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Showing posts with label Mooncakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mooncakes. Show all posts

Shopping Guide to the Best Kluang Mooncakes 2012

 
Don't know how it happened but the small town of Kluang in Johor is seen by many as the mooncake Capital of Malaysia.
 
Heritage Mooncake Mould Mold

Maybe mooncakes and Mid Autumn festival are sentimental things and times. Personally, Mid Autumn festival is a time for reminiscing and reminding myself of our real treasures - our relationships with our family, elders and friends.

Mooncakes that have that ancient taste and fragrance which can only be achieved by making them the old way, seemed to have that special ability to trigger such sentiments in me.

Kluang Rail Station

Maybe the town of Kluang itself has that rustic charm that gets people into the Mooncake festival mood just by being here. Maybe it's a good excuse to once a year get out of the big city, where everything seemed so impermanent, to a place that changes little.

Rough sketch of locations of mooncake shops using the three major circles in Kluang as reference points. Only major roads are shown. Refer to google map for details.

There are four traditional bakeries in Kluang which are the standard bearers of Kluang mooncakes. Kluang is a small town, so these four bakeries are within 15 minutes leisurely drive of each other and they are easy to locate with google map and GPS. If necessary, ask the helpful locals. Almost every resident knows where these bakeries are, and would gladly show you the way.


Nam Yick Food Trading 南益饼家


Nam Yick is one of the oldest traditional Chinese bakeries in Kluang - Nam Yick was still using a wood fired stone oven until it was forced to stop due to difficulty in obtaining wood for fire.

MR 張 owner of Nam Yick 南益

At Nam Yick, making mooncakes had traditionally been a family affair. Every year during the Mid Autumn festival, all three generations of the 張 clan would chip in to fulfil orders coming from all over Malaysia and Singapore for their renowned old style mooncakes. 


Restaurant name: Nam Yick Food Trading 南益饼家
Address: 67, Jalan Besar, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/RlHbA
GPS: 2.021681,103.322864
Hours: 9:00am to 9:00pm


Tong Huat 东发 Confectionery


Tong Huat 东发 is one of the most popular traditional Chinese bakeries in Kluang, famous for its tau sar piah 豆沙饼. During the annual Mid Autumn festival, Tong Huat goes into full swing meeting demands for their much sought after mooncakes from all over Malaysia and Singapore.


MR Loo, the owner of Tong Huat, personally attends to the baking to ensure the highest standards and consistency for his signature mooncakes.


Restaurant name: Tong Huat 东发 Confectionery
Address: 28 & 30, Jalan Cantik, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/iAXR1
GPS: 2.030787,103.322845
Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm daily


Yuen Fatt Biskut 源發餅家

Mooncake Johor

Yuen Fatt 源發 is famous for these uniquely shaped Shanghai mooncakes. Whether you think they look like a rugby ball, a mouse or a squid, customers never seemed to have enough of these tasty mooncakes with flaky crusts and not too sweet filling.

Mooncake Johor

Like all handcrafted mooncakes in Kluang, each Yuen Fatt 源發 mooncake is carefully shaped by skillful and patient hands.

Mooncake Johor

Restaurant name: Yuen Fatt Biskut 源發餅家
Address: 39, Jalan Hj Manap Nordin, Kluang Baru, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/rO7MW
GPS: 2.042037,103.333379
Hours: 9:00am to 8:00pm (Sundays 9:00am to 1:00pm)


Yu Kong 游港 Restaurant


Yu Kong 游港 is actually a famous roast meat and duck shop that closes during the Mid Autumn festival period to make their popular dome shaped Shanghai mooncakes.


Yu Kong's Shanghai mooncakes are made in the morning and are offered for sale everyday at 2:00pm. According to the lady boss, on weekends, all the day's mooncakes will be sold out within 15 minutes. So the safest bet to get your hands on Yu Kong mooncakes, is to be there on weekdays.

Yu Kong limits each customer to three boxes of 4 mooncakes per box in order to minimise customers travelling all the way to Kluang only to leave disappointed and empty handed.
 

Restaurant name: Yu Kong 游港 Restaurant
Address: 91, Jalan Lim Swee Sim, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/4FOPH
GPS: 2.042118,103.331925
Hours: 2:00pm till sold out (often within 15 mins on weekends) (Yu Kong reverts back to selling roast meats and duck on 8 Oct 2012)
 
Don't know how it happened but the small town of Kluang in Johor is seen by many as the mooncake Capital of Malaysia.
 
Heritage Mooncake Mould Mold

Maybe mooncakes and Mid Autumn festival are sentimental things and times. Personally, Mid Autumn festival is a time for reminiscing and reminding myself of our real treasures - our relationships with our family, elders and friends.

