5 Places Serving Up the Hottest Mooncakes in Bangkok This Year’s Mid-Autumn Festival
For thousands of years, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been an occasion for Chinese families and communities to come together to appreciate the full moon, feast, give thanks for the harvest, and pray for good fortune. This harvest festival is also known as Harvest Moon Festival due to the celebration's association with the full moon on this night and the traditions of moon worship and moon gazing.
The legend associated with the festival concerns the moon goddess Chang’e. The story starts with how the Earth had 10 suns and was in a terrible drought. The great archer Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns and was given the elixir of immortality as a reward for saving life on Earth.
His apprentice, Feng Meng, then tried to steal it, but before he can, Chang’e decided to drink the potion and ascended to the heavens, where she took the moon as her home. Hou Yi was devastated by what happened and displayed the fruits and cakes Chang'e liked on the yard as sacrifices to his wife every 15th day of the 8th month when the moon is at its fullest.
Making and sharing mooncakes soon became one of the hallmark traditions of this festival and offered between friends or on family gatherings during the celebration, especially in China. The round shape of the cake symbolizes “completeness” and “unity” of families and evoke a longing for distant relatives and friends. They often filled with yolks from salted duck eggs that symbolizes the full moon and comprised of a variety of rich thick filling that symbolizes the following:
- Lotus Seeds - Pure Spirit
- Chestnuts - A Beloved Possession
- Red Beans - Courage
- Grains - Richness and Fertility
Nowadays, these Moon-shaped delicacies are gifted as a token of appreciation by people of all ages. While their shapes remain unchanged, their components have been undergoing constant alteration as Chefs around the world continue to push the borders of both the texture and tastes to come up with the bold creations we see today.
Today, we explore 5 extraordinary mooncakes in Bangkok that you might’ve never seen before and where to get them.
(Listed in no particular order)
Mei Jiang, The Peninsula Bangkok – Legendary Egg Custard
The Peninsula Bangkok makes their handmade mooncakes a legend of its own with a traditional Hong Kong recipe that uses organic eggs to produce the finest quality texture and flavor. Their unique, petite, and perfectly yellow Egg Custard Mooncakes promises the rich and soft mouthfeel that has gotten them on everyone’s wish-list every year. The eight-piece set is presented in an elegantly designed signature octagonal gift box. There will also be a Limited Edition box in celebration of the hotel’s 20th anniversary available as well!
Narai Hotel – Mangoes with Sweet Fish Sauce
Green mangoes with sweet fish sauce is a common Thai snack, but who’ve thought that it can also be a mooncake filling? With the filling crafted from the sweet fish sauce and fine chili and the cake skin covered in a film of Okrung mango, a delightfully unique sweet-sour mooncake was born! There’s also a “Yuzu Honey Lava” mooncake made from Hokkaido Yuzu and natural honey wrapped up in a baked skin made with Yuzu zest, a perfect cross between Japanese and Chinese flavors.
The Pantry, W Bangkok – Dessert Flavours
At The Pantry, mooncakes are colorful and come stamped with a huge “W” on its face. Here, you’ll find mooncakes with all sorts of delightful flavors to satisfy your sweet tooth like Raspberry Cheesecake, Banoffee, Pistachio Crunch, Purple Potato & Coconut, and Durian Delight. Whether you like the traditionally baked skin or the softer snow skin, W Bangkok’s got you covered.
Pagoda, Marriott Marquis Bangkok Queen’s Park - Black Truffle and Pork Jerky
If you’re looking for a more savory mooncake then the Pagoda Chinese Restaurant at the Marriott Marquis Bangkok Queen’s Park hotel is the place to be. The “Pork bak-kwah and Assorted Nuts” (238 THB) has been the popular option among Singaporean guests. Their signature mooncake, however, is the “Black truffle, egg yolk, and white lotus seed paste” (688 THB) that comes up all premium with the fragrant truffle essence and shiny gold dusting.
Dusit Thani Bangkok – Honey Date Palm and Truffle Chestnut
For those who love to have a slight sweetness to their treats, we recommend the Honey Date Palm mooncake from Dusit Thai Bangkok. The filling is made from top-quality dates imported from Iran and an aromatic selection of honey. The slightly sweet taste goes very well with a warm cup of tea. If you’re not into sweets, then the Truffle Chestnut is also worth a try. The rich truffle aroma perfectly compliments the earthiness of the chestnut in the middle of the cake. This year, Dusit Thani is also offering a special velvet box in 2 different sizes for you to take home.
Aside from the originating hotel or restaurants, you can also find these mooncakes at the “Mooncake Festival 2018” event happening at Siam Paragon (G Floor) and The Emquartier (M Floor). You’ll find over 20 different brands of mooncakes along with the ones we’ve just mentioned. If you happen to be far from all the places we’ve just mentioned, you can also have LINE MAN deliver some mooncakes straight to your home!