Sharing all the good eats in Singapore!: Review - Takashimaya Mooncake Fair 2011

The annual Takashimaya Mooncake Fair is on once again! Decided to go down today with Mom to beat the crowd, and we tried a lot of mooncakes! Here's my take on them. Those in red & bolded are those that I think are worthy to be bought!

Home's Favourite

They have a wide variety of many different kinds of durian mooncakes which you may be at a lost to choose which one's suitable for you, so here's my breakdown/what I heard from the ladies there

In general their durian snow-skin mooncakes are more of the pure durian pulp kind, like you're eating durian 'cept its wrapped in a skin!

Snow-skin D24 Durian Mooncake ($52)

The durian taste hits you right away! Definitely a yummy durian mooncake (:

Snow-Skin D24 Black Durian Mooncake ($54)

The durian taste is pungent and is not overly sweet, it is basically same as the one that is not black just that this one is less sweet! I prefer this one because I dont like that sweet mooncakes!

These are the only 2 flavours you're allowed to try! The rest are depending on whether you want to buy or not

Snow-skin Premium Top Grade Royal Durian Mooncake (limited to 2000 boxes - $72)

This one according to the lady is the sweet kind of durian and is the best grade of durian they have there. They plant their own durians so they decided that this season, this durian is particularly good hence they decided to make it into mooncakes. The lady said this durian has v small seeds. Also she said that they wont be having this nxt year. She says the taste is sth like Mao Shan Wang

Snow-skin Top Grade XO Durian Mooncake (limited to 1000 boxes - $70)

The lady said if we didnt want sweet mooncakes then we should go for this one! Its the bitter kind of durian hence we bought this in the end!

For review: click here

Snow-skin Top Grade Mao Shan Wang Durian Mooncake ($70)

Well everyone knows mao shang wang! Lady says its sweet but bitter at the same time!

Please note that they're currently having a discount! But I'm not too sure when it'll end so I suggest going down soon because I doubt the discount will last for long! Mom and I paid $61.20 for our XO durian in the end!

Will give a more detailed review once I've eaten the mooncake!

Swa Tow

We tried their traditional baked mooncake filled with black sesame and their snow-skin black sesame but both didnt have a strong black sesame taste

Goodwood Park Hotel

Mom tried their durian mooncake and said theirs is more the icy kind?

The Regent Hotel

We tried their black sesame snow skin, which had the strongest taste of black sesame amongst all that we've tried today. Their green tea snowskin is really fragrant and yummy too!

I forgot which shop this is but I tried their black sesame snowskin and nope, no taste of black sesame at all

JuzBread

We were attracted to their Le Cafe pineapple tart-ish mooncakes! Haha these are baked and made on the spot! Really yummy I must say!

Flavours: Green tea, green tea with yolk, white lotus with yolk, and yam with yolk!! Sorry!

Anyway the green tea was REALLY fragrant!! It had a strong green tea flavour and the buttery crust was mmm oh so yummy! The yam one tasted really like yam paste, yummy too! Hence we bought a box of 8 (you can mix and match whatever flavours you want) it cost us $30+? You can buy them individually or two of them etc.

Ritz Carlton Hotel

We also tried their black sesame traditional mooncake, but theirs did not have a strong black sesame taste either

Eastern Ocean Restaurant

Tried their black sesame traditional mooncake, this was one of the worst I feel? There was not any taste at all and the mooncake was dry (heard another woman commenting as well)

Amethyst Pastry

Their was all no-sugar! Tried their walnut mooncake which are the ones being made and sold on the spot and it was not bad although I couldnt taste any walnuts. The texture was good, flakey. I also tried their red lotus, and it was nice, you cant really tell it has no sugar

Season

Have never heard of them before but decided to give them a try! Think they are from Msia. Their traditional mooncakes are nicer than their snow-skin ones (tried the black sesame, so-so only)

Traditional flavours:

Black Sesame: Again the taste was not very strong

Tiramisu: Mmm, yummy! Rather strong taste of coffee and you can taste the liquer in it as well, interesting and a well-made one!

Chestnut: doesnt really taste of chestnuts

Green tea: It was rather strong and good!

Charcoal skin w seeds, lotus paste: (not really sure what this is called but its the one with the black skin): This was really good! The lotus paste was very smooth and went down really well, plus the crunch that you get from the seeds! Good one!! Plus you can buy them individually as well! If I'm not wrong, $8.95 for one?

Antoinette

Chef Pang decided to come up with mooncakes as well! His mooncakes are very pleasing to the eyes, especially the snow-skin ones. However, I tried the black sesame one and I'm afraid it didnt really taste of black sesame to me

Other places I've tried but no photos:

TWG: They have traditional mooncakes this year as well, and have rather weird flavours but somehow they mix! They have a BRIGHT RED mooncake which tasted not bad and another one thats green which tastes good too!

Hyatt Hotel: Lychee Martini Truffle: felt this was too sweet! Black sesame yuzu truffle: couldnt taste the black sesame at all (only the skin was black sesame, so maybe thats why). Sesame lotus single yolk with bamboo ash: Rather nice, had seeds in them I think, which made them enjoyable! Service was really friendly too!

Royal China, Raffles Hotel: Black sesame snow-skin: no taste of black sesame as well

Garden Pastry: Crispy skin durian: this was rather weird because the durian is hot so yup, didnt really enjoy it!

D'bun: Their green tea and black sesame snowskin mooncakes were one of the better ones I've had! And you can mix and match any combi you want so thats a plus point!

Jewels Artisan: They have a garlic snowskin mooncake but unfortunately they dont give out testers! It looked really good though!

I remember Obolo, Cookie Museum (rather interesting flavours with cheese inside!), Fullerton, Fairmount, some Hong Kong brands, Conrad, were there as well.

I felt that the fair this year was considerably smaller, and there were lesser hotels this year I feel?