Celebrate Mid Autumn with Gartien's Pineapple Cakes

Mid Autumn, celebrated on the 15th of the 8th Lunar month in the Chinese calendar is one of the important festivals observed by the Chinese community; marked by the appearance of a full moon on this auspicious date every year.
Like all festivals, the Mid Autumn centers on the reunion of families and friends, gathering to enjoy quality time and sharing goodness through gifts of food, love and laughter.
The Mid Autumn is traditionally celebrated with the baked pastry; a carefully carved mould of a light brown cake with sweet fillings which are known as a delicacy and fondly referred to as the moon cake; with respectful connotations to the theme of the festival.

Moon cakes are soft moulded pastries, baked to golden brown and are available with the various types of fillings; from red bean to lotus paste, and even nuts or the prized yolk to tempt the spirit of festivities among the celebrating folks. The tradition continues until this very day, with variants of representatives of the moon cakes or even pastries, stemming from the creative minds of the new generation to spice the traditions a little with a more refreshing twist.

If you are looking for an interesting gift or a fresh way of celebrating the Mid Autumn, Gartien's Pineapple Cakes may just be the answer for you.



The traditional home recipes of these handmade buttery shortcakes, filled with luscious amounts of fresh pineapple fillings harvested from nearby plantations are just wonderful additions, if not replacements to the usual moon cakes during the festivities.




Gartien is a household name originating from the island of Penang, having started their business there a few years ago, specializing in homemade pineapple cakes. A delicacy which many may have experienced with the Taiwanese version, is now available in our very own turf, and Gartien weaves them all together to give these pineapple cakes their very own identities with their home recipe.



From the fresh and real pineapples, which are delivered on a weekly basis, these are cut into small pieces, manually, by hand; which is a necessary process to maintain the natural tastes and qualities of the fruit though it is time-consuming. The pineapples are then cooked for 12 hours, slowly and steadily to its golden brown perfection and rich in texture, and is an excellent companion to the buttery form of the shortbread pastry.
Together, the pastry is then baked to produce these luxuriously decadent cakes wrapped beautifully in their individual parcels.



I was delighted to be a part of the reviewer team to enjoy these famous pineapple cakes which many have raved about around the island.
The pineapple cakes arrived in a festive packaging, along with a paper bag suited for gifting purposes among friends and families.





Each pineapple cake is carefully wrapped and sealed, whereupon the light aroma of butter fills one's nose when the package is unwrapped.





The pineapple cake is solid, yet gentle with one's grasp as it firmly holds the generous amount of fresh pineapple filling held together in that highly dense mixture.

There is definitely more than enough of the paste which paired well with the buttery shortcake; and can even shake off the odd feeling of overwhelming dairy aftertaste for those who are less than enthusiastic about dairy tastes.




I like that the pineapple paste was rich in its ingredients; where I could actually taste the distinctive tastes of the pineapples, and yet, it was not overly sweet in its flavor.
It would not have been good for me if it was tad a bit too sweet than it is, as I am not one with a sweet tooth and this did it well for me; a perfect blend between the pastry and the filling.



One piece would have been satisfying; with its compact size and high density of power-packed ingredients made with love and I bet many would still reach for another piece.
It is definitely a perfect treat for any festivity, or even throughout the whole year; paired with a hot cup of tea and a great companion to enjoy a friendly banter under the sun, and of course, the moon.
After all, we are talking about their latest Mid Autumn theme, aren't we?


Gartien's Pineapple cakes are available all year round, as these babies are the pride of their bakery.

The signature pineapple cakes come in a box of 10 pieces; priced at MYR45.00 per box.

Gartien is currently proud to launch their Mid Autumn promotion; which comes in an attractive festive packaging in conjunction with the celebrations.
Also, early birds who are interested in purchasing these cakes for the Mid Autumn festivals can enjoy more privileges and value for their pineapple treats.

For 5 Boxes and Above, ordered BEFORE the 4th of August, will be entitled to ONE Box for FREE.

Bookings AFTER the 4th of August, subject to the availability, for 10 Boxes and Above, will be entitled to ONE Box for Free.


The price per box is at MYR45.00, for collection and Direct purchase from the Box.

Gartien does deliver to the whole of Malaysia; so for those who are interested in these pineapple cakes but are not residing in Penang need not worry for orders can be placed and you will receive these via courier.
The delivery charges do apply:
Additional MYR10.00 for Peninsular Malaysia  (MYR45.00+MYR10.00)
Additional MYR40.00 for East Malaysia    (MYR45.00 + MYR40.00)


Spice up your Mid Autumn with a little more variety, with this special edition and packaging from Gartien's Mid Autumn Pineapple Cakes version and enjoy sharing these cakes with your loved ones, while watching the surprises when you spring these famous pineapple cakes besides the traditional moon cakes at the parties :-)

Company: Gartien 小田佳园
Address: 380, Jalan Penang, 10000 Penang, Malaysia. (next to Kek Seng Coffee Shop/格成茶室)
Contact: 604-229 0068Business Hours: 9.00am-6.00pm dailyGPS: 5.416298, 100.329380



Gartien will be relocating to their new premises on Penang Road, right next to the famous Kek Seng Coffee Shop.






































Their official opening is set on the 20th of July 2014!

















For more information on Gartien, check out their website here

It is definitely going to be a very unique Mid Autumn, it's not going to be all about the moon and the traditional moon cakes, but pineapple cakes may be creeping into the trend soon, and you can be the trend setter! ;-)

Redefining Sunday Brunch ala French style at Maison Francaise

Who would have thought that in the heart of the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur lies a stylish mansion,   defined by its simple yet elegant black and white appearance, but serves one of the finest French cuisine from its kitchen?
Surrounded by a serene environment filled with greenery in an idyllic setting, the mansion is indeed an attractive place for one to enjoy peace and tranquility while indulging in the exquisite tastes of the food served here.

