyone.

This is a must try for salted caramel lovers. The salted caramel mooncake contrast very well between the salted caramel and lotus paste. The salted caramel snowskin mooncake has stole my heart. I am definitely reserving another 2 boxes for myself.

Sweet Yam

I have been tasting various baked skin and snowskin mooncakes lately so I decided to give my palate a change. This time round, I am going to try the Teochew
"Oor Nee" mooncake with golden Japanese pumpkin.
"Oor Nee" is actually made of yam and this creation originates from the Teochew dessert.

Normally, "Oor Nee" is served in a Teochew restaurant. It is made up of  sweet yam paste mixed with ginkgo nuts and topped with coconut milk. Now the chef at Peony Jade has turned this dessert into mooncakes. The "Oor Nee" mooncake paste made from yam differs from the traditional lotus paste filling. Even the pastry is different from the traditional baked version. These " Oor Nee" mooncakes are flaky as the dough is made rolling together alternating with layers of dough and stir fried in oil, not baked.

Poeny Jade " Oor Nee" mooncake taste like yam pastry rather than mooncake.  I would give thumbs up for the chef's combination of the Japanese pumpkin together with the yam filling. The Japanese pumpkin gives a nice edge to the yam and it is not overly sweet for my liking. On the down side, eating these delicacy can be a little messy as the pastry flakes tend to drop as you bite them. If you leave them for a few days, the pastry becomes soft.  A solution to this is warm them up in the microwave for a minute before eating. It will taste exactly the same as the "Oor Nee" dessert you have at a Teochew restaurant.

I think this "Oor Nee" mooncake will appeal to the older generation as they are not too sweet or dry and resembles very closely to the Teochew " Oor Nee" dessert you have at the restaurant. They make good gifts for your parents and grandparents.

Durain King

Since the previous durain mooncake did not satisfy my cravings I decided to explore other versions. During lunch, my friends were discussing which mooncakes were good and he mentioned Peony Jade durian mooncake was one of the best he has eaten. Since my cravings were calling me, I decided to give it a shot, .

The next day, I head over to Peony Jade restaurant to try these treat. The durain mooncake tasted fabulous. It is made out pure mao shan wang durain pulp. This definitely beats the taste of D24 durain puree I had previously. The durain pulp is encased in organic pandan snowskin so the skin tasted fragrant and  they blend well with the durain pulp. I had no regrets buying these. Why?

The skin melts in your mouth. The pulp has a luscious texture, like durian ice cream. Absolutely lovely! Its flavour is fantastic - rich with a hint of bitterness for kick and balance. Just what i was looking for. These decadent treat has satisfied my cravings.

Adding to this creation of durain mooncake, Poeny Jade created a golden phoneix butter cream durain in pearl powder snowskin mooncake. This treat boasts a filling made of golden phoneix durain and custard pearl powder in the skin. The pulp is creamy and smooth and the durain flavour packs a punch. However the snowskin is not as fragrant as the pandan snowskin. I still prefer the pandan version as the pandan blends well with the durain filling.

If you are a lover of this pungent fruit, try both of them. I am sure this duarin mooncake is a perfect excuse to indulge in yet more of the creamy luscious delicacy.

Fruity Delights

If you are getting sick of all the lotus paste filling mooncakes or the rich tasting chocolate truffles and alcohol infused fillings. Here's one which is light on the palate.

You see, my palate was getting jaded over the richness of the lotus mooncakes I had the over the past few days so I decided to have something light. Goodwood Park Hotel serves fruity mooncakes which are light and refreshing.They are famous for their fruity range of handcrafted snowkin mooncakes.  These are just what I was looking for.

They serve Apple Caramel , Mango with Pomelo, D24 Durian, Cempedak and Almond Beancurd with Longan snowskin mooncakes. Everything looks enticing and I could not make my mind which one to start first.

I closed my eyes and selected the Apple caramel snowskin mooncake first. This creation  is refreshingly light. It contains chunks of fresh and caramelized green apple amid green apple puree. This creation blew mind away. This is definitely a welcome zesty treat for our tropical weather.

