Happy Mid-Autumn everyone! The actual day is finally here, though I think everyone has probably already been fervently munching on mooncakes since late (or perhaps mid?) August.

Since last week there has been an influx of mooncakes arriving at my office from various suppliers, vendors, agencies etc, and I’ve had the pleasure (and guilt) of sampling baked mooncakes from many fine hotel restaurants including those at the Hilton, Ritz Carlton, Swissotel, Conrad, Carlton, Park Hotel, Raffles Hotel, InterContinental and more.

I know it’s too late to sway any mooncake buying decision now, but would just like to share with you some of the ones I tried, and liked.

So far, the ones from Summer Pavilion (Ritz Carlton) and Szechuan Court (Swissotel) stood out for me in terms of the regular egg yolk baked mooncakes. The former was a classic rich double yolk beauty, and the use of macadamia nuts in the latter gave it a rather different taste profile – a tinge of Western flavours with the distinctive flavour of this nut,

The nutty baked mooncake from Golden Peony (Conrad) was also rather nice, but maybe just a tad bit too sweet and sticky. And the double yolk baked mooncake from Min Jiang at Goodwood Park (I think) was pretty good too – egg yolk wasn’t that rich but the white lotus paste was smooth and fragrant.

And right now, as I’m writing this, I’m snacking on a piece of the Mao Shan Wang durian snowskin one from Goodwood.

They’re delicious, and remind me of their ever popular Durian Mousse Cake and other durian desserts that they sell during the durian fiesta period. I know, it’s not real mooncake, but heck, if it tastes good I’ll eat it!

Compared to the Four Seasons ones (8 Mao Shan Wang mini mooncakes, S$88), the Goodwood ones are more like dessert cakes with slightly thick chewy snowskin and firm, slightly chewy but still melts after a few bites bitter sweet durian paste while the former is literally like popping pure durian capsules into your mouth and letting them dissolve slowly and wonderfully on your tongue. Different tastes and sensations, but it’s all good.

Mooncakes are such nice festival goodies to enjoy once a year, and after this week I shall have to go back to eating healthier stuff!