[dropcap size=small]M[/dropcap]id-Autumn Festival is coming around again (24 Sep, 2018) – so here’s our visual guide to 2018’s prettiest and/or classiest boxes that you’ll want to bring on visits – or send en masse to treasured business associates.
(RELATED: 6 perfect brunch spots in Singapore)
Hospitality brands and restaurants continue to up the ante with their mooncake offerings, pushing out adventurous new flavours (teh tarik or acai berry, anyone?) and arresting new box designs. We document this year’s mooncake boxes based on that latter metric in this curated list, updated daily as the boxes roll in – check back often.
If you’re seeking mooncakes with such unusual flavours as acai berry and aged whiskey, we’ve rounded up 15 of them for your perusal.
(RELATED: Best dim sum restaurants in Singapore)
Swipe / click arrows to browse, click to expand.
01: Hai Tien Lo, Pan Pacific
The baby pink and turquoise boxes from Pan Pacific’s Hai Tien Lo make easy centrepieces on the tables of the Instagram-conscious. The step away from traditional (and muted) colours extends to their snowskin selection.
Cempedak lovers in particular can forget the fact that the skins do not hold up very well – they’ll have have a field day with the ochre-coloured Cempedak Snowskin mooncakes, which deliver such a fibrous, chewy consistency and heady fragrance that they may as well be biting into a fine example of the South-east Asian favourite.
Order online via pacificmarketplace.sg.
02: Crystal Jade
Crystal Jade looks set to build on the runaway success of last year’s Mickey x Minnie box. This year’s collectible collab with Disney comes in the form of a copper-toned tin with an inbuilt electric carousel on which holographic representations of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy ride, to the tunes of the Mickey March (video below).
It’s powered by a provided cord so you’ll require a USB power source (power bank, laptops, and most phone charges, etc) to get it going. Within, a two-tiered cake tray that’s charming enough to be a standalone piece. At this point, are we even buying the mooncakes, which come packaged separately at the point of purchase?
Orders at Crystal Jade outlets and online (from 30 Jul onwards) at crystaljade.com.
03: Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza
Make an impression with one of the most extravagant options this year: Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza’s limited edition gift set. Those are gold-dusted, white lotus baked mooncakes you’re looking at, each housing traditional salted egg yolk, chrysanthemum and serrano ham (jamon iberico’s little sibling). In the bottom drawer you’ll find a bottle of highly-rated Amarone (Italian dry red) and tools to pop open and stopper the bottle. However…
02: Crystal Jade
Orders at Crystal Jade outlets and online (from 30 Jul onwards) at crystaljade.com.
03: Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza
… if breaking the bank isn’t on the agenda, there’s always the dresser-style option and other classic flavours to lean on. (Note: the gold-dusted beauties are only available in the premium set). We find the faux leather carrying strap and woodgrain veneer nice touches.
Order via 6831-4708 or through http://www.singaporemarriott.com/mooncakes (link currently pending.)
04: Shangri-La
Classy, understated boxes have always been Shangri-La’s strong suit. They make a return this year with two variants: a rectangular, peony-topped “Four Treasures” set comprising traditional reduced-sugar mooncakes, and the square, champagne gold two-tiered box with snug cubbyholes for eight individually-boxed pieces.
Orders via 6213-4511 or e-mail shangpalace.sls@shangrila.com.
05: Fairmont Hotel
Fairmont’s elegant case was photographed in sensuous style which did revealed little about the box, so we took our own photo. This is the premium limited edition baked mooncake box, wrapped in chinoiserie and festooned with details that almost pass for stitchwork. It holds within four mooncakes and an actual Chinese tea set.
Order online at www.celebrationscentral.com.sg, via 6338-8785, e-mail fairmontsingapore.mooncakes@fairmont.com.
06: Madame Fan
Madame Fan’s relatively unadorned boxes are equally straightforward to “operate”- they open towards the owner to reveal a single tier of mooncakes. Throw in a tasteful colour scheme, and we’re seeing a second life here in many a kitchen or table setting. Interestingly, the restaurant promises customisability for their boxes with no minimum order mentioned, so if you’re considering bulk buys for the employees or business associates, here’s a stellar option.
