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! ;-)

Ola to Portuguese pastries from Chipmonky

Say Ola (or Hello in Portuguese) to the newly opened bakery, Chipmonky in the happening neighborhood of Pulau Tikus in Penang.

The new bakery, which was officially opened on a Sunday, the 27th of April 2014, welcomed their customers to visit the newly renovated place (formerly Maxim's) and to sample their bread and pastries on the opening day.

There is much reason for Chipmonky to be proud with their products; which hailed all the way from Portugal as the owners are excited to introduce their specialities in bread, cakes, pastries from the country. It would definitely be a first; as the closest we have probably gotten to with Portuguese pastries were the famous egg tarts, and with a whole bakery dedicated to making all these specialties from Portugal, it is something Penangites can look forward to.

While I was not there on the opening day, I dropped by on the following Sunday in the evening and it was fortunate I did, as I had the opportunity to meet up with one of the friendly owner; Luis, and his wife, Fatima.
Started by Luis and his Malaysian friend as a joint venture, Chipmonky strives to deliver the best cakes and pastries with most of their ingredients being imported from Portugal, and their products are guaranteed to be fresh every day; a promise that they made to keep up the reputation of this trendy new bakery.

It was his passion for baking which led Luis to take the step to move towards owning this bakery, following his stay in Malaysia for the past two years. As they were deciding on the location for their first outlet, Luis knew that he would want it to be in Penang, an island which stole his heart during his stay here since he moved from Portugal and it would be the perfect location, close to home.
There would be further plans to expand their business, of course, and the owners are definitely pumped with energy and enthusiasm to make Chipmonky a success.



The shop was still undergoing minor renovations; all proudly done by Luis and his team while simultaneously keeping the shop up with the daily operations since its opening. Minor touch ups and re-design can be seen in the shop, which was formerly a Maxim's bakery, to inject a fresh image and an identity which is truly Chipmonky's very own.

It is interesting to note that there were many cakes, pastries and even bread available in the outlet; many of which are unique and branded as Chipmonky's very own creations.
Chipmonky had even started to take orders for their cakes, and Luis was busy delivering and making cakes for his customers; which is definitely a promising start to the bakery which was only opened a week ago.

I was there in the evening on a Sunday, and many of their items were already sold out by the time I was there. Luis took his time to share with me his story, and also introduced the famous items from his country.







The famous Portuguese Egg Tarts were one of their recommended items; priced at MYR2.80 each





Portuguese Chocolate Muffins (MYR6.80)



Portuguese Homemade Rice Cakes

We bought their recommended items; which were reputed to be famous in Portugal and proudly Chipmonky's.

The Portuguese Egg Tart was truly one that was rich with the dense egg custard and firm yet flaky crust. It does not crumble easily, and was a delightful treat; unique from the usual Portuguese egg tarts we get. Well, one can definitely raise the bar when this is made by a Portuguese himself, right?







The other item which Chipmonky is proud of, is the Portuguese Sponge Cake.
Gigantic in size compared to the usual sponge cake, this version packs a soft fluffy version of the usual sponge cake but with a sweet sticky cream in it as well.



According to Luis, the weight of the sponge cake can determine the amount of cream in the cake. Some may prefer more of the cream, while some may not want too much of the cream which can be deemed to be a little too sweet.






Generally, the Portuguese have a sweet tooth which can make most of their pastries a little sweeter than that of the local Malaysian taste.
Luis is aware of that and he is customizing his pastries to suit the local taste; while at the same time maintaining the authenticity of the Portuguese origins.

Chipmonky do take orders for cakes, and you can bring your desired designs or photos to the shop to request for the cake to be designed to your preference.
Prices may appear to be slightly on the high side, but this is due to the fresh and imported high-quality ingredients from Portugal, Belgium, and other countries in alignment with Chipmonky's mission to deliver the best for their customers.

With a unique, not to mention catchy name like Chipmonky and the interesting arrival of Portuguese pastries to our shores, it would be definitely something to entice the taste buds of the Penangites.

After all, Penang island is the first location selected by the owners to introduce this interesting spread all the way from Portugal, and that is indeed something we ought to be proud of :-)

I look forward to the success of Chipmonky, for hail Penangites, we have something different to look out for in our local bakeries!~

(With Luis on the right, my special thanks for his time in explaining and sharing about his passion and pastries)





Note: 
This is not a sponsored post and I am not affiliated with Chipmonky.
This is based on my personal experience and opinion.