Mooncakes that have that ancient taste and fragrance which can only be achieved by making them the old way, seemed to have that special ability to trigger such sentiments in me.

Kluang Rail Station

Maybe the town of Kluang itself has that rustic charm that gets people into the Mooncake festival mood just by being here. Maybe it's a good excuse to once a year get out of the big city, where everything seemed so impermanent, to a place that changes little.

Rough sketch of locations of mooncake shops using the three major circles in Kluang as reference points. Only major roads are shown. Refer to google map for details.

There are four traditional bakeries in Kluang which are the standard bearers of Kluang mooncakes. Kluang is a small town, so these four bakeries are within 15 minutes leisurely drive of each other and they are easy to locate with google map and GPS. If necessary, ask the helpful locals. Almost every resident knows where these bakeries are, and would gladly show you the way.


Nam Yick Food Trading 南益饼家


Nam Yick is one of the oldest traditional Chinese bakeries in Kluang - Nam Yick was still using a wood fired stone oven until it was forced to stop due to difficulty in obtaining wood for fire.

MR 張 owner of Nam Yick 南益

At Nam Yick, making mooncakes had traditionally been a family affair. Every year during the Mid Autumn festival, all three generations of the 張 clan would chip in to fulfil orders coming from all over Malaysia and Singapore for their renowned old style mooncakes. 


Restaurant name: Nam Yick Food Trading 南益饼家
Address: 67, Jalan Besar, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/RlHbA
GPS: 2.021681,103.322864
Hours: 9:00am to 9:00pm


Tong Huat 东发 Confectionery


Tong Huat 东发 is one of the most popular traditional Chinese bakeries in Kluang, famous for its tau sar piah 豆沙饼. During the annual Mid Autumn festival, Tong Huat goes into full swing meeting demands for their much sought after mooncakes from all over Malaysia and Singapore.


MR Loo, the owner of Tong Huat, personally attends to the baking to ensure the highest standards and consistency for his signature mooncakes.


Restaurant name: Tong Huat 东发 Confectionery
Address: 28 & 30, Jalan Cantik, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/iAXR1
GPS: 2.030787,103.322845
Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm daily


Yuen Fatt Biskut 源發餅家

Mooncake Johor

Yuen Fatt 源發 is famous for these uniquely shaped Shanghai mooncakes. Whether you think they look like a rugby ball, a mouse or a squid, customers never seemed to have enough of these tasty mooncakes with flaky crusts and not too sweet filling.

Mooncake Johor

Like all handcrafted mooncakes in Kluang, each Yuen Fatt 源發 mooncake is carefully shaped by skillful and patient hands.

Mooncake Johor

Restaurant name: Yuen Fatt Biskut 源發餅家
Address: 39, Jalan Hj Manap Nordin, Kluang Baru, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/rO7MW
GPS: 2.042037,103.333379
Hours: 9:00am to 8:00pm (Sundays 9:00am to 1:00pm)


Yu Kong 游港 Restaurant


Yu Kong 游港 is actually a famous roast meat and duck shop that closes during the Mid Autumn festival period to make their popular dome shaped Shanghai mooncakes.


Yu Kong's Shanghai mooncakes are made in the morning and are offered for sale everyday at 2:00pm. According to the lady boss, on weekends, all the day's mooncakes will be sold out within 15 minutes. So the safest bet to get your hands on Yu Kong mooncakes, is to be there on weekdays.

Yu Kong limits each customer to three boxes of 4 mooncakes per box in order to minimise customers travelling all the way to Kluang only to leave disappointed and empty handed.
 

Restaurant name: Yu Kong 游港 Restaurant
Address: 91, Jalan Lim Swee Sim, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/4FOPH
GPS: 2.042118,103.331925
Hours: 2:00pm till sold out (often within 15 mins on weekends) (Yu Kong reverts back to selling roast meats and duck on 8 Oct 2012)
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mooncakes @ Tong Huat 东发 Bakery in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia


Tong Huat 东发 is one of the most popular traditional confectioneries in Kluang. During the annual Mid Autumn (Mooncake) festival, Tong Huat 东发 goes into full swing to meet the orders from all over Malaysia, and also Singapore for their famous traditional mooncakes.

Tong Huat is a hive of frantic and well organised activity as making mooncakes the old way by hand is very labour intensive.
 

Hand kneading the lotus paste needs plenty of strength and elbow grease.


Workers kneading the dough and assembling mooncakes by hand.
 

Meticulously applying the egg wash before sending the mooncakes into the oven.
 