Next I tried the Mango with Pomelo flavour and each bite of this, my mouth is sinked with smooth mango puree with mango cubes and pomelo sac. Totally refreshing on the palate. Its as good as having the fruit on its own. Equally delectaable are their D24 Durain and Cempedak snowskin mooncakes. Every bite is generously filled with the rich creamy paste made from fresh pulp of D24 Durains and Cempedak fruits. I have to say this is slightly richer tasting compared with the previous two as the fruit nature on its own is rich. If you are looking for something light, this is not the one to start off with. However I can say the chef are not stingy with the Durain and Chempedak fillings.

Lastly, the Almond Beancurd with Longan snowskin mooncake is absolutely divine. When I first tasted it, it tastes exactly like our almond beancurd dessert we have at our local dessert stall. Later I found out, that the chef has taken inspiration from our popular Chinese desert which I mentioned earlier on and created in their mooncakes. So ingenious of them. The smooth Almond Beancurd paste is complemented with juicy Longan bits that add texture to the mooncake. I have to complement the pastry chef for their creativity to transform something from our local dessert into a masterpiece.

The fruity creations are a good choice after meal dessert if you are looking for something light and refreshing. Especially after a heavy meal, this dessert will not bloat your stomach. Instead of having fruits, you can indulge in these fruity delights without guilt. What's more, if you freeze these mooncakes, they taste like fruity ice cream. Good to cool you down in this tropical weather. I love these fruity creations because you can have them both ways. Either eat it chilled like fruits or freeze them to have it as ice cream. Absolutely refreshing!

Blue Mooncakes

Look at what I found at the mooncake fair- Blue mooncake ! When it comes to new mooncake flavours, the sky is never the limit. I chanced upon this Blue Gem while I was browsing the various mooncakes displayed at the fair. This caught my attention immediately so I went over to the booth to find out what it was. At first glance, I could not visualize a blue colour associated with any food that could be mixed in a mooncake. I thought the pastry chef was trying to tickle buyer's fancy by dying the the snowskin blue. Apparently its durain mooncake. How ingenious the pastry chef is.

These blue mooncakes are crafted by Xin cusine restaurant and they have decided to go Peranakan this year with theses durian ones. The translucent snowksin is made using glutinous rice flour and dyed blue with pea flowers. So the dye is natural and not artificial which I was skeptical at first. I was thinking to myself, how on earth Blue can be associated with a natural food colouring. To my surprise, the filling of this mooncake is none other the creamy durain fruit. Initially, I thought it was blueberry filling. This has definitely caught my attention . The chef has given a twist to this creation so I decided to give it a try. Since durain mooncakes has been popular among Asians so I want to see how this little confection beats the rest that I have tasted before.

Durian mooncake has become so common that one is hard pressed to recall a time when the flavour was considered novel. I guess that's why Xin Cusine Restaurant went up their ante of durain concoction by dying their snowskin in blue. Visually they look attractive so it certainly yells for attention at the fair.

Durain popularity speaks of Asian undying love for the pungent fruit. For durain fans, the durain mooncake is the perfect excuse to indulge in this creamy delicacy. These Blue Gems at Xin Cusine are made from D24 durains. I hope they taste as creamy and bitter sweet as the D24 durian.

As I sink my mouth into these tiny gems, the skin is slight chewy . To my surprise, I could not even detect the pea flower dye. The snowskin does not taste artificial at all and it has a nice bite.  The filling has a nice puply texture and has a pleasant taste. However, I wish the flavour could be stronger.

If you are durian lover this is nothing to shout about because I have tasted better ones than these. I like my durain filling to be pungent, creamy and packed with a good punch. I will prefer the skin that melts in your mouth. Most of all, the pulp to have a luscious texture like durian ice cream - rich with a hint of bitterness for kick and balance.

However, you may consider buying these blue gems as gifts to impress someone ( probably your boss or loved ones) because they are visually appealing. I am sure they will be impressed by the sight of it but make sure the receiver loves durain because not everyone accepts the pungent smell and taste of the durain. Go ahead make someone happy for the day with theses appealing Blue Gems.

A Twist to Tradition

When it comes to mooncake flavours, the sky is never the limit. The traditional baked confections with lotus paste and salted egg yolk has spawned variations over the years. With the revolution in the society, our palate is easily jaded so pastry chef will unleash their creativity and test the boundaries of gimmickry to create something different every year.

