Mid-Autumn Festival - Halal Mooncakes

So we were a little late in thinking about it this year but it seems the response was pretty good when we asked our readers via our FB page if they'd like to see a write-up on Halal Mooncakes.

I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise because there are so many places offering Halal-certified Mooncakes nowadays and so many exciting new flavours too!

Well even though we didn't have enough time to go hunting, we thought we'd let you in on some places which offer Halal mooncakes. Hopefully you'll have just enough time to grab a box or two!

First on our list is none other than one of our favourite places - Prima Deli!

Snowskin vs Baked

I guess in recent times, more and more people have started leaning towards the newer type of Snowskin Mooncakes while there are still plenty who prefer the old-school Baked version...
The good news is - Prima Deli has both!!

I guess one of the main draws of Snowskin Mooncakes is the wide variety of exciting and interesting (albeit not-so-traditional) flavours compared to the typical (and some say boring) flavours of traditional Baked Mooncakes.

Well, between you and me, I'm more of a traditional guy myself.
Red/White Lotus with Double Yolk for me any time!

Royal Gift Set ($41.80)

If you're one of those people who are adventurous with your mooncake flavours and/or have a liking for the Snowskin version of mooncakes then there's some good news for you!

You get 9 mini-mooncakes in an attractive special package for $41.80.
The flavours are Mini Chocolate Truffle with Macadamia, Mini Mango Lemongrass, Mini Black Sesame with Mochi, Mini Strawberry Chocolate, Mini Pistachio, Mini Cranberry Cheese, Mini Oreo Chocolate, Mini Lychee and the Mini D24 Durian mooncake which is rated as "One of the Best 6 Durian Snowskin Mooncake in Singapore".

But if you're not getting the gift box, then you can also buy individual mooncakes no problem.
Prices range from between $4.50-$8.20 per mini-mooncake for the Snowskin variety. Regular size mooncakes range from between $10.50-$17.90 per mooncake.

If you purchase before 19 September, you enjoy a 10% discount (conditions apply) with further discounts for Citibank Credit Cardmembers and Prima Privilege Card holders.
Visit www.primadeli.com/promotions/promo_Mid-Autumn.asp for more info!

The 2nd place we're featuring is Concorde Hotel which offers mostly traditional-style Halal mooncakes.

No fancy Snowskin here. Familiar mooncakes include Pure/White Lotus with Yolk(s) and are sold in boxes of four mooncakes. Prices range from between $54.00 to $62.00.

They do however have 2 special and new flavours.
The Pearl of Prosperity mooncake is "a Cantonese pastry skin covering a pandan lotus paste mixed with mung bean and golden salted half egg yolk." while The Imperial Ivory mooncake is "a creamy milky butter pastry skin with winter melon paste made of chunky dried longan and melon kernel seeds, mixed with macadamia bits in single yolk." Prices for these 2 are $58.00 for a box of 4.

Discounts are offered if you purchase multiple boxes of mooncakes.
Visit http://singapore.concordehotelsresorts.com/promotions_view.php?promo_id=48305 for more info!

Last but certainly not least is a place you would probably not think of when it comes to mooncakes...

Delifrance is offering some Halal mooncakes in some very interesting flavours!

White Lotus with QQ Milky Green Bean, Pure Lotus with Melon Seed, Mango Lotus Paste with Diced Mango, Walnut Tiramisu, Pandan Lotus with Custard and White Chocolate with Cranberry Paste are up for grabs. Some pretty interesting flavours like I said.

Price for each mooncake is $10.80 per piece or buy a box of 4 for $42.80.

Well folks. Sorry we didn't have more time to do more research (aka Mooncake hunting) and we didn't even have the chance to sample some mooncakes to review. We thought we'd better release what info we had first since there's still time for you to go out and grab some.

Besides, why waste time talking when you can be out there makan-ing!! Am I right?

So if anyone does try out any mooncakes or if you know of any other places offering Halal mooncakes, please do let us know! We'd love to heard from you!

KL Sedap Part 2: Hard Rock Cafe

I'm sure you guys remember when we headed to Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) in Melaka right?
Well before there was HRC Melaka, there was HRC KL!

But before we start, let me apologize in advance for the quality of some of the pictures.
The place was rather dark and I had no choice but to fire the flash in most of the shots so they appear rather bright. But I guess that's better than having pictures of the silhouettes of the food right?

Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings (RM26.00)

When you order your wings, you have to choose between either Classic (Normal), Tangy BBQ (Mild) or Heavy Metal (Spicy). Talk about lighting the fire of my appetite am I right?

Well it's basically like an order of Buffalo Wings.
The wings are tossed with the special sauce of your choice. They douse the wings with the sauce just nicely because you will get some on your fingers when you pick it up but not too much that it's overpowering.
Served with a Blue Cheese ranch dressing!!!

And at RM26.00 for half a dozen wings, it's a steal!!

Famous Fajitas Trio (RM55.00)

So these are the famous HRC Fajitas. (My mum's favourite!)

You have a choice of beef, chicken, shrimp, a double combo of two meats or a trio like mine!
It's served on a hotplate with a bed of sizzling onions. Awesome!

Fajitas Accompaniments

The Fajitas come with some accompaniments of course.
Some tortillas for you to stuff with the meat. You've also got lettuce, guacamole (avocado), herbed diced tomatos, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses plus sour cream!

So if you're looking to have a party in your mouth, all the guests are already invited!

I can tell why my Mum loves this so much.
The grilled meat on the hot plate taste so much better when they're still sizzling hot and getting to choose what you want (or don't want) to be in your tortilla makes it even better. In fact, ditch the bread and just eat the meat! It's totally fine!

Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Beef Ribs (RM78.00)

This is something we wanted to have in HRC Melaka but we passed.
And my darling wife decided she wasn't going to pass it up twice in a row!

BRING ON THE MEAT!!!

The tender beef ribs come smothered in BBQ sauce and cooked absolutely superbly.
The meat is so tender you don't even need a knife! You can just use your fork to twist of the meat and it comes falling off the bone just like that. Wish they would have laid off a little on the sauce though because I'd rather enjoy a little more of that beefy flavour instead of the BBQ sauce which is also in the baked beans.

It comes with fries, coleslaw and some baked beans.
This is a MUST HAVE for any meat lovers!!!
(My mouth is literally watering as I type this now while looking at the picture above)

Adam's Verdict:
Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings 3/5 -- Famous Fajitas Trio 3/5
Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Beef Ribs 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings 2.5/5 -- Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Beef Ribs 4/5

Still so many items to try on the menu at HRC.
I reckon we'll be making our way there a few more times. At least.

Hard Rock Cafe (Kuala Lumpur)

Concorde Hotel
No 2 Jln Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3 27155555
www.hardrock.com

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 2.00am (Sunday til THursday)
11.30am til 3.00am (Fridays and Saturdays)

Kitchen closes at 10.30pm Daily