Capella Bangkok makes its Mid-Autumn Festival debut with a rather unique iteration on mooncakes in the form of limited-edition Fortune Cakes which fuse flavour and finesse of French patisserie with Chinese inspiration.
Given the hotel's address on Charoen Krung Road, it should come as no surprise that French executive pastry chef Sylvain Constans has drawn inspiration for his creations from the history of the neighbourhood where shophouses once home to Chinese traders stood next to European architecture built by foreign diplomats.
The Fortune Cakes come neatly packed in a drawer box with rose-gold trim and an old picture of New Road in which horse-drawn carriages, rickshaws and a tram shared the same road, giving you a nostalgic vibe. A pull of the tassel knob reveals four flavours sitting pretty inside. Each is a carefully stacked three layers of delights.
Fragrant and sweet Zhong Qiu (Mid-Autumn Festival) offers lychee and raspberry mousse as the top tier, followed by raspberry and rose cream with rose petals and dried raspberry as the middle tier and raspberry tart at the base.
Shang Yue (Moon Appreciation) combines Thai coconut mousse at the top for a mildly sweet start, zesty passionfruit cream for the refreshing middle tier and the base of caramel to round out the cake.
Hua Hao (Blooming Blossoms) starts with a flowery touch from jasmine mousse at the top before the middle layer impresses you with vanilla ganache, grapefruit gel, grapefruit dots and sprinkles of coconut. It ends with grapefruit tart for a refreshing sourness.
Giving you a full-on chocolate indulgence is Yue Yuan (Full Moon). The 70% dark chocolate mousse sits at the top before you go down to the middle tier of dark chocolate with yuzu for delectable contrast and ends with the praline base.
I skip some elements of these cakes for, if I would lay them all out, we're going to be here all day. Suffice to say that these cakes are definitely a showcase of care, techniques and attention to detail. But that is perhaps what to expect from a chef who has been a patisserie pundit for the past 15 years. Chef Constans' portfolio includes The Dorchester in London, Dior des Lices in Saint-Tropez and Beige Alain Ducasse Tokyo.
If you're extra fortunate, you may be one of the 20 winners who win a rose-gold coin hidden inside the Fortune Cake box. Each is valued at B8,888 and redeemable for a stay or dining at the hotel's restaurants. Some coins have already been claimed so you better hurry. The Fortune Cake box set of four is priced at B1,788 net and there are only 200 available. To order, call Kin by Phra Nakhon on 02-098-3817, email phranakhon.bangkok@capellahotels.com or chat via Line @capellabangkok. Have them delivered to you or pick them up yourself.
Capella Bangkok, 300/2 Charoen Krung Road, Yannawa / Visit capellahotels.com/bangkok.
