The Fullerton Hotel Singapore’s Chinese executive chef Leong Chee Yeng is an artist in the kitchen and out of it. At Jade Restaurant, he integrates aesthetic elements into cooking while constantly refining his culinary techniques—his plates are often accompanied by intricate food carvings and sculptures. In the dining room, his pottery works are displayed in places of pride.
Every year, the Mid-Autumn Festival becomes a time when his art and his cooking intersect in the shape of delicious mooncakes in artfully-designed forms.
You’ll see his artistic intent in the design of the emblematic Fullerton snowskin mooncake teardrop-shaped mould, which are reminiscent of ancient Chinese belt buckles. These buckles were considered to be a product of nobility and literati.
You’ll see his artistic intent in the design of the emblematic Fullerton snowskin mooncake teardrop-shaped mould, which are reminiscent of ancient Chinese belt buckles. These buckles were considered to be a product of nobility and literati.
The new flavours of snowskin mooncakes every year are also expressions of chef Leong’s creativity. The whole process takes nearly a year to complete—as soon as the festival ends, research begins to see which flavours were well-received and feedback is taken into consideration for the following year’s creations, and all these mooncakes are crafted from original Fullerton recipes.
This year's coffee-flavoured edition was inspired by chef Leong's travels to Japan
This year, one of chef’s new snowskin creations is the Kopi with Hokkaido Milk Snow Skin Mooncake. “This was inspired by my recent travel to Hokkaido, where I visited the Shiroi Koibito factory and saw first-hand how prized Hokkaido dairy is,” shares chef Leong. “Mooncake flavours are always a combination of local and international trends. In this case, we combined a beloved local flavour of kopi with high quality touches such as Hokkaido milk and sea salt.”
This citrusy mooncake is studded with pistachios
Also new is the Tangerine Lemon and Pistachio Snow Skin Mooncake, tart and refreshing, with a crunchy bite from slivers of pistachios. The word for pistachio in Mandarin translates to ‘happy fruit’ and was an addition chef wanted to make so that meals could “end on a happy note” with his mooncake.
As much heart as he puts into his snowskin mooncakes, his personal favourite is the classic baked mooncake. “I’m a traditionalist at heart,” he says. “My favourite kinds are the baked skins with lotus paste and single egg yolk, best enjoyed with a cup of Chinese tea.”
As much heart as he puts into his snowskin mooncakes, his personal favourite is the classic baked mooncake. “I’m a traditionalist at heart,” he says. “My favourite kinds are the baked skins with lotus paste and single egg yolk, best enjoyed with a cup of Chinese tea.”
The Fullerton Baked Treasures
For fans of the traditional baked mooncake like him, he has created two new flavours this year: a pandan chiffon-inspired Pandan with Coconut Baked Mooncake, and the more savoury Salted Taro with Peanut Butter Baked Mooncake.
The best part is—with the exception of The Fullerton 15 Treasures Premium Gift Set which is made in-house—these new creations as well as The Fullerton Hotel’s range of classic mooncakes, have been certified Halal. “The decision to go Halal was so our mooncakes could be enjoyed by a wider audience, and that we could share this custom of gifting with our Muslim friends,” says the chef.
Watch chef Leong in action as he crafts The Fullerton 15 Treasures Premium Gift Set by hand in the video below.
The best part is—with the exception of The Fullerton 15 Treasures Premium Gift Set which is made in-house—these new creations as well as The Fullerton Hotel’s range of classic mooncakes, have been certified Halal. “The decision to go Halal was so our mooncakes could be enjoyed by a wider audience, and that we could share this custom of gifting with our Muslim friends,” says the chef.
Watch chef Leong in action as he crafts The Fullerton 15 Treasures Premium Gift Set by hand in the video below.
With cashless payment capabilities at The Fullerton Cake Boutique that include Visa payWave, Samsung Pay and Apple Pay, your mooncake purchases is only one tap away.
Click here to visit The Fullerton Boutique’s online store and to order your mooncakes.
