Mooncake Creativity at the TANGS Mid-Autumn Fair 2023 at VivoCity
Mooncakes are “huge” in Singapore, aren’t they?
They are huge in popularity, huge in, erm, business, and most of all, huge in confectionery and packaging creativity.
Walking through the TANGS Mid-Autumn Fair 2023 at VivoCity, happening from now till Sep 29, I was certainly reminded of creativity at every turn. While traditional baked mooncakes are still aplenty, practically every stall showcases numerous modern and new-age creations, with exotic fillings like Assam Tea with Lemon, Pistachio, Mala Lobster and Abalone Crabmeat, and Manuka Honey Cream Cheese.
There are even Mala Fishskin fillings! Now, I just read that this isn’t exactly new but I only found out about it on Friday when I visited the TANGS fair. And you know what? It doesn’t taste as odd as it sounds. The spicy aftertaste was quite the thrill.
Home’s Favourite deserves the name “Singapore’s favourite tastes” too. They have different types of durian pastes; Phoenix and HF88 are but two. They also have Pomelo, Chempedak, Lychee Blossom, and the above-mentioned Mala Fishskin. I tried a morsel of the Chempedak and it was like eating the actual fruit.Are mooncakes desserts? They qualify although some Chinese wouldn’t think of them as tian ping. The patissiers at La Levain embrace these by featuring fruity and cheesy fillings in their Truffle Snowskin Mooncakes. The recommended must-tries: Apricot Passion Fruit and Yuzu Pomme.If you like fruity flavours, you’d love the creative Snowskin Fruity Truffle Mooncakes by Mdm Ling Bakery. Their Popping Candy Truffle with Dragon Fruit Lotus Paste Snowskin tastes like ice cream too when chilled.These gorgeous works of art are unique Bird’s Nest Momoyama Skin Mooncakes by Yan’s Dining. They hide exquisite Asian tastes too. Such as Tangerine Peel Pu’er Tea, Mango Pomelo Sago, Fresh Coconut Latte, and Black Fungus & Black Rice.This classy Snowskin Set by Fairmont Singapore is a replacement for cocktail parties. Flavours include Baileys Irish Cream, Lychee Martini, Sea Salt Caramel, and Grape Soju. They are alcohol-free too!Of course, there’s no shortage of traditional baked mooncakes at the fair, if you prefer these sweet pastries that way. This is by Summer Pavilion.In case you’re wondering, nope, durian mooncakes have NOT lost popularity. There were so many stalls featuring them. These ones are by Golden Moments.
Not Just Baked and Snowskin
As a kid, I used to think mooncakes only came in two varieties—baked and snowskin. Only in adulthood did I realise that these are “Cantonese” mooncakes. Those from other parts of China often look utterly different. Many are also savoury instead of sweet.
It was great to be reminded of this at the TANGS Mid-Autumn Fair 2023. Although baked/snowskin favourites form the majority of what’s on sale, Teochew and Shanghainese mooncakes were available.
A Fashion Parade of Creative and Innovative Packaging
Let’s talk about the packaging for this year! As expected, these are as fascinating as the mooncakes themselves, with many brands devoting lots of effort to creating creative, festive masterpieces that’d be perfect for gifting.
There appears to be an awareness of sustainability too; many of the stylish boxes and carriers could be reused after the festival. And not just as shelf containers.
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore’s showpiece for this year is this 15 Treasures Premium Gift Set; which has one mooncake for you to feast on every night in the 15-day lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival. The mooncakes are presented in a lovely circle box adorned with auspicious peacocks.Also from The Fullerton Hotel: The exquisite The Clifford Pier Mooncake Tingkat (90th Anniversary Edition). The mooncakes within are “Singaporean” too, with flavours like Satay Peanut Sauce, and Salted Lotus with Hae Bee Hiam. Definitely some of the most creative mooncakes this year.
These fashionable carriers by The Capitol Kempinski Hotel are for sale. But their mooncake sets include one bag and a designer tin box.
Mdm Ling Bakery has long been famous for unique, board game-inspired mooncake boxes. This is their popular Monopoly Street Smart Mooncake Game Box, which was much written about last year. The set, which you can mix and match, features flavours like Belgian Double Chocolate, Red Dates Longan, Black Sesame Peanut Butter, and Emerald Pandan.Mdm Ling Bakery has other beautiful carriers this year too, such as these tote bags and bucket bag. (The bucket bag resembles a lantern, no?)Boxes by Conrad Centennial Singapore and Ding Bakery. These could both be reused as fashionable containers after the Mid-Autumn Festival, yes?If you’re into Disney characters, I’m sure you’d love the Disney-inspired tin box designs by Hock Wong.Baker’s Well features boxes with eye-catching, graceful elegance. Very modern but with a touch of classic refinement too.Last but not least, Peach Garden’s box for 2023 definitely takes the price for innovation. This is not just a box that lights up, it doubles as a wireless charger too. Now that’s multi-tasking!
Quality Chinese Tea to Go With Your Mooncake Feasting
Before I end this post, allow me to highlight Singapore’s very own Shinno Tea. They have a booth at the TANGS Mid-Autumn Fair 2023 at VivoCity. Other than all sorts of artistic tea sets, they retail a wonderful range of classic Chinese tea for pairing with mooncakes.
For example, their Pu Er is infused with Nuomi Xiangye (糯米香叶), or “Sweet Rice Tender Leaves,” and is a great pairing with snowskin mooncakes containing lotus pastes and salted egg yolks fillings. The full body aroma and sweet aftertaste help with digestion and the removal of excess oils.
Their Charcoal Roasted Oolong features handpicked fresh oolong roasted with charcoal. Its non-tannic, balanced aftertaste is a great match with traditional mooncakes containing nuts and ham.
Check out their booth at the fair to know more! Shinno Tea also has Kickstarter/Tea Pairing Boxes that contain a mix of teas.
Mid-Autumn Tea Pairing Box. This contains the Kickstarter Kit of four teas from the “Shinno Tea Express” range.Teapots and tea sets by Shinno Tea.TANGS Mid-Autumn Mooncake Fair 2023 | VivoCity
Geek, gamer, writer, movie lover, photographer, and occasional graphic artist. I like to consider myself a one-stop content creator of sorts. But the truth is, I obsess over too many hobbies.
