PETALING JAYA: Every year, on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Lunar calendar, Chinese communities gather with their families to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The highlight of this auspicious day, of course, are mooncakes – a symbol of happiness – and this year, FMT Lifestyle sampled a few out-of-the-ordinary ones.
It’s probably too late now to get your hands on these (though you could try!), but isn’t it nice to know there are unconventional options available for your enjoyment NEXT Mid-Autumn Festival?
1. Caketella’s alcoholic ice-cream mooncake
With businesses growing more experimental these days, Caketella rolled out its Alcoholic Ice Cream Snow Skin Mooncakes Set, and FMT