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! ;-)

Invited Review: Sesame + Soy Restaurant, G Hotel

It has been a busy quarter for me, and I have been rushing for meetings and business trips for the past two months now. My calendar still continues to be booked for the next month; in fact it even looks packed and work is probably the only thing that is on my mind these days.
Writing has taken a back seat for a short while, and it saddens me (even bothers me!) that I could not update my blogs with the limited time I have left after responding to work emails, attending meetings and finding time to sleep!

I was surprised with two invitations this month; and I was quite excited about it as I always viewed it as an honor to be invited to any launch/review event although I had no choice but to turn down one of them due to a clash with my schedule.
However, I was delighted that I was able to make it to the other invitation and I responded immediately!



It was a pleasant experience interacting with the PR from G Hotel, and I must say I was impressed with their attentiveness and thoughtfulness in arranging the event with us bloggers. In fact, it was superb and every minute detail was taken into consideration prior to the lunch review; including accommodating to our special dietary needs!
(This did not come from the sponsor and it is based on my personal experience/impression).

Moving onto the review:

Sesame + Soy Restaurant is one of the very first Chinese restaurants in Penang offering fine Pan Asian Chinese cuisines served with a twist of fusion style to redefine the classic menu one can find in a typical Chinese restaurant.
Taking a bold step in this, Sesame + Soy promises something different for the adventurous and yet at the same time, maintain the authentic flavors of much loved Chinese dishes.

Warm hospitality and the inviting ambience made us settle comfortably while engaging in a lively banter with each other as we await the promising dishes from the kitchen.

We selected a variety of drinks from their beverages menu prior to the meal; to try out a few of their signature drinks.








For starters, we had the Sesame's treasure combination with smoked duck breast, baked mashed sweet potato and fresh scallop skewer.

The first thing that caught my eye was the style of presentation; for the dish, though designed with an Oriental theme in mind was presented in a distinguished pattern which one would usually associate with Western fine dining.

The treasure combination was rather an exotic notion; throwing the zesty flavours of fruits along with tiny chunks of smoked duck breast in one concoction.

Since scallop is one of my favorite, I need not elaborate much.
The baked mashed sweet potato, however, I must comment; as frankly, if you have been following my blog, you know I am never fond of potatoes in any form. I was skeptical to take a bite but honestly, had I not read the menu beforehand, I would not have guessed that this was mashed potato.

It was pleasant and smooth to taste and retained the original flavours (not to mention goodness) of the sweet potato.

I was told that the new Chef Chiam particularly dotes on the presentation of his dishes, and would spend time to ensure that each dish is decorated to his liking; using themes of flowers and fruits.

The next dish won my vote for the best presentation of a dish; and a soup dish nevertheless.

Braised Golden Superior Broth with Seafood Dumpling was definitely a golden dish; in my opinion as the vibrant colors of the broth just caught everyone's attention.
However, the placing of the seafood dumpling right in the middle of the golden broth made it look like it was themed with the sun in mind, don't you think?


I had expected the seafood dumpling to be crispy with the fried wanton skin; but no, to my surprise, it was actually made of soft egg crepe!
That was definitely an unexpected surprise, and shows that looks can be deceiving!

This dish did not disappoint and I found myself enjoying the rich flavors from the soup seeping into the stuffed dumpling; which was filled with crab meat and sea treasures.


The next dish; Pan-seared Chicken with Xi Shi Sauce and Asparagus in cream sauce with baby carrot and edible flower



Grilled Blue River Prawn in Korean Spice accompanied by Marmite Sauce



Wok Fried Diced Salmon with Brown Bean Sauce with Crispy Corn Cake

I must comment on this dish, because it is my favorite dish from the whole menu.
Well, of course, seeing that I am a big fan of salmon (or fish in general), I was quite hooked onto the style of dicing the salmon then wok frying it before serving it with such a enticing sauce.
It gave a whole new flavorful perspective to the salmon; which many would perceive as an oily or fishy type of fish but seriously, if you were to take a bite of this, it would be one of the most relishing taste of salmon and it is really addictive, I tell you.


Finally, the dessert; Crunchy Jack Fruit Kataifi Roll with Honey and Chinese Herbal Jelly with Jamoca Almond Fudge Ice Cream


I must say though the dessert seemed like nothing unusual; I beg to differ with my own interpretation of the dessert which revealed the yin yang theory infused with the concepts from both east and west.
For instance, the crunchy jack fruit kataifi roll was deep fried but had the concept of 'hot' but it was balanced with the chinese herbal jelly which was perceived as 'cool'. The Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream and also the honey was rather in-between or towards the cool element.
Now, isn't that an interesting concept, mixing and matching the heat and cool elements from both east and west?

The chef himself, after an exhausting stint in the kitchen; whipping up meals for two reviewer groups at the same time!


While many may have the perception that Sesame + Soy is a fine dining Chinese restaurant, and therefore must be highly priced, you will be surprised to learn that is not truly the case.
For daily business set lunches, prices start from MYR30++ per pax, which includes a soup of the day, a main course and dessert. Please kindly refer to the G Hotel website for more details.

For those interested in organizing business functions/events or even intimate wedding dinners, Sesame + Soy can accommodate up to a total of 50+ pax in its conducive environment..

For more details, do visit G Hotel's official website: www.ghotel.com.mny
Email: g4u@ghotel.com.my
G Hotel Sdn Bhd is located at 168A Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604-238 0000  Fax: 604-238 0088