Mooncakes: The Good, the Trad(itional) and the Ugly (Part 1)
It’s time for that densest of Chinese cultural treats: mooncakes. Comedian Johnny Carson once said, “The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” Doesn’t sound too far off from some of our mooncake experiences, right?
Luckily, folks in Beijing know how to liven things up. In our three-part blog series, we’re telling you where you can get your hands on mooncakes actually worth eating. Part 1: The Good is all about the trendy “updated” ones that look like mooncakes but don’t taste like them. Part 2: The Trad(itional) will give you your pick of the fancy-schmancy gift boxes around town, and Part 3: The Ugly will show you what happens when we try to make them ourselves.
Let’s get started with the “mooncakes” for those of you who still haven’t acquired the taste of the traditional variety.
Migas Coulant
Even though their melty chocolate coulant actually looks nothing like a mooncake, they’ve gone ahead and called it one so that you have a seasonal and culturally appropriate excuse to go eat it. Score. RMB 58.
Colibri Mooncake Cupcakes
Yet another fine establishment giving you an excuse to eat cake for Mid-Autumn Festival. Theirs come in black sesame, red bean, pineapple and date flavors. RMB 120 for box of 4 (assorted).
Lollipop Bakery MoonCupcakes
These guys have gone the extra step by giving their cupcakes a traditional-looking mooncake cap (see photo, top). You can choose any flavor cupcake and they'll top it with their trademark buttercream frosting. We're fans of the red velvet, and they've got a new spiced pumpkin that looks delish. RMB 399-499 per dozen.
Comptoirs de France Chocolate Mooncakes
We love the dark chocolate, mocha and kirsch cherry fillings. Other flavors include green tea, mango and rum. Makes for a classy gift box. RMB 198-248
The Sweet Spot Mousse Mooncakes
Probably the best “mooncakes” you’ll eat, ever. The chocolate onyx with raspberry filling made us want to write home. But they’ve also got chocolate hazelnut, tiramisu, peach yogurt, strawberry and berry mascarpone. You can buy them individually (RMB 28) or mix and match into a fancy box of three (RMB 98).
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Mooncakes
Don’t stop in your nearest Haagen-Dazs to pick these up unless you've already gotten your hands on the vouchers first. We’ve seen these vouchers sold at the Full-Time CVS convenience store, as well as supermarkets like Ito Yokado and Wal-Mart. They can also be bought on Taobao. RMB 238-798.
Starbucks Mooncake Gift Boxes
We haven’t tried these yet, but we’re fascinated by their flavors, e.g. Pumpkin Latte and Chocolate Coffee Custard & Almond. Find out more here. RMB 268-568.
Photo: Courtesy of Lollipop Bakery
