To celebrate the upcoming Mid Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept 21 this year, the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is crafting a fine selection of mooncakes, a tradition that also lifts people's spirits.
Since 1989, the hotel has sold more than 16,500,000 pieces of exquisitely handcrafted mooncakes. The round golden pastries with dense filling are freshly baked from The China House restaurant's kitchen with new flavours introduced every year.
The 2021 edition of mooncakes mark the hotel's 145th-anniversary celebrations and will come with four filling options -- three are all-time favourites and one is a brand-new concoction.
The classic flavours include custard, salted lotus seed with egg yolk and durian with egg yolk, prepared by executive Chinese chef Andy Leong and his team.
The brand-new filling, caramel butter with macadamia nuts, is an exclusive East-meets-West collaboration between chef Leong and the hotel's French executive chef Dominique Bugnand.
Macadamia nuts from Thailand's Royal Project in Chiang Mai are used in the filling mixture to reflect the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's commitment in supporting local producers. The other key ingredient for the special pastry is Le Beurre Bordier, the finest quality French butter normally served at the hotel's two Michelin-star Le Normandie restaurant.
This year, the mooncakes are offered in two styles of vibrant red gift boxes to signify happiness, success, vitality and good fortune. Each gift box contains eight mooncakes and also feature a Thai orchid motif that speaks for beauty and high-class status.
To add a more celebratory thrill to the cultural holiday, buyers of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok mooncakes are also offered a chance to win valuable prizes.
The 2021 selection includes custard, salted lotus seed with egg yolk, durian with egg yolk and caramel butter with macadamia nut fillings.
In accordance with the hotel's 145 years of hospitality, 145 prize tickets, worth over a million baht in value, will be randomly included in classic mooncake gift boxes sold in August.
The prizes range from luxurious accommodations to dining experiences and sweet treats. The Grand Prize is a one-night stay in the hotel's iconic Oriental Suite, valued at 450,000 baht. There is also one-night accommodation prizes in The Author's Suite and Deluxe Premier Room. Lunch at Lord Jim's and afternoon tea at the Author's Lounge is also included in the prize list as are a box of macarons, homemade cookies and ice cream.
An Oriental Classic Box of eight mooncakes is priced at 818 baht net. A limited-edition Luxury Box with eight mooncakes and a box of exclusively blend of TWG tea costs 2,588 baht net per set.
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's 2021 mooncakes are available for purchase between Aug 2 and Sept 21 at the hotel's The China House restaurant as well as at The Mandarin Oriental Shops at Siam Paragon, Central Chidlom, The Emporium and Gaysorn Village. Or shop online at bangkok. mandarinorientalshop.com.
For more information or to place your order, call Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok at 02-659-9000 or email mobkk-mooncake@mohg.com.