As I walked along a mooncake fair there were many weird and wonderful mooncake flavours - Parma ham and pork floss mooncake, anyone? Even new flavours like XO scallop, which is a baked mooncake filled with dried scallop, XO sauce and cashew nut paste. The concoction was paired well with a blend of sweet and salty flavours.

Chinese medicinal herbs have also become the muse of mooncake pastry chefs who want to cater to the health conscious consumers.
Since I bought the snowskin mooncake from Fairmont, I decided to give their new baked mooncake a shot. They offer a new twist to their traditional baked mooncake which is filled with wolfberry, fig, and chuan xiong, also known as Chinese lovage.

Chaun Xiong is used in traditional chinese medicine to promote blood flow and qi, or energy flow in the body. Wolfberry helps improve our vision and has antioxidant properties. On top of that, figs has the highest source of fiber and calcium.

With these medicinal benefit, I got a box for my mum since she is fond of baked mooncakes. When she ate a slice of it, she was surprised by the chef 's twist to the tradition baked mooncake. The lotus paste blends well with the herbs. The taste of it was not medicinal and in fact it taste like a bowl of Chinese snow fungus longan dessert you have at a dessert stall. The fig and wolfberry blended well with the lotus paste, giving a natural sweetness of the herb. It was not too overpowering as I would thought the herb would be.

On top of that, this pastry has its medicinal benefit of promoting our blood flow and the lotus paste is not too sweet. This is a perfect after meal dessert. You may pair this mooncake with a hot cup of Chinese Oolong tea. The tea fragrance blends well with the Chinese herb in the mooncake. Oolong tea will also assist with our digestion if you are afraid of the oil content from the mooncake. Rest assure, you can eat this without guilt as its has many health benefits. Go ahead and try one.

Fairmont Version

I can't resist the temptation of snowskin mooncakes filled with liquor chocolate truffles. I found one equally good as Raffles Hotel. They come in various flavours too. These mooncakes are prepared by Fairmont Hotel and they are absolutely divine.

The sight of them make me drool. They come in 4 flavours. Champagne, Bailey's, Rum and Rasin, and muselli chocolate.
The perennial favourite year upon year is the snowskin moonacakes with champagne truffle and Ganache. It features an exquisitely hand crafted champagne truffle that is delicately swathed in creamy white lotus paste and enfolded in a duvet of tender snow skin. This is an original Fairmont Hotel creation which ardent fans like myself early await every mooncake festival.

I am greedy and I love all four flavours. The Bailey's, Rum and Rasin are powered with the strong taste of liquor. Each bite of it, the liquor from the truffle oozes out and melts in your mouth. I can say, the pastry chef has not been stingy with the liquor in the truffle. The chocolate Ganache goes well with the lotus paste and pastry. I can easily woof down 6 pieces at one go.

The fourth flavour is more for kids. It is chocolate muselli and there is no liquor. So kids can enjoy this safely. The muselli gives an added crunch to the mooncake and if you are health conscious, the muselli keeps you full too. This prevents you from snacking another piece of mooncake down your throat.

For me, I still love the liquor version. The champagne, Bailey's and, Rum and Rasin are my favourite. They are equally comparable to Raffles hotel. Even their snow skin pastry is as tender as Raffles. However, Fairmont's lotus paste is a tad sweeter. I can't complain about their generous serving of liquor in the chocolate truffle thou. Fairmont seems to be more generous in their serving of liquor in their chocolate truffle as compared to Raffles. I guess its a give and take for me. I think every pastry chef has their own style of creation.

Its thumbs up for me still as I love to sip the liquor slowly and allow the chocolate melt in my mouth. Oooooh!!! Its so good and they make me happy. It allows one forget their stress from work. I am going back to get some more.

Golden Traditions

As I went back to Raffles Hotel to get my next box of mooncakes. I decided to make a change this time. I am going to give the traditional mooncakes a shot. I know I have mentioned that I am not a fan of baked mooncakes. My mum has urged me to get her the baked version as she is not a fan of the snow skin version. I bow down to her request so I purchase an assortment of baked mooncakes.

