What would mid-autumn be like without mooncakes? I can’t imagine.

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There are truffles, pink champagne, salted caramel, even coconut and kaya. These are the mooncake flavors that one can find from hotels and patisseries. So much creativity, fusion and reinvention have taken the contemporary mooncakes to new heights. Now, let’s try the ‘Caviar of the East’ — Bird Nests!

In a collaboration with Caffe Pralet by Creative Culinaire (a well-established cafe and baking school in the Tiong Bahru enclave), King of Nests worked with Chef Timothy Chia to create new refreshing bird nests specialty treats for mooncake fans.

Previously, we shared the first story about Chef Sherie and bird nest egg tarts. We now present the second story in our collaboration series with Tim!

Bird nest moon cakes sound very exotic, especially to the expat community here. What flavors are available?

There are two types of mooncakes which are embedded with premium bird nests: the snow skin and the jelly. Both types are typically served chilled, and these are popular with mooncake fans with a sweet tooth.

For the snow skin mooncakes, there are four flavors:

1. Jade Matcha with Yuzu Custard
2. Ruby Blood Orange with Chocolate Lotus Paste
3. Gui Hua with Wolfberry Custard
4. Pearl Almond with Gingko Lotus Paste

For the jelly mooncakes, there are also four flavors:

1. Jade Matcha with Black Sesame
2. Ruby Blood Orange with Mandarin Slices
3. Gui Hua with Wolfberry
4. Pearl Almond

Who created these flavors? Tell us about the creative chef behind these Mooncakes.

The idea struck when Timothy Chia from Caffe Pralet attended one of the King of Nests talks on bird nests. As the business moved away from the traditional way of marketing bird nests, the avenue to work with chefs opened new opportunities.

Tim, a multi-talented and dynamic lad in his early twenties, who is both the operation manager and chef of Caffe Pralet, was as open to the collaboration as the King of Nests. Not only does Caffe Pralet offer customized cakes for all occasions, it also specializes in unique local fusion dishes on its seasonal menus such as the Har-Cheong Kai Burger (Prawn Paste Chicken Chop Burger), the Baked Laksa Pasta, and the Tofu Club Sandwich, to name a few. Therefore, experimenting with bird nest in mooncakes is an interesting project that Tim looked forward to embark on.

We had fun doing taste tests with Tim before we nailed the ones we liked.

So, which was the King of Nests favorite?

It has got to be the Matcha Jelly! I’m a green tea fan! And I must say, the taste of green tea goes very well with bird nests. I also liked the Ruby Blood Orange Snow Skin Mooncake a lot because of its special Chocolate Lotus Paste. It is not just normal chocolate; there are orange peels with orange liqueur inside. The pairing of the citrus with chocolate is perfect!

What kind of bird nests are used in these premium mooncakes?

Premium white whole bird nests (Bai Yan Zhan) that come from bird houses in various parts of Indonesia. These nests are house nests obtained from accredited suppliers in Indonesia, whose methods of harvesting do not endanger the livelihood of swiftlets nor interfere with their way of life.

Where can consumers buy the bird nests mooncakes?

The mooncakes are available for pre-order online at www.KingOfNests.com (call 9038-0126). Consumers can also call our café partner, Caffe Pralet, at 6223-5595 to order directly. Self-collect orders from Caffe Pralet, which is located at 17 Eng Hoon Street, #01-03/04, Eng Hoon Mansions, Singapore 169767. Open daily. (Free delivery applies for orders of above $200. $10 delivery charge applies for orders of $200 and below.)

What other plans do you have lined up?

The general perception of bird nests is that it is a tonic health food, and it is normally, rather strongly, associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). King of Nests are breaking away from that mold. One of our differentiating factors is defining bird nests as gourmet, a super ingredient which you can enjoy in various dishes, both sweet and savory, thus our introduction of new ways to enjoy bird nests to the consumers. Naturally, it is part of our strategy to find chefs who are equally experimental, to create new dishes, and broaden the use of bird nests beyond TCM.

King of Nests plans to continue working with creative chefs for culinary collaboration!

Visit King of Nests page to find out more about bird nests and Ying Yih’s work.

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