It is the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival. This occasion is marked by the eating of mooncakes and the carrying of lanterns. When I was a kid, I loved the festival for the lanterns. More precisely, for the opportunity to set fire to lanterns (not necessarily mine…in fact preferably if the burning was confined to other people’s stuff..hahahha). I was like a little arsonist gone amok. I would burn leaves, twigs, paper, myself even… I could never fathom the attraction of battery operated lanterns - those that were made of very inflammable plastic with a very weak-assed light bulb inside. I remember crying quite a bit if the particular day happens to be rainy. I would be sulking in one corner cursing at the lost chance to start little bon-fires.

As for mooncakes, the reasoning as to why they put salted egg yolks in a perfectly fine mix of the sweet lotus seed paste totally confounded me as a kid. It stilll does. It was the main reason why I did not take to mooncakes. Things have changed now. We have new, modern creations that have deviated from the traditional baked mooncakes.

I present to you the Raffles Hotel Snow-skin Mooncake with Champagne Truffle & Ganache (S$45 plus I think).

The packaging was ok. Nothing spectacular.

There was a strong flavourful smell when the box was opened.

The mooncake was quite simply put, heavenly in taste. I loved the skin with its slight hint of the alchohol. The Lotus Seed paste had the right balance of sweetness. The rich chocolate core completed the experience (it would have been better if it was dark/milk chocolate though).

Looking forward to the next year for the next batch of non-traditional mooncakes = )

My partner has commented that the picture above makes the mooncake look rather unappetising. I agree with her. The picture was poorly taken with no effort and thought placed on the composition and eventual output. Something like this post which I think is quite banal. Sigh.