Tong Huat's boss, MR Loo, personally attends to the final, crucial step of baking the mooncakes.
 

Golden brown mooncakes hot and fresh out of the oven.
 
Lotus seed paste filling

Five kernel 五仁
 
When I got home and opened my box of Tong Huat mooncakes, I caught a whiff of that old mooncake aroma that I have not smelled for a very long time. That ancient fragrance 古早味 instantly transported me back to my childhood and my grandmother in Singapore's old Chinatown.

Tong Huat's signature tau sar piah 豆沙饼

Besides making their popular mooncakes during the annual Mid Autumn festival, Tong Huat is famous for their other traditional Chinese confectioneries which are all handmade in the old way.

 

Restaurant name: Tong Huat 东发 Confectionery
Address: 28 & 30, Jalan Cantik, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/iAXR1
GPS: 2.030787,103.322845
Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm daily
Non Halal

Date visited: 20 Sep 2012

Tong Huat 东发 is one of the most popular traditional confectioneries in Kluang. During the annual Mid Autumn (Mooncake) festival, Tong Huat 东发 goes into full swing to meet the orders from all over Malaysia, and also Singapore for their famous traditional mooncakes.

Tong Huat is a hive of frantic and well organised activity as making mooncakes the old way by hand is very labour intensive.
 

Hand kneading the lotus paste needs plenty of strength and elbow grease.


Workers kneading the dough and assembling mooncakes by hand.
 

Meticulously applying the egg wash before sending the mooncakes into the oven.
 

Tong Huat's boss, MR Loo, personally attends to the final, crucial step of baking the mooncakes.
 

Golden brown mooncakes hot and fresh out of the oven.
 
Lotus seed paste filling

Five kernel 五仁
 
When I got home and opened my box of Tong Huat mooncakes, I caught a whiff of that old mooncake aroma that I have not smelled for a very long time. That ancient fragrance 古早味 instantly transported me back to my childhood and my grandmother in Singapore's old Chinatown.

Tong Huat's signature tau sar piah 豆沙饼

Besides making their popular mooncakes during the annual Mid Autumn festival, Tong Huat is famous for their other traditional Chinese confectioneries which are all handmade in the old way.

 

Restaurant name: Tong Huat 东发 Confectionery
Address: 28 & 30, Jalan Cantik, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/iAXR1
GPS: 2.030787,103.322845
Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm daily
Non Halal

Date visited: 20 Sep 2012
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mooncakes @ Nam Yick 南益 in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

Traditional wooden mould bearing Nam Yick 南益's  label

Nam Yick 南益 is one of the oldest and most popular traditional bakeries in Kluang, Johor.
 
A heritage mould in Nam Yick, now part of the family heirloom

Nam Yick 南益 started making its famous traditional pastries in 1945 and though much have changed, much of the old tastes and flavours 古早味 still remained.  No wonder, every year during the Mid Autumn (Mooncake) festival, customers from all over Malaysia and also Singapore, descend on Nam Yick for their famous mooncakes.
 

Mid Autumn festival is also a time of reunion for three generations of the 張 family, who are living in various parts of Malaysia and Singapore, to all return to Kluang to make their famous mooncakes together to meet the seemingly insatiable (and growing) demand.
 
 
What keep regulars coming back to Nam Yick is the traditional tastes and flavours which are hard to come by, nowadays. New customers are drawn to Nam Yick because their mooncakes are simply so delicious and make such great festive gifts. To the traditionally minded, giving the best mooncakes to family and friends during the Mid Autumn festival is a sincere gesture of love and respect.


Everyone in the 張 family chips in during the Mid Autumn festival rush. Here, the warm and friendly family patriarch helps roll the dough that forms the skin of the mooncakes.
 

The steamed salted egg yolks that go into the mooncakes.


The stuffings for Nam Yick's five kernel 五仁 mooncakes are solidly packed balls of choice seeds and nuts. 


The stuffings are individually weighed to ensure consistency.
 

At Nam Yick, each mooncake is individually handcrafted in keeping with the time honoured way, handed down by Nam Yick's founders. No wonder three generations of the 張 clan are mobilised each year to uphold the treasured family tradition.


Nam Yick's popular Shanghai mooncakes.


As Nam Yick 南益 mooncakes are made in the traditional way, they contain no preservatives or artificial flavourings.

Here are just some of the Nam Yick mooncakes I enjoyed today :)

 
 
The five kernel 五仁 mooncake, chockful of nutty flavours and textures.


I love Nam Yick's Shanghai mooncake with bean paste (tau sar) 豆沙 fillings. The creamy and fluffy crust wraps the smooth and not overly sweet bean paste.

