Celebrate with Wan Li traditional mooncakes

In the weeks prior to the Mid-Autum Festival, it is a tradition for families and friends to present each other with mooncakes and mooncakes are often brought to the festive dinner and presented to the host with pride.

A range of traditional baked mooncakes by Wan Li
Chinese Restaurant in the Renaissance Johor Baru Hotel

Keeping close to traditions, Wan Li Chinese Restaurant at the Renaissance Johor Baru Hotel is preparing a range of handcrafted mooncakes, both the traditional baked version as well as the popular snow-skin mooncakes, to celebrate the season.

Wan Li knows that most traditional Chinese families would celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with a family dinner, not unlike the Lunar New Year reunion dinner.

While the menu for the Mid-Autumn Festival may not be as elaborate or rich with auspicious ingredients as in the Spring Festival (celebrated during the Lunar New Year), it is a tradition to host a festive dinner to bring the family together again over a meal.

So for the coming festive season, Wan Li will be serving an interesting new menu, designed by their new head chef, Linus Mak.

A traditional wooden mooncake mould

At home, this Mid-Autumn Festival dinner will traditionally end with eating mooncakes washed down with sips of quality Chinese tea, usually set in the porch or garden – under the glow of the full moon.

And the topic of conversation would inevitably include exchanging anecdotes and legends about the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This festival is often called the Lantern Festival because this is also the season where children would light up lanterns and enjoy the fun of playing with glowing lanterns in the dark.

So I’m at Wan Li again for a media preview of these traditional pastries and at the restaurant entrance, a variety of freshly-made, handcrafted mooncakes are presented on platters for us to sample, along with a range of Chinese tea.

Mooncakes are best savoured, paired with quality,
freshly-brewed Chinese tea

Guests are welcome to help themselves to warm brewed tea, to sip as they sample the slivers of mooncakes.

I like how each porcelain pot of Chinese tea is clearly labelled with names that range from Pu Er to Guan Yin King, for guests to identify the types of leaves and flavours of tea.

Wan Li is proud of their tradition of making delectable mooncakes using preservative-free and low sugar recipes, so their mooncakes are best savoured within ten days from the date of purchase.

These quality pastries are shaped by traditional wooden moulds, designed with an embossed rendition of the capital letter “R” for Renaissance Hotel, and are easily distinguished by this identity on the baked mooncakes.

Mooncake gift boxes have become more creative, elaborate and attractive over the years and this year, Wan Li is proud of the new design of their mooncake boxes that comes with a matching paper carrier bag.

Mooncakes are proudly presented in impressive gift boxes

Family members or friends who know which type of baked mooncake filling their host prefers, can pick from choices like Pure Lotus Paste, Lotus Paste with Single or Double Yolk and those filled with Assorted Dried Fruit and Nuts.

In addition to the traditional fillings of Lotus Paste in the baked mooncakes, there are also choices like Red Bean Paste, Jade Custard and Green Tea with Single Yolk.

Renaissance JB is taking a contemporary approach to the traditional baked and snow skin varieties of mooncake and have created trendy types of fillings to meet the tastes of modern mooncake connoisseurs.

While snow skin mooncakes are a relatively new creation for the Mid-Autumn Festival, it has gained popularity and the increasing choices of fillings is proof that it’s here to stay.

Some of the exciting flavours to choose from include Dark Chocolate Crunchy Pearl, Coffee Truffle, Taro Paste Truffle, Lemon Paste Truffle, Green Tea Matcha Truffle, Passion Fruit Truffle, Peppermint Chocolate Truffle, Strawberry Fizzy Truffle and the tempting taste of Fresh Durian.

Snow-skin mooncakes prepared in pretty pastel colours

These handcrafted delicacies are made with natural ingredients with no preservatives and when the snow skin varieties are brought home, they should be kept refrigerated to preserve its quality.

The snow skin varieties are distinguished by a range of pretty pastel colours like purple for Taro, green for Green Tea Matcha and pink for Strawberry but it is rather challenging to tell which shade of yellow is Lemon or Passion Fruit.

It is however, very easy to spot the (yellow) snow skin mooncake stuffed with Fresh Durian because before we see it, we can already smell it from afar!

. . .

This range of handcrafted mooncakes are exclusively available from Wan Li for a limited time – until Sept 13 – so rush over to enjoy Early Bird discount of 15% off a single receipt for purchases before Aug 5.

A set of eight snow skin mooncakes is priced at RM98 nett and a set of four baked mooncakes cost RM98 nett only while the set of eight Fresh Durian snow skin mooncakes is priced at RM168 nett.

A variety of snow-skin mooncakes for us to sample!

Purchases of mooncakes of above 25 boxes will enjoy 15% discount while purchases above 100 boxes will enjoy 25% discount.

Existing Club Marriot members are entitled to receive a complimentary box of mooncakes for every purchase of eight boxes.

Standard Chartered Bank and UOB Bank card holders will receive 15% and 20% discount, respectively.

These exquisite mooncakes can be bought at Wan Li Chinese Restaurant while large orders and enquiries should be made by calling, Tel: +607 – 381 3388 or email: rhi.jhbbr.wanlirestaurant@renaissancehotels.com or henry.lee@renaissancehotels.com

Wan Li Restaurant [Pork-Free] is on the lobby level of the Renaissance Johor Baru Hotel, 2 Jalan Permas 11, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, 81750 Masai, Johor.