July 29, 2022, 11:57 AM
You may have heard of 5-Star dim sum at Mei Ling Street, which is helmed by an ex-Shangri-La chef, but have you heard of 5-Star mooncake?
Well if you haven’t, consider this an introduction.
About 5-Star
Created by the same chef, 5-Star dim sum will be launching its very own mooncakes this Mid-Autumn Festival.
The chef, 61-year-old Yiu Wah Tai, hails from Hong Kong and possesses over 30 years of culinary experience under his belt.
Not only that, he also has an impressive resume, which includes working at hotels and award-winning international restaurants, such as Four Seasons and Mott 32 at Marina Bay Sands.
He stepped out of retirement to open the first 5-Star dim sum flagship outlet at Mei Ling Street.
Since its humble beginnings in the nondescript building, 5-Star dim sum has grown from strength to strength and expanded into multiple locations spread across Singapore.
And now, Yiu has his sights set on his next venture: The mooncake market.
5-Star traditional handmade mooncakes
Yiu has created two types of mooncakes: Eight traditional fried Teochew mooncake and four baked Cantonese mooncake – all very delicious.
With that many options to choose from, making a decision on which mooncake to buy can often be perplexing.
Well, we’re here to help you avoid all that trouble this Mid-Autumn Festival.
We tried, and ranked, all of Yiu’s 5-Star mooncakes so you can make an informed decision.
5-Star Teochew mooncake
Teochew mooncakes, or lao pia for the more mature folks, has a distinctive golden-brown spiral crust.
Encased in the pastry shell is a yam paste accompanied by a striking yellow salted egg yolk in the centre.
5-Star’s Teochew mooncakes have a delicate crispy and flaky crust pastry shell.
This is the result of Yiu’s efforts, who painstakingly laminates the pastry dough by turning and folding it several times to build the multiple consecutive layers of dough and fat.
In fact, making Teochew mooncakes is laborious and has numerous steps, said Yiu, who disclosed that the entire process from start to finish takes up at least three to four hours.
The result: A light thousand-layer crust that provides a nice crispy contrast to the soft pastel purplish-grey yam paste, which melts in the mouth.
The smooth yam paste was light, nutty, and not overly sweet. It is perfect for those who prefer their food to be lightly seasoned.
This is contrasted with the salted egg yolk core, which adds a savoury dimension and makes the otherwise sweet pastry a flavourful experience.
The salted egg yolk in 5-Star Teochew mooncakes come in two forms: Regular solid yolk, or as a molten lava egg custard.
Those who do not enjoy salted egg yolk, or are slightly more mindful of their health, can opt for the 5-Star walnut taro paste mooncake, which purely contains yam paste.
On the other extreme end is the lava egg custard snowflake skin mini mooncake, which I highly recommend.
It is my top pick and incidentally is also Yiu’s (and the office’s) favourite.
Yiu put a modern spin on what would have been a traditional Teochew mooncake by adding lava egg custard, which is highly popular with the younger generation.
A messy, but delightful affair, the mooncake has a generous amount of warm gooey egg custard that gushes out from the thin crispy pastry shell when you bite into it.
The purple Japanese taro Paste with lava egg custard mini mooncake deserves a special mention, and also happens to be another one of Yiu’s favourites.
It is not only visually appealing because of the taro’s striking purple colour, but has a stronger yam flavour than its walnut taro mooncake counterparts.
Not to mention, it also comes with the same ooey lava egg custard core.
On the whole, I prefer the mini mooncakes over the regular sized ones, which come in boxes of nine instead of four.
Just slightly bigger than a bite-sized portion, the mini mooncakes are a perfect ratio of crispy crust to soft centre yam and/ or egg yolk centre.
Not to mention, it runs a lower risk of being jelak due to its smaller size and can be easily demolished in one or two bites.
Here are all of 5-Star Teochew mooncakes, ranked in descending order:
- Lava egg custard snowflake skin mini mooncake
- Purple Japanese taro Paste with lava egg custard mini mooncake
- Walnut taro paste with lava egg custard mini mooncake
- Walnut taro paste with single yolk mini mooncake
- Walnut taro paste mini mooncake
- Walnut taro paste with lava egg custard mooncake
- Walnut taro paste with single yolk mooncake
- Walnut taro paste mooncake
Whether you like just salted egg, yam paste, or both together, you are bound to find a 5-Star Teochew mooncake that you like as Yiu has thoughtfully made a variation for everyone.
5-Star Cantonese mooncake
Cantonese mooncakes need no introduction as they are a must-have come every Mid-Autumn festival.
It traditionally contains sweet paste fillings made with lotus or red bean, accompanied with either one or two salted egg yolk, or none at all.
Having grown up eating these mooncakes, many of us are associated and have come to love their familiar and comforting flavours and no Mid-Autumn festivity is complete without them.
