IT’S the time of the year when the moon is full and at its brightest, and our Chinese friends celebrate one of their most important and grandest holiday traditions.
The rest of Asia, and the west as well, caught on to the observance. I’m glad we did because the mooncake is but one of the best gifts from the Chinese dessert heaven.
The other dessert treasure is the jian dui (also known as buchi), that precious golden ball of delicacy, which is best enjoyed freshly cooked at the Lotus Court of Marco Polo. This is what lures me to the hotel.
I had another bout with the mooncake and buchi on the recent Moon Festival feast, an annual dinner event of the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant.
One of the best times to visit the Lotus Court is during this event. It’s one of those very special events when the restaurant’s sumptuous delicacies (most of it are your favorites) are served buffet style. The Peking Duck, Buddha Soup, Crabs with ginger and onion, Steamed Pompano, an array of appetizers and assorted Dim Sum choices are some of the choices that make up the feast.
Of course, there is the buchi, which came in three variants—the Lotus Seed, Durian and the traditional Red Beans.
Not to forget the star of the night (and the entire month), the mooncake! Enjoyed were the Red Bean with Egg Yolk and Lotus Seed Paste.
For entertainment, Lotus Court shifted from the usual song and dance performances to an entertaining show of Wushu, a Chinese martial art. On stage was the Silver Grey Wushu Troupe.
You may have missed the buffet but you can have your favorites served a la carte anytime. But as to the mooncakes, you can only grab the sweet gift from dessert heaven at Marco Polo until supplies last. The mooncakes are packaged in elegant (and exciting) gift boxes.
For more photos of this feature and other lifestyle stories, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com
For travel stories, visit www.jeepneyjinggoy.com
Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com