Maison Francaise (translated to mean French House) is where the art of French fine dining resides. The sophisticated design of the mansion is just a glimpse of what they have to offer, and the best is to be served on the tables, with pride from their kitchen.

There are many reasons for Maison Francaise to be proud; for besides the beautiful setting of their restaurant, they have their own home Executive Chef; Chef Franck Lamache, who hailed from France and has had many years of experiences and track record under his belt.

From 3-Star Michelin restaurants to renowned hotels and restaurants in Paris, Chef Franck is definitely a top notch name in the industry, to say the least and his passion in culinary arts is displayed through his handcrafted menu and presentation of the food at this very place.

Known for his style in serving the tastes of simplicity filled with natural flavors but with a representation of elegance and artistry, Chef Franck's work has impressed many who have tasted his crafts.

It was an honor and a privilege to be invited to Maison Francaise on a Sunday afternoon to sample the works of the famous Chef Franck, in his presentation of a Sunday Brunch.

The interior of Maison Francaise; bar counter on the left and wine cellar facing the main entrance


The general dining area; spruced up with a cheerful twist with the sweet floral prints on the tablecloth



French Lace curtains adorn the windows in the restaurant; permitting the natural sunlight to light up the entire place

Classic table setting with fresh flowers 


Sunday Brunch started with Bread Basket
We were first served this simple white bread; Ciabatta (an Italian style white bread; also known as slipper bread, made of purely wheat flour and yeast)


Though simple, the bread was indeed a work of perfection as the texture of the bread was soft yet crispy at the edges where the outer crust is; giving it that chewy in the middle yet crunchy at the end quality. It was simply irresistible and if you are not careful, you will find yourself reaching for one helping after another.





This was more for our personal enjoyment, but I couldn't resist to post on this load of mixed bread and pastries, which again were some of the best I have tried.
From left; the same bread from above, chic-filled danish, and light toasts.



First Serving

La soupe de cigale de mer
Slipper Lobster Soup

As its name suggests, the soup was made with the slipper lobster (a type of spiny and furry lobster) and is a tantalizing mix with its rich flavors, not to mention the thick finishing of the soup.

It was a tempting start to tease the palates with this decadent soup.

Les ceufs brouilles et champignons
Scramble eggs with mushrooms

While this sounds and looks seemingly simple, the ordinary breakfast/brunch dish is transformed into more than the ordinary with the inclusion of cheese to smoothen the texture of the scrambled eggs and at the same time gives it that rich taste with a momentary lapse in acknowledging the existence of the eggs in them. It is truly a work of art, to blend such simple flavors and tastes of eggs with cheese to give it that exquisite feel to the combination.



A Special presentation by Chef Franck is this

Vegetable Macedoine Langoustine 
Poached diced Langoustine with fennel, celery root, diced tomato and smoked barramundi shallot in avocado dressing



The presentation of the langoustine made it almost impossible to take a bite; and once a bite is taken, I was tempted by the exotic mix of the tastes which combined the creamy avocado dressing lightly masking the integration of the fresh and crunchy bits of the vegetables with the saltish specks of barramundi shallots. This is truly an eccletic mingling of the unique individual tastes; all put together in harmony to give it that appetizing flavor.

Second Serving

Le filet de vivaneau, sauce poivron rouge
Seared red snapper with red capsicum sauce


I was starting to be mesmerized by the presentation of each of Chef Franck's dish, and looked forward to his distinctive way of displaying his food on the dish to be served.
He truly did not disappoint each time; and the appearance of the dish would be a sure start to seduce one's appetite through the visual artistic work cleverly giving an attractive cosmetic impression of the underlying great tastes of his food. It is truly art and gourmet at their best.




Le poulet roti aux thym et tomate
Roasted chicken with tomato and thyme sauce







Roasted Green Bean
Even simple tastes from the green bean was spruced up with a refreshing light blend of butter in this vegetable dish, which made it more appealing to the palates.


Cheese Course, assiette de fromage



Cheese lovers would be delighted with the presentation of an assortment of cheese in this course.

Desserts

Be enticed by the delightful platter of sweet temptations which include the following:-



L'entremet pina colada
Frozen pina colada entremet





Le mille-feuille chocolat et noisette
Napoleon with hazelnut and chocolate





Glace et sorbet
Ice cream and sorbet



A special and recommended one to look out for in the Desserts menu has got to be this

La rosace d'agrumes et sabayon au champagne
Gratineted citrus with champagne sabayon



This is truly a gratifying mix of bittersweet tastes flourished with the lightly melting texture in your mouth that gives one a sensation of pleasure with just a taste.




I do not need further testimonials to attest to the culinary skills and expertise of Chef Franck Lamache; as my Sunday Brunch will never be the same again after enjoying the finest tastes from Maison Francaise.

Chef Franck has lived up to his reputation and identity with his unique skills in transforming and intermarrying the tastes of simplicity with unique elegance and visual sophistication, to bring us an art of French fine dining at its best.

The Sunday Brunch at Maison Francaise KL is available on every Sundays; and Maison Francaise opens its doors from 11am onwards.

Priced at RM188++, the brunch includes alcohol (Red and white wine) and a glass of champagne
Alternatively, the non-alcoholic set is priced at RM148++ with soft drinks or chilled juices.

For further information, do check out Maison Francaise's website here
Private functions and events can be organized at their premises which house a private function area at the lower ground, with a swimming pool and a view of the city of Kuala Lumpur.


*Special thanks to Maison Francaise for extending the invitation, and to Chef Franck Lamache for serving us an unforgettable dining experience*



More photos on Maison Francaise