 
I indulged in my favourite 豆沙 fillings, this time in the traditional baked golden brown skinned mooncake.
 
 

Emerald lotus paste 翡翠蓮蓉 is a tasty blend of mung bean paste and lotus seed paste.


Many people come to Kluang during the Mid Autumn festival each year looking for this simple wooden house with the bright red signboard with one of Malaysia's best mooncakes inside.

Restaurant name: Nam Yick Food Trading 南益饼家
Address: 67, Jalan Besar, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/RlHbA
GPS: 2.021681,103.322864
Hours: 9:00am to 9:00pm
No pork, no lard

Date visited: 20 Sep 2012
Traditional wooden mould bearing Nam Yick 南益's  label

Nam Yick 南益 is one of the oldest and most popular traditional bakeries in Kluang, Johor.
 
A heritage mould in Nam Yick, now part of the family heirloom

Nam Yick 南益 started making its famous traditional pastries in 1945 and though much have changed, much of the old tastes and flavours 古早味 still remained.  No wonder, every year during the Mid Autumn (Mooncake) festival, customers from all over Malaysia and also Singapore, descend on Nam Yick for their famous mooncakes.
 

Mid Autumn festival is also a time of reunion for three generations of the 張 family, who are living in various parts of Malaysia and Singapore, to all return to Kluang to make their famous mooncakes together to meet the seemingly insatiable (and growing) demand.
 
 
What keep regulars coming back to Nam Yick is the traditional tastes and flavours which are hard to come by, nowadays. New customers are drawn to Nam Yick because their mooncakes are simply so delicious and make such great festive gifts. To the traditionally minded, giving the best mooncakes to family and friends during the Mid Autumn festival is a sincere gesture of love and respect.


Everyone in the 張 family chips in during the Mid Autumn festival rush. Here, the warm and friendly family patriarch helps roll the dough that forms the skin of the mooncakes.
 

The steamed salted egg yolks that go into the mooncakes.


The stuffings for Nam Yick's five kernel 五仁 mooncakes are solidly packed balls of choice seeds and nuts. 


The stuffings are individually weighed to ensure consistency.
 

At Nam Yick, each mooncake is individually handcrafted in keeping with the time honoured way, handed down by Nam Yick's founders. No wonder three generations of the 張 clan are mobilised each year to uphold the treasured family tradition.


Nam Yick's popular Shanghai mooncakes.


As Nam Yick 南益 mooncakes are made in the traditional way, they contain no preservatives or artificial flavourings.

Here are just some of the Nam Yick mooncakes I enjoyed today :)

 
 
The five kernel 五仁 mooncake, chockful of nutty flavours and textures.


I love Nam Yick's Shanghai mooncake with bean paste (tau sar) 豆沙 fillings. The creamy and fluffy crust wraps the smooth and not overly sweet bean paste.

 
I indulged in my favourite 豆沙 fillings, this time in the traditional baked golden brown skinned mooncake.
 
 

Emerald lotus paste 翡翠蓮蓉 is a tasty blend of mung bean paste and lotus seed paste.


Many people come to Kluang during the Mid Autumn festival each year looking for this simple wooden house with the bright red signboard with one of Malaysia's best mooncakes inside.

Restaurant name: Nam Yick Food Trading 南益饼家
Address: 67, Jalan Besar, Kluang, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/RlHbA
GPS: 2.021681,103.322864
Hours: 9:00am to 9:00pm
No pork, no lard

Date visited: 20 Sep 2012
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Shanghai Mooncakes @ 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam Restoran Loh Sang in Taman Desa Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 
This is the Shanghai mooncake 上海月饼 from 63 茶餐室 Restoran Loh Sang in Taman Desa Jaya, Johor Bahru. The dense not-too-sweet lotus paste wraps a salted egg yolk which is itself encased in a flaky pastry. How flaky? The pastry looked like it will crumble, if I stared at it too hard. The buttery pastry started to crumble when I gently lifted it and it melted on my tongue before I could close my mouth! No kidding.


One thing that fascinates me about the Johor food scene is that there is still space for small niche players to thrive and succeed. The Mid Autumn Festival (mooncake festival) is approaching and the usual big players are gearing up to flood the market with their fanciful factory made mooncakes in impressive, expensive packaging.


Yet there are small businesses that still make their mooncakes by hand and have a growing clientele that insists on homemade mooncakes made without preservatives and artificial flavourings. But nowadays, we can count the number of such boutique bakeries with the fingers of just one hand. One such is 63 Kopitiam Restoran Loh Sang in Taman Desa Jaya.