Order via 6818-1908 or email festive@madamefan.sg.
<05: Fairmont Hotel
Fairmont’s elegant case was photographed in sensuous style which did little justice to the box, so we took our own photo. This is the premium limited edition baked mooncake box, wrapped in chinoiserie and festooned with details that almost pass for stitchwork. It holds within four mooncakes and an actual Chinese tea set.
Order online at , via 6338-8785, e-mail fairmontsingapore.mooncakes@fairmont.com.
07: Goodwood Park
We just couldn’t cut the hotel off the list, however, purely on merit of their Blue Pea Flower mooncakes. These are doubtless the most eye-catching and tastiest snowskin mooncakes we’ve received so far in 2018 (and possibly all of 2017) – click on the image to see for yourself.
Those averse to newfangled flavours have double reason to snag these – within the pliant, satin-soft skins lies good old white lotus filling that’s gentle on the palate and not too sweet. Grab them (and the durian creations, of course) before they’re gone.
Order online after 18 Aug at festivepromotions.goodwoodparkhotel.com/.
08: Cherry Garden, Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Cherry Garden’s mooncake box gives the traditional Chinese cabinet a modern makeover with a teal body and scalloped panelings. Fine details such as delicate floral motifs and gold-coloured knobs shaped like Mandarin Oriental’s iconic fan emblem put this dainty box in good stead for second-use even after the Mid Autumn Festival is long over. The boxes hold an assortment of four traditional or mini snow skin mooncakes. New flavours for this year include sea salt caramel with taro and shredded coconut (traditional) and mango puree with macadamia nuts (snow skin).
Available from August 16 to September 24. To order, call 6885 3081 or email mosin-mooncakes@mohg.com.
08: Cherry Garden, Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Cherry Garden’s mooncake box gives the traditional Chinese cabinet a modern makeover with a teal body and scalloped panelings. Fine details such as delicate floral motifs and gold-coloured knobs shaped like Mandarin Oriental’s iconic fan emblem put this dainty box in good stead for second-use even after the Mid Autumn Festival is long over. The boxes hold an assortment of four traditional or mini snow skin mooncakes. New flavours for this year include sea salt caramel with taro and shredded coconut (traditional) and mango puree with macadamia nuts (snow skin).
Available from August 16 to September 24. To order, call 6885-3081 or email mosin-mooncakes@mohg.com.
09: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
Two-tiered mooncake boxes don’t turn any heads, but one where the top flap opens to reveal a suede-lined jewellery compartment certainly raises the stakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival packaging frenzy. This year’s offering from The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore even includes a bevelled mirror which tilts back at just the right angle to frame one’s face. Six dedicated ring holders are accompanied by three larger compartments roomy enough to hold trinkets, necklaces, and even a watch or two. Boxes holding an assortment of traditional mooncakes come in red while those packing in snowskin mooncakes have a rose gold facade.
New flavours from the hotel include a traditional white lotus seed paste mooncake with red date and longan, as well as mini snowskin ‘Irish Martini’ mooncakes with a boozy hit of Irish stout, vodka, campari, and beer.
Available from August 8 to September 24. Order online at www.rcmooncake.com.sg.
10: Marina Bay Sands
MBS has slipped four mooncakes into the guise of a peach-coloured handbag – making it the most novel design this year (so far). The sturdy hard casing ensures safe passage for its contents, as does the surprisingly robust leather straps and the locking clasp. Attached is an MBS-embossed leather token, tassel included.
Of particular interest is the continuing trend of multigrain across this year’s many mooncakes. The MBS mutligrain offering is a “blend of lotus and melon seeds, pepita and sunflower kernels, rolled oats, black sesame and walnuts”. That’s a crunchy affair that boasts a low sugar content, up to 30 per cent less than regular mooncakes. As for best use of the case, we’re thinking: at last, a feminine variant for the indispensable toolbox?
Available 1 August onwards. Order online at www.marinabaysands.com/mooncake.
(RELATED: Check out the top 11 boxes that made last year’s mooncake packaging list)