Wine & Mooncakes at Xin Cuisine, Holiday Inn Atrium

Fancy some wine with mooncakes? Yes, you heard that right; mooncakes paired with wine is the epitome of East meets West and an amazingly delicious, if not unconventional idea presented by Holiday Inn Atrium's Xin Cuisine. We and a few OpenRicers were lucky enough to be invited to Xin Cuisine's mooncake and wine pairing tasting session recently and we simply couldn't wait to try their mid-autumn offerings this year!

Xin Cuisine has concocted the perfect mooncake experience, together with Chef Cheung Kin Nam, and has boldly presented this year's mooncake collection to be paired with both red and white wines. Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon reds were recommended to go along with their traditional mooncake flavours while Prosecco, an Italian sparkling white wine, was the preferred choice to pair with snowskin mooncakes. With an encouragement to be adventurous in our pairings of wine with mooncakes, a huge variety of mooncakes descended upon us and everyone eagerly dug in. The baked mooncakes were presented first, with the longtime favourite Mini Egg Custard with Egg Yolk receiving much acclaim and approval from the OpenRicers, while traditionalists remained faithful to the White Lotus Seed Paste with Single/Double Egg Yolk. Another favourite among yam-lovers was the Teochew Yam Paste with Single Egg Yolk, which had a flaky crust with a thick and smooth yam filling. A new addition, the Assorted Nuts with X.O. Sauce was also well-liked for its nutty and subtly alcoholic flavour that was complemented by the Cabernet Sauvignon's full-bodied taste and berry notes.

After whetting our appetites with the baked mooncakes, Xin Cuisine’s snowskin mooncake collection, an innovative range of fruity creations that tastes like heaven, was released. First up was the Soursop and Chocolate Crunch, filled with soursop pulp and with a chocolate-covered rice ball embedded within, giving it a satisfying crunch when bitten into. The Peranakan Durian and Passion Fruit Paste Mooncake soon followed, much to our delight. Durian lovers will love the Peranakan Durian, with its fragrant and luxurious durian filling, while the Passion Fruit Paste has bits of mango which adds a subtle sweetness. These fruity mooncakes went surprisingly well with the Prosecco sparkling wine, which highlighted the fruity notes of the mooncakes.

The stars of the evening that outshone the rest were: the Green Tea Lotus Paste with Chivas Chocolate that matched the rich green tea paste with a whisky ganache center, the Black Sesame Paste with Peanut and Chocolate – a combination of sweet black sesame paste and salty peanut, and the Champagne Chocolate & Pandan Lotus Paste, which consisted of a rich alcoholic center wrapped in a velvety pandan lotus paste, making it a hit amongst the alcohol-lovers.

Curious to find out what our OpenRicers thought about the mooncakes? Read their reviews here! From now until 31 August, quote ‘OpenRice Mooncake Promotion’ when you make your mooncake orders at Xin Cuisine to enjoy a 30% discount. For details, click here.

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