Top 5 traditional Singapore mooncakes of 2011
By Min Yan
It's that time of the year again when we roll up our sleeves, sieve through the stacks of boxes of Singapore mooncakes, and do the grunt work for you. After pounds of mooncakes and emphatic declarations of "we'll never eat another mooncake ever again", we've narrowed down the city's offerings of this Mid-Autumn Festival treat, and here are our top five picks for traditional mooncakes for 2011. You're welcome.
Check out our favourite snowskin mooncakes and more in the weeks to come.
Bakerzin
Not all great-tasting mooncakes need to be from the big-name hotels, and Bakerzin's Classic Premium Egg Yolk Mooncake (S$52 for four pieces) testifies to that. The smooth lotus seed paste has just the right amount of sweetness, which is perfectly balanced by the layer of salted egg yolk at the centre of the mooncake.
The Bakerzin Classic Premium Egg Yolk Mooncake is now available at all Bakerzin outlets. You can also place your orders online at www.bakerzin.com from now to 7 September 2011.
The best thing about the Fairmont mooncakes is that you can be assured of their quality year after year, especially the hotel's most popular flavours, the baked Double Yolk in White Lotus Paste (S$55 for four) and Peach-shaped Single Yolk & Macadamia Nuts in White Lotus Paste (S$53 for four).
For those who are calorie-counting, the Fairmont presents a new flavor, The Garden of Eve: a baked Singapore mooncake with olive kernels in white lotus paste (S$50 for four). This is a healthier alternative to the traditional cakes that combine the subtle sweetness and texture of white lotus paste with mild nutty flavour of olives.
Fairmont Singapore's mooncakes are available from 3 August to 12 September 2011. Complimentary delivery service to one location with a minimum purchase of 50 boxes of mooncakes is available.
Majestic Restaurant (of the New Majestic Hotel) gets our vote for favourite traditional mooncake of 2011. Baked to a beautiful deep golden-brown colour, the Low Sugar Baked White Lotus Paste (S$60 for four pieces with four yolks, and S$52 for four pieces with double yolk) has a dreamily smooth texture that remained moist and fresh even after days of sitting around our office.
This Singapore mooncake may be low sugar, but the sweetness of the lotus paste still comes through, and is perfectly complemented by the crumbly yolk centre. This combination has journalists all over the city raving about it.
For gifting, the limited edition Imperial Premium Box (S$128) is available for that extra touch of sophistication: a jade green and gold box set holds an intricately designed tea set and includes your choice of four traditional baked mooncakes.
Majestic's mooncakes are on sale through 12 September 2011.
Consistently lauded as having some of the best quality Singapore mooncakes — in particular, its unusual Snowskin Mooncake with Champagne Truffle and Ganache — Raffles Hotel's offerings of traditional mooncakes this year are no less impressive.
Raffle's traditional mooncakes are the Baked Mooncake with Pine Nuts, Macadamia Nuts & White Lotus Paste (S$56), Baked Mother of Pearl Mooncake with Single Yolk & White Lotus Paste (S$60) and Baked Mooncake with Double Yolk, Macadamia Nuts & White Lotus Paste (S$60). Each variation packs all the goodness of smooth lotus paste and aromatic egg yolk, encased in a light-brown skin — it's indeed worthy of the Raffles name.
Raffles Hotel mooncakes are available at the mooncakes shop, located at the hotel's North Bridge Road entrance until 12 September 2011. You can also order mooncakes directly at www.raffleshotelmooncakes.com until 2 September 2011.
Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant (of Sheraton Towers) presents five ways in which you can enjoy its White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Egg Yolks mooncakes — in the Premium Box (S$108 for four pieces), Imperial Lacquer Box (S$98 for four pieces), Empress Treasure Box (S$78 for four pieces), Premier Jade Box (S$58 for four pieces) or standard box (S$55 for four pieces). Their glossy golden-brown mooncakes are delicious on their own, but the impressive boxes elevate the experience to an unforgettable one — perfect for gifts.
For something a little more exotic, the new Green Tea White Lotus Seed Paste with Single Egg Yolk (S$53 for four pieces) features paste infused with the essence of green tea, with salted egg yolk wrapped within a baked crust. The green-tea paste isn't as strong as the real stuff, but the subtle bitterness makes for an interesting take on the usual lotus paste.
The mooncakes are now available till 12 September 2011 at:
- Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant (11:30am — 10:30pm) or Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel Lobby Mooncake booth (11am — 9:30pm), from 10 August to 12 September 2011
- Mooncake Booth at Change Alley from 29 August to 9 September 2011 (10am — 6:30pm, close on Saturday and Sunday)
- Mooncake Booth at NEX from 1 to 11 September 2011 (10am — 10:30pm)
Participating credit cardholders are entitled to a 15 percent discount.
Head over to LifestyleAsia.com for full details on these top five traditional Singapore mooncakes of 2011.
Related Articles:
If you're curious about which mooncakes made it onto our lists for the past few years, check out the best Singapore mooncakes of 2010 and best Singapore mooncakes of 2009. Everyone in Hong Kong is also gearing up to Mid-Autumn Festival so read-up on the best Hong Kong mooncakes of 2011 and best Hong Kong mooncakes for picky eaters.