I got her the baked mooncake with pine nuts, another type macadamia nuts with white lotus paste, the third version which is the baked mother of pearl with single yolk and white lotus paste, and last but not least the baked mooncake with double yolk and macadamia nuts.

My mum was happy when I brought them hone. She was totally delighted at the sight of them as the baked version has been her favourite.  I am not keen to taste them but after much persuasion, I took the plunge to sink a tiny piece into my teeth. To my surprise, they were fantastic. It was not too sweet and oily as I have expected.

 From my past experience, the baked versions tend to be very oily because they are baked with lard and the lotus paste is usually oily from the peanut oil. Raffles hotel has made the baked mooncakes well for the modern health conscious ones. The lotus paste was smooth ,not oily and not too sweet. The lotus paste blends well with the pine nuts, macadamia nuts and egg yolk. It gives a balance to your taste palette.The golden-hued pastry are crafted to perfection. The pastry chef at Raffles has done a good job.

If  it is not for my mum's persuasion I would not have tempted to try the baked mooncakes. I have to thank her for that. The traditional mooncakes has changed my perceptions of the baked version. The chefs have pass on the tradition well to the modern living taste bud. Certainly, they have live up the name of the golden tradition. These baked version make perfect gifts for the mid-autumn season especially for old folks who yearn the taste of the traditional ones. On top of that they are the healthier.  Good for the heart and taste.

Tiger Lily and Hazelnut chocolate Mooncake

I discovered something new at Raffles Hotel this year. Besides their signature champagne chocolate mooncake truffle. They came out with Tiger Lily and Hazelnut chocolate mooncake.

The brown mooncake shown on the left is their hazelnut version. The luminous auburn snowskin conceals velvety white lotus paste that yields a surprising crunch of hazelnuts! Every bite of the lotus paste is filled with the hazelnuts. It adds a good punch to your taste buds.The final flourish to this pastry is the creamy hazelnut chocolate truffle eggs. One bite of it gave me a sensational feeling especially when the hazelnut chocolate filling slowly melts in your mouth.The snowskin Hazelnut chocolate mooncake will delight and amuse the child in us.Definitely all kids and adults will love this creation.

The orange mooncake shown in the picture is none other the snow skin Tiger Lily mooncake. By the glance of it, it emanates sophistication and style. The Tiger Lily takes inspiration from the famous Long Bar cocktail served at the Raffles Hotel. The cocktail bursts with tropicana flavours of passion fruit, mango and lime. This shall please the most discerning palates. If you are in the mood for something unique and tropical, go ahead with this new flavour.One bite of the Tiger Lily makes you feel you are having the cocktail at a bar. This is a good dessert to wind down after a long day at work. Paired it with a glass of white wine will be totally sublime.It has definitely tantalize my taste bud so I hope this Tiger Lily mooncake will tantalize yours too. I am pretty sure the impressive look and taste of the Tiger Lily this will make a great gift. The name Tiger Lily makes a decent entrance to your host's hands.

My Mooncake Craze

Every mooncake festival, I look forward to new mooncake creations. Especially those snowskin mooncakes with chocolate truffles in it. I am not a fan of traditional baked mooncakes where there is a salted egg yolk centered in the lotus paste. I find them too sweet and boring. I love chocolates so naturally I love mooncakes with chocolates in it especially those filled with liquor.

I found one at Raffles Hotel and their signature champagne truffle mooncake is heaven. One bite of it sends me floating. Every single bite of this mooncake makes me very happy. Its too good to be shared! I can finish a box of 8 pieces in one go!! Sounds crazy but they are that good.

Why? First of all there's chocolates and I am a chocoholic lady who is addicted to chocolates and I love chocolates. Most of all, chocolates makes me happy. Even the sight and smell of chocolates makes me ecstatic.
The best part of this mooncake is the truffle which is centered with champagne as you can see from the photo. One bite of it, the champagne oozes out and slowly melts in your mouth. You will appreciate how well the champagne goes with the lotus paste.
The snowskin of the mooncake is soft and melts in your mouth. The texture is just perfect. Not too chewy and hard.

Everything about this champagne mooncake is divine!!! If you happen to be around Raffles Hotel, do try it. They are even giving out samples for you to taste. Taste them to understand what I meant. They are absolutely good for after dinner dessert.