Durian lovers, it’s been a tough time. Due to rising prices and a recent shortage *sob*, we’ve been deprived from our fave spiky fruit for much of durian season. But as we gear up for mooncake season – that time of the year where we feast on pastries and tote lanterns around – we’ve an opportunity to welcome the King of Fruit back into our lives.
Enter these “Mao Shan Wang” Durian Snowskin Mooncakes from Carlton Hotel, which gives durian pizza, durian chee cheong fun and even our fave stall at Geylang a run for its money.
Handmade and oh-so-pulpy, they’ll please even picky durian connoisseurs. Together with Carlton Hotel’s other snowskin flavours – red velvet and Valrhona chocolate – here’s how they fared in a taste test.
You know the King of Fruit has arrived when its strong smell punctuates the air. Thankfully, the smell of these palm-sized pastries was sweet, but not overwhelming.
These silky-smooth babies are painstakingly handmade by the pastry chefs at Carlton Hotel – and it shows. It was fresh and tasted exactly like the fruit, with the pulp having just enough texture to give it some bite. No overly processed nonsense at all.
I could almost imagine myself chillin’ by a roadside durian stall, savouring the taste of a particularly creamy “Mao Shan Wang”. It’s that good.
Retails at: $72.75 nett (8 pcs)
Say “Red Velvet Cake” and you’ll think photogenic crimson slices sandwiched with layers of cream cheese. And though good for the ‘gram, many cakes lack flavour, with many a cafe-hopper going “Actually, how’s red velvet supposed to taste like ah?”
You’ll get no such problem with these scarlet beauties – all intricate details on the snowskin exterior and three power-packed flavours within: cream cheese surrounded by a jam-like layer, and complemented by a royaltine core.
Think of it as an explosion of flavours in your mouth: the crunch and hazelnut-chocolate flavours in the centre go perfectly with the velvety cheese, and it ends off with a sweet finish.
Retails at: $67.40 nett (8 pcs)
I break it down this way when it comes to the classic trinity of ice cream flavours: something creamy, something sweet, and something chocolate. Aka vanilla, strawberry and err.. chocolate.
For the snowskin mooncake family, we have durian and red velvet flavours to tick the first two checkboxes, and this Mini Tuxedo mooncake completes the high-quality line-up.
Inspired by the Signature Chocolate Cake in Carlton Hotel’s Tuxedo Café & Pâtisserie, the mooncake consists of rich Valrhona chocolate sponge cake that is not “jelak” at all. You’ll also be pleasantly surprised by crunchy chocolate balls spread out in the pastry, and the dollop of pillowy light cream right at the centre.
Retails at: $66.30 nett (8 pcs)
If you fancy a more traditional take on mooncakes, try Carlton Hotel’s signature Mini Walnut Moontart with Egg Yolk. It’s one of their consistently best selling Mid Autumn Festival items, and features white lotus paste wrapped in a bite-sized walnut crust.
There’s also a low sugar alternative to the Mini Walnut Moontarts which would make great gifts for the more health conscious folks. These come without egg yolk as well, for the picky eaters.
Retails at: $66.30 nett (8 pcs) | Low sugar: $64.20 nett (8 pcs)
With Mid-Autumn Festival on 4 Oct, it’s about time to make your annual pilgrimage to hotels, restaurants or those sprawling mooncake fairs in mall atriums.
But in a sea of lotus paste and egg yolks, and experimental flavours (parma ham, anyone?) choosing mooncakes can get quite confusing. That’s why we narrowed it down to three criteria: taste, packaging and cost.
This flavour combination is unfortunately unavailable for purchase – we mixed the Mini Mao Shan Wang, Red Velvet and Tuxedo mooncakes for this shot!
Taste-wise, Carlton Hotel’s range passed with flying colours. All made in-house, the mooncakes’ light snowskin exterior allowed the fresh ingredients to shine through. And boy was it addictive – we couldn’t stop taking yet another slice.
The packaging was a winner too. In brilliant red and gold hues, it’ll please even the most prosperity-obsessed grandma. The cute Jade Rabbit motifs are a knowing nod to the legend of the Jade Rabbit (玉兔) who accompanies the Moon Goddess Chang’e (嫦娥), and make the box an aesthetically pleasing gift choice for business associates or loved ones.
Cheers to a good deal!
And finally, PSA for Citibank, DBS/POSB, OCBC and UOB cardholders, you even get a special discount!
Get it from:
4 – 26 Sep: 20% off (1-30 boxes), 25% (over 30 boxes)
27 Sep- 4 Oct: 15% off all mooncakes
For orders and enquiries:
Telephone: 6349 1292
Email: restaurants@carltonhotel.sg
Online Purchases: www.signatures.carltonhotel.sg
This post was brought to you by Carlton Hotel.
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