My family isn’t usually traditional, but if there’s one thing we all love, it’s celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with friends and relatives each year, pre-pandemic. This year, RWS’ Mooncake Festival Sets promise to deliver an all-encompassing experience you’ll need for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, for a feast fit for kings.
I remember my sister and me fighting over the pretty mooncake boxes when we were kids, or begging our parents to buy mooncakes with the most eye-catching packaging without actually caring whether the mooncakes were good. It’s a common selling point for most brands, though RWS has gone a step further with their commitment to sustainability. Their mooncakes are packed in FSC-certified packaging of corrugated board, which is harvested responsibly and recyclable—no frills, no fuss, just indulging in decadent mooncakes with your family.
What I tried
The debate about the superiority of snowskin and traditional mooncakes is 100% an annual thing, especially across generations. If you’re loyal to the traditional baked mooncakes but want to explore more flavours than just lotus paste, the Luxury Baked Mooncakes (Box of two for S$88, S$68 for RWS Members) will give you the best of both worlds.
Each box contains Michelin-starred table65’s Golden Bamboo Charcoal with Australian Black Truffle mooncake, boasting of an umami-rich earthy note of charcoal, and creamy custard. It’s juxtaposed beautifully with the crunch of walnuts and fragrant Australian Black Truffle, and comes together in the smoothest of lotus pastes that melt in your mouth.
Its golden-brown counterpart is Syun’s Whisky Soaked Yuzu Peel with Sakura, a citrusy and savoury medley with roasted sunflower seeds that give it an extra burst of flavour and crunch. The refreshing Hibiki® Harmony whisky-marinated yuzu peels and salted egg yolk combination is a sure-fire way to get to mooncake heaven, and that’s a promise.
Of course, snowskin lovers will be spoilt for choice in their mooncake festivities this year. Resorts World Sentosa’s Signature Snowskin Mooncakes (S$128, S$98 for RWS Members) comes in an assorted box of four equally decadent and unique flavours alongside premium teas from acclaimed Chinese tea house, Tea Chapter. Take your festivities up a notch by pairing your snowskin mooncakes with a cup of freshly brewed tea for a feast fit for kings.
Nourish your qi and yin with the Green Tea with American Ginseng mooncake, a snowskin wonder that’s vegan and gluten-free. The slightly bitter notes of green tea and ginseng juxtaposed the candied walnuts, giving way to a refreshingly meditative flavour with a multidimensional texture. Pair it with a steaming cup of White Peony Tea, mildly fermented to retain high antioxidant levels, and allow yourself to be swept away by the delicate flavours of the mooncake.
Nobody, especially RWS, said that the Mid-Autumn festival had to be one cheat day after another, especially when the Shui Xian Oolong with Osmanthus and Longan mooncake is all-natural and low in sugar. The textural dissonance between savoury almonds and pine nuts against the creamy, slightly sweet longans and Osmanthus-infused lotus paste had me cutting another piece immediately. This mooncake pairs exceptionally with the honeyed fragrance of Aged Narcissus Tea, which aids digestion and boosts metabolism.
If you’re looking to update your social media with shots of drool-worthy mooncakes, the Butterfly Pea Flower with Organic Cereal mooncake is the one to beat. The butterfly pea-infused skin boasts of a pastel blue colour that’s a sight to behold and wraps delicately around a smooth cereal and milk custard. It leaves behind a creamy aftertaste, with a soft texture that melts in your mouth. All you need is a cup of steaming Pu’er Tea to elevate the fine notes of butterfly pea flowers and custard with its rich flavour.
I always save the best for last, and the one that took the (moon)cake for me was the Cherry Blossom with Yuzu mooncake—its summery, citrusy notes reminded me of a flower in bloom and complemented the crunch of sunflower seeds in a breathtaking dance of colours and flavours. RWS’ vegan and gluten-free masterpiece is best enjoyed with sips of Imperial Golden Cassia Tea, a light-bodied tea that enhances the light flavours of Sakura and rose in a truly decadent mooncake. Can we have a mooncake festival every month?
Of course, nothing can ever outdo the traditional recipes that have kept families satisfied for generations. RWS Traditional Baked Mooncakes come in a box of four and consist of perennial staples that pay homage to traditional flavours. The RWS Treasure Mix Set (S$66, S$53 for RWS Members) includes a customised assortment of mooncakes—Low Sugar White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Yolks, Low Sugar White Lotus Seed Paste with Melon Seeds, Traditional Mixed Nuts, and even Yam Coconut with Chestnut.
Luxuriate in a decadent celebration with the Mandarin Series Tea Set, a collaboration between RWS and Asianera, with a handcrafted fine bone china tea set painted by hand. The teapot and two teacups boast of a gold ginkgo tree painstakingly painted with immaculate detail to represent hope and peace and is available for purchase for S$138, S$98 for RWS Members.
Final thoughts
Whether you’re team snow skin mooncakes or traditional baked mooncakes, RWS’ Mid-Autumn Medley is a sight (and taste) to behold. Elevate your usual celebrations at home by pairing creamy and rich mooncakes with a steaming cup of tea that’ll boost both your mood and your health, available for purchase here. Maybank cardholders can also enjoy up to a 15% discount on all sets, and free delivery is offered for all online orders above S$300.
Expected damage: S$50 – S$128 per set
*This post is brought to you in partnership with Resorts World Sentosa.
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