Mooncakes 2015: Durian showskin, Red Velvet, Banana Choc & traditional mooncakes at Ti Chen, Saujana Golf & Country Club

Enjoying pork free dim sum here is a good option for those who wish to dine in zen surrounded by the greens of the Saujana area.
In fact, the Saujana is a mere 5 minutes drive from Oasis and Citta Mall. Parking at any of its resorts here is easy and between the The Club, the Saujana Golf and Country Club and the Saujana Hotel itself, several main cuisines of the world are well represented; namely European, Japanese, Asian, contemporary Asian, Italian as well as Chinese.
In fact the little known Charcoal Restaurant specialises in charcoal-grilled items (think steaks and seafood) plus a sprinkiling of delectable Peranakan cuisine.

For Cantonese fine dining, Ti Chen aims to excite with its fine dim sum, extensive Cantonese ala-carte dishes and for further stimulation to the palate, Chef Sam Lu surprises with carefully crafted creations such as the applewood chip smoked roasted duck and deep fried scallops with banana and taro paste.
I’m not entirely sure how scallops are paired with banana and taro, but I’ll try to find out soon!

For this visit, Chef prepared some dim sum to satiate our hunger while his team took the time to surprise us with an elaborate display of 8 baked mooncakes and 4 snowskin creations.

Amazing. Thanks chef, for executing the food stylish work for us! 😀

The Durian Custard mooncake has all the prerequisite of a good durian mooncake; soft skin, rich and creamy durian pulp. Its pungent level isn’t overwhelming so it would suit most palates.

The Banana Chocolate offers chocolate lovers a blend of velvety dark chocolate paste with fruity banana. I saved the durian mooncake for last as I had wanted to be able to taste all the flavours of the mooncakes without the aftertaste of durian in my mouth, but even so I find the Red Velvet with Mocha and Cheese snowskin mooncake a tad mild.
Matcha lovers will resonate well with the classic pairing of green tea and red bean combo of the last snowskin variety.

For the sharp-eyed, you would have noticed the 3 unique symbolic shapes of the mooncakes this year. One is round, another oval and the last heart shaped to represent the myth of the Old Man of the Moon.

As much as I love the creative and shocking pairings (some flavours does, though not in this case), I’m adamant that the traditional versions should be done right.

What I like is thin, non-greasy brown skin encasing non-greasy and subtly sweet lotus/red bean/sesame paste. I’m a sucker for the Mixed Nuts one as well, for it is to me an energy bar for my pre-workout meals!
Pandan lotus paste is another favourite of mine since I adore anything screwpine leaves flavoured. Ti Chen’s Pandan Lotus version is delightfully bold both in flavour and scent.
The combo of corn plus lotus is my top pick this year, for the chef has hit an ideal balance of lotus and corn, both intermingling in harmony with the sweetness of corn adding a unique dimension of flavour to the lotus paste.
For those who like to have the best of both worlds, or just enjoy having a twist to the conventional lotus yet still like their lotus paste, this is it.

Another flavour worth mentioning is the Creamy Milk Tea version, almost like “teh tarik” in a paste. I think it’s perfect with a cup of cappuccino; my tea in the form of dessert and my coffee in milky liquid.
Get the idea? 🙂

It is an annual “fight” among mooncake makers for the prettiest packaging and while it might not matter to the taste, it matters to some collectors and a pretty box always impart a positive first impression.

The Ti Chen mooncake box this year is classy, a swanky reincarnation of a wine carrier in faux leather casing no less.
Inner separated compartments keeps the mooncakes in place, but the dividers can be taken out and this standup box can fit a wine bottle perfectly.
The red is for 4 mooncakes and the brown for 8.

So how much are these mooncakes?
Depending on flavours, the baked ones are RM26-RM33 each while the snow skin are RM25 to RM30. Size and weight of each are pretty standard market size.

The mooncakes are available from 10th Aug to 27th Sept 2015.
Discounts are applicable for corporate orders, credit card from certain banks and for Lifestyle by Saujana members.
Do contact them (details as below) for detailed purchase info.

You can also pick up the Ti Chen mooncakes from Tokyo Street on the 6th floor of Pavilion KL.

For details of Ti Chen’s mooncakes 2015:
www.shr.my OR contact 03 – 7843 1234 ext 6122 OR email [email protected]