Mid Autumn 2014

With Mooncake Festival around the corner, all the different hotels and restaurants are coming out with different exotic flavours to compete with one another. From our classic lotus paste with salted eggs, to our Singaporean favourite such as durian, to exotic ones with liquor infused. Here's three types that in my opinion, are worth your calories - snowskin, traditional baked and a modern take on mooncakes.

Man Fu Yuan, InterContinental Singapore

Snowskin - Man Fu Yuan's rendition of our Singaporean favourite comes with a twist. Instead of the ordinary durian you can get almost everywhere, their Snowskin 'Mao Shan Wang' Durian Mooncake with Coconut comes with a hint of coconut flavour infused. Other flavours they offer are Snowskin White Lotus with Macadamia Nuts which packs quite a crunch with a generous amount of nuts in it, as well as the Snowskin Green Tea Paste with Dragonball Jasmine which paired extremely well with tea. Man Fu Yuan is located at InterContinental Singapore.

Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin

Traditional - Not exactly the most visually appealing mooncake, Peach Blossom's new flavour this year isn't all about the looks. While it may look nothing like one would expect a mooncake to look like basing on its colour, the Mini Yolk Charcoal Black Sesame Paste with Melon Seeds and Gold Dust Mooncake is one we think is worth a shot despite its lack of appeal visually. Each mini mooncake is generously centred with a whole egg yolk and the textures from the melon seeds definitely complimented the smooth black sesame paste which wasn't overly sweet. And of course, we couldn't help but feel that the gold dust contrast did indeed make the mooncakes look a lot more expensive. Peach Blossoms is located at Marina Mandarin.

Le Cafe Confectionary & Pastry

Modern - Forget the traditional lotus fillings and brown pastry, Le Cafe Confectionary & Pastry's take on the traditional mooncake is their Moon Pies. The first and only in Singapore, their Moon Pies come in different flavours such as black sesame, pandan, green tea and yam, apart from the original lotus paste and red bean flavour which one would be able to easily relate back to mooncakes. The pastry of each pie is soft, buttery and crumbly and the fillings weren't overly sweet. Point to note though, prices for the Moon Pies vary depending on which week you purchase them and are often sold out. Our recommendation is to make a call before heading down so you don't end up making a wasted trip. Le Cafe Confectionary & Pastry is located at Middle Road, Cambridge Road and Veerasamy Road. You can check their exact locations at www.lecafe.com.sg.

But of course if you prefer tasting your mooncakes, be sure to head on to various mooncake fairs that should last throughout the month of August at most heartland malls. A popular pick would be Ngee Ann City's atrium, but be prepared to squeeze with the massive crowd - especially during the weekends. Happy Mid Autumn.