The best part about traditional festivals for me, and I believe many other Singaporeans, is the food. Well, that and all the free money received during CNY. While I adore pineapple tarts and bak zhang, the one festival food I never fail to look forward to every year is mooncake. I love old-school baked lotus mooncakes with golden salted yolks hidden within, and I can’t resist snowskin mooncakes that come in all sorts of quirky flavours either. Here are some interesting snowskin mooncakes this year, so you can pick the ones that catch your fancy for Mid-Autumn Festival 2017.
Fans of root beer floats, this one’s for you. Goodwood Park Hotel is offering Root Beer Snowskin Mooncakes ($36+ for two pieces) that are made with rum and vanilla beans! They’ve also got Apple Cider Snowskin Mooncakes ($36+ for two pieces) and classic ‘Mao Shan Wang’ Durian Snowskin Mooncakes ($48+ for two, $80+ for four pieces). If you’re looking to try something really different, get their Prickly Pear with Bergamot ($32+ for two, $52+ for four pieces). This pink pastry comes with tiny pieces of diced pear that add some crunch to the treat.
Address: 22 Scotts Road, The Deli, Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore 228221
Opening hours: Daily 9am to 9pm
Tel: 6730 1867 / 6730 1868
Website | Mooncake booth locations
Online order form
Image credit: The Fullerton Hotel
The Fullerton Hotel’s Kopi with Salted Hokkaido Milk Snow Skin Mooncakes ($60 for four pieces) takes good ol’ kopi peng to an atas level. This sweet-salty combination will work on those who find regular lotus mooncakes a tad too sweet for their liking. The hotel also has interesting baked mooncake flavours, such as Salted Taro with Peanut Butter Baked Mooncakes ($60 for four pieces) and Pandan with Coconut Baked Mooncakes ($60 for four pieces).
Address: 1 Fullerton Square, Lobby Level, The Fullerton Cake Boutique, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Singapore 049178
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 8pm
Tel: 6877 8943
Website
Online order form
This mooncake is like a major throwback to those pre-clubbing moments at the Zouk bridge because, as strange as it sounds, mixing Baileys Irish Cream with bottled honey green tea used to be the go-to for my friends and I. Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, which happens to be opposite the old Zouk, seems to get this ‘cause they’ve come up with Green Tea Lotus Seed Paste with Baileys Cream Praline ($58 for six pieces) snowskin mooncakes this year. They’ve also got other unconventional flavours such as Passion Fruit Paste with Plum and Low Sugar White Lotus Seed Paste with Banana Apricot Praline at the same price.
Address: 317 Outram Road, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, Singapore 169075
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9pm
Tel: 6731 7173
Website | Mooncake booth locations
Online order form
Swatow Seafood may be one of those old-school spots you only go with your folks, but they’ve got some pretty modern mooncakes this year. Mini Red Bean & Cheese Mochi ($42 for eight pieces) is one such mooncake. Each white snowskin mooncake holds a creamy filling that has bits of red bean in it. It’s not cloying and taste super shiok when slightly frozen. The taste of cheese isn’t strong, so don’t get your expectations high on that aspect. The pastry’s chewy skin and ice-cream-like filling reminded me of the ice-cream mochi pieces you can get at some Japanese restaurants.
Address: 181 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, #02-602, Singapore 310181
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 5pm, 6pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 6363 1717
Website | Order form
Full list of outlets
Here’s one for the tai-tais in the fam. Shangri-La Hotel Singapore’s new flavour, Yuzu Bird’s Nest, comes with a yuzu filling and a bird’s nest core. The filling is tart and refreshing, making it stand out immediately from typical snowskin mooncakes. While the taste of bird’s nest is subtle, it’s enough to make a princess-y sibling or mum feel a bit atas on MAF’s night. It’s on the pricey side at $88 for a box of eight pieces with two flavours, namely this and Chocolate with Salted Toffee, but not overly so such that you’d have to be a crazy rich Asian just to give it a shot.
Address: 22 Orange Grove Road, Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, Singapore 258350
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12pm to 2:30pm, 6pm to 10:30pm, Sat-Sun 10:30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 6213 4398 / 6213 4473
Website | Mooncake booth locations
Online order form
The thing about these cheesecake mooncakes from online bakery Cat & The Fiddle is that their smooth fillings taste like actual cheesecake. It’s not a marketing gimmick, so give them a chance especially if you’ve got younger siblings. There are five flavours – blueberry, strawberry, cookies and cream, chocolate, and durian – and they go at $68.80 for a box of eight. Each box comes with a complimentary PVC bag that’s great for grocery shopping, so mum won’t complain that she has nothing to gain when it comes these cheesecake treats.
Pineapple Pink Peppercorn ($69 for eight pieces) by Regent Singapore tastes as wild as it sounds, and it’s the mooncake to go for if you’re a ma la addict. This spicy, sweet, and tart snowskin pastry comes with pineapple paste and a peppery chocolate core. While it’s not gonna induce tears like ma la does, it’s definitely reserved for those who can appreciate spicy twists in desserts.
Address: 1 Cuscaden Road, Level 3, Summer Palace, Singapore 249715
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 2:30pm, 6:30pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 6725 3239
Website | Mooncake booth locations
Online order form
Image credit: Mandarin Orchard Singapore
While Mandarin Orchard Singapore’s Red Wine Cranberry Paste with Japanese Yuzu and Lemongrass ($66 for eight pieces) is quite a mouthful to read, it’s much more delightful on the palate. This flavour has been around since 2015, and it proves its worth with its refreshing taste. Sweet and tart at the same time, it is one for those who prefer to stay away from cloying mooncakes.
Address: 333 Orchard Road, Level 1 Lobby (Festive Counter), Mandarin Orchard Singapore, Singapore 238867
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 7pm
Tel: 6831 6320 / 6831 6262
Website
Order form | Mooncake booth locations
Crystal Jade’s snowskin mooncakes this year lean towards the conventional side, but comes with subtle twists. Chocolate Manuka Honey is surprisingly rich and carries a slight taste of honey. If you prefer something more tart, try the Chocolate Japanese Yuzu. The other two flavours they’ve got are Pandan Lotus Gula Melaka and Molten-centre Raspberry truffle with white lotus. Each box is priced at $78, and includes two pieces of each of the four flavours.
Address: 391 Orchard Road, #B2-38, Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238873
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 10:30pm, Sun & PH 10am to 10:30pm
Tel: 6238 1411
Website | Full list of outlets
Online order form
I was stoked when I first heard about VLV’s White Lotus Paste Black Sesame “Liu Sha” Mooncake ($62 for eight pieces), because “liu sha”-anything and black sesame are serious food baes for me. So the disappointment was real when the black sesame core in these didn’t exactly flow like how a salted egg lava bun does. That being said, it’s on this list because it aced the taste metre. We followed instructions by microwaving it for 15 seconds before eating, and the warm mooncake was surprisingly delicious. The flavour of black sesame was distinct, and the white lotus paste was sweet but not overly so.
Address: 3A River Valley Road, #01-02, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179020
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 11pm, Sat-Sun 12pm to 3:30pm, 6pm to 11pm
Tel: 6661 0197
Website
Order form
Mid-Autumn Festival is all about spending a great night with the fam, so gather these mooncakes and have a smashing one with your ah ma, ah gong, mother, father, brothers, sisters! Of course, a MAF celebration has to come with good tea as well, so check out these tea hacks that can help you make an atas pot of tea at home.
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