How Hong Kong got Malaysian pineapple tarts

Every child thinks their mum is the best cook,” says Wei Roberts, managing director and co-founder of Moreish, which makes con­temporary Malaysian-style pineapple tarts. Roberts, however, knew his mother’s pineapple tarts were something special because colleagues kept asking where they could buy them.

“There were quite a few occasions when they asked, ‘Can we please order some?’ But they couldn’t, because my mum just makes them for sharing,” he says. “It got me thinking about whether it could be a viable business.”

Born in Malaysia and raised in Britain, Roberts moved to Hong Kong about two years ago.

“I realised that Malaysian food was really under-represented in Hong Kong. On top of that, even if it were available, it didn’t quite do it justice,” he says. “As far as we know, no one else is making this product locally, which is quite surprising to me, because they were such a hit when I was growing up.

“In Malaysia, you have a few big festive seasons – Chinese New Year and Eid – and during either of these, pineapple tarts are a favourite.

“Even now, when we try to describe our product, people aren’t really sure what it is, and assume it’s the Taiwanese pastry,” says co-founder Fontaine Cheng.

A tangy pineapple jam encased in short­crust pastry, about the size of a gobstopper, Malaysian-style tarts contain a wetter filling that is made by cooking the fruit down, while the Taiwanese ones tend to be filled with strained fruit, with a drier, firmer crust.