Looking at its "run of the mill" kopitiam shopfront, who would have guessed that 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam makes one of the best Shanghai Mooncakes 上海月饼 in Johor and some even say the whole of Malaysia? I can't say that since I have not eaten mooncakes from the whole of Malaysia yet :P

On a normal day, 63 Kopitiam sells "economic mix vegetable rice" and their popular homemade breads and buns which are freshly made everyday without using any preservatives.

During the annual Mid Autumn Festival, the owner MR Chia 謝 will make his highly popular Shanghai mooncakes.

Everything is done by hand here in 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam by MR Chia and one worker, so the amount of Shanghai mooncakes made is always limited.


MR Chia kneading the dough for the flaky crust.



Preparing the lotus seed paste and the salted egg yolk stuffing.


The lotus seed paste and salted egg filling are rolled into a tight ball, one by one.


The lotus seed paste/ salted egg yolk stuffing in the foreground are then wrapped in dough to make the Shanghai mooncakes in the background of this photo.


MR Chia applying egg wash to the tray of Shanghai mooncakes - the final step before baking them in the oven.


 
The Shanghai mooncakes in the oven.


 
 
The piping hot, golden brown Shanghai mooncakes straight out of the oven. MR Chia sells each box of 4 of these Shanghai mooncakes with lotus seed paste and single salted egg yolk at RM34.

MR Chia told me that this year, he will be renting a small stand at City Square Mall in downtown JB to sell his famous Shanghai mooncakes. Look out for 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam's unique handmade Shanghai mooncakes if you are shopping for mooncakes in City Square Mall.


Restaurant name: 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam Restoran Loh Sang
Address: 6, Jalan Danau 3, Taman Desa Jaya, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/UXEJS
GPS: 1.555211,103.805640
Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm
No pork, no lard

Date visited: 27 Aug 2012
 
This is the Shanghai mooncake 上海月饼 from 63 茶餐室 Restoran Loh Sang in Taman Desa Jaya, Johor Bahru. The dense not-too-sweet lotus paste wraps a salted egg yolk which is itself encased in a flaky pastry. How flaky? The pastry looked like it will crumble, if I stared at it too hard. The buttery pastry started to crumble when I gently lifted it and it melted on my tongue before I could close my mouth! No kidding.


One thing that fascinates me about the Johor food scene is that there is still space for small niche players to thrive and succeed. The Mid Autumn Festival (mooncake festival) is approaching and the usual big players are gearing up to flood the market with their fanciful factory made mooncakes in impressive, expensive packaging.


Yet there are small businesses that still make their mooncakes by hand and have a growing clientele that insists on homemade mooncakes made without preservatives and artificial flavourings. But nowadays, we can count the number of such boutique bakeries with the fingers of just one hand. One such is 63 Kopitiam Restoran Loh Sang in Taman Desa Jaya.

Looking at its "run of the mill" kopitiam shopfront, who would have guessed that 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam makes one of the best Shanghai Mooncakes 上海月饼 in Johor and some even say the whole of Malaysia? I can't say that since I have not eaten mooncakes from the whole of Malaysia yet :P

On a normal day, 63 Kopitiam sells "economic mix vegetable rice" and their popular homemade breads and buns which are freshly made everyday without using any preservatives.

During the annual Mid Autumn Festival, the owner MR Chia 謝 will make his highly popular Shanghai mooncakes.

Everything is done by hand here in 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam by MR Chia and one worker, so the amount of Shanghai mooncakes made is always limited.


MR Chia kneading the dough for the flaky crust.



Preparing the lotus seed paste and the salted egg yolk stuffing.


The lotus seed paste and salted egg filling are rolled into a tight ball, one by one.


The lotus seed paste/ salted egg yolk stuffing in the foreground are then wrapped in dough to make the Shanghai mooncakes in the background of this photo.


MR Chia applying egg wash to the tray of Shanghai mooncakes - the final step before baking them in the oven.


 
The Shanghai mooncakes in the oven.


 
 
The piping hot, golden brown Shanghai mooncakes straight out of the oven. MR Chia sells each box of 4 of these Shanghai mooncakes with lotus seed paste and single salted egg yolk at RM34.

MR Chia told me that this year, he will be renting a small stand at City Square Mall in downtown JB to sell his famous Shanghai mooncakes. Look out for 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam's unique handmade Shanghai mooncakes if you are shopping for mooncakes in City Square Mall.


Restaurant name: 63 茶餐室 Kopitiam Restoran Loh Sang
Address: 6, Jalan Danau 3, Taman Desa Jaya, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/UXEJS
GPS: 1.555211,103.805640
Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm
No pork, no lard

Date visited: 27 Aug 2012
reade more... Résuméabuiyad