In fact, it is for this reason that Yiu decided to stick to traditions and produce traditional mooncakes over the modern snowskin mooncakes.
Growing up in Hong Kong, Yiu said he would always look forward to the 15th day on the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
Like many, that would be the one and only time in the year that he would be able to savour the Mid-Autumn sweet treat.
As such, Cantonese mooncakes hold a special place in Yiu’s heart and he hopes to invoke the similar fond memories that the younger people have during their childhood with his 5-Star Cantonese mooncakes.
Yiu is generous with the filling in his Cantonese mooncakes, all of which are encrusted with a thin barely-there baked layer of pastry.
The lotus paste filling is fragrant and flavourful, but at the same time, is not heavy and does not coat and linger on the tongue.
The mooncakes had huge globes of salted egg yolk, which complemented and cut through the sweetness of the lotus paste.
Interestingly, however, I did not find the lotus paste salted egg yolk mooncakes, even the one with two yolks, too salty or overpowering.
Like before, those who would prefer their mooncakes sans salted egg yolk can opt for the 5-Star white lotus paste mooncake, which contains unadulterated lotus paste.
5-Star’s Cantonese mooncakes also make perfect gifts for the more mature folks who prefer the classic edition of the Mid-Autumn treat.
With more than 30 years of culinary experience under his belt, Yiu has mastered the art of seasoning his food perfectly.
Not too salty and not too sweet, the 5-Star Cantonese mooncakes are light on the palate and their flavours are well balanced, all of which are bound to please the older generation.
With that said, some may prefer a more modern rendition of the old classic.
Not to worry, as like the lava egg custard snowflake skin mini mooncake from before, Yiu has creatively put a modern twist on the Cantonese mooncake and created the 5-Star mocha coffee paste mooncake with single yolk.
The coffee paste in the mooncakes have nutty and chocolate notes, as its namesake (mocha) suggests, but do not have a bitter aftertaste.
While salted egg yolk and coffee might sound like an odd pairing, the marriage of savoury umami egg yolk and sweet nutty chocolate actually works.
If it helps, just think of it like dark chocolate and cheese, which is widely regarded as a match made in heaven in the culinary world.
Here are all of 5-Star Cantonese mooncakes, ranked in descending order:
- Mocha coffee paste mooncake with single yolk
- White lotus paste mooncake with single yolk
- White lotus paste mooncake with double yolk
- White lotus paste mooncake
How to order
Be it the Teochew or Cantonese version, 5-Star has a mooncake for everyone from the young, to the young at heart.
Additionally, each 5-Star mooncake is made by hand and has no added preservatives. This means that you can consume and/ or gift these mooncakes with an ease of mind.
All mooncakes have to be chilled, and are best consumed within one week.
Found a mooncake that caught your eye? Swing by any of the six participating 5-Star dim sum outlets, excluding the ones at Rivervale Crescent and Aljunied Ave 2, to purchase your mooncakes.
Alternatively, you can place your orders now by dropping a text to 93492970, and opt for self-collection at any one of the 5-Star outlets across Singapore or arrange for a delivery service for a small charge.
Tip: While Mid-Autumn festival is officially on Sep. 10, 2022, you should place your orders early as 5-Star is running a promotion of 20 per cent discount off all orders from as early as Aug. 9 all the way to Sep. 2.
There will also be a 10 per cent discount from Sep. 3 to Sep. 10 for those who miss the early bird window.
If you are planning to buy the 5-Star mooncakes in bulk to gift to your loved ones, the good news is that there will be free delivery for orders with more than 10 boxes and up.
Where to find 5-Star dim sum outlets
South
Address: 158 Mei Ling Street #01-74, 140158
Opening Hours: 7:30am to 8:30pm daily
Address: 55 Lengkok Bahru #01-409, Singapore 151055
Opening Hours: 7:30am to 8:30pm daily
West
Address: 16 Teck Whye Lane #01-101, 680016
Opening Hours: 7am to 9pm daily
Central
Address: 137 Potong Pasir Avenue 3 #01-152, 350137
Opening Hours: 7am to 9pm daily
East
Address: 705 Sims Drive Shun Li Industrial Complex #07-01, 387384
Opening Hours: 8am to 8.30pm daily
Address: 18 Kaki Bukit Road 03 #01-15, Entrepreneur Business Centre, 415978
Opening Hours: 7am to 5pm daily
Outlets that will not be taking part,
Address: 11 Rivervale Crescent, Rivervale Mall Food Junction, #01-01/02/03, 545082 Opening Hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Address: 118 Aljunied Avenue 2 #02-100, Food FM, 380118
Opening Hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Happy Mid-Autumn festival in advance!
The writer of this article sponsored by 5-Star Dim Sum gained a new found appreciation for mooncakes, particularly Teochew ones 🤤.
All images by Fiona Tan and Michelle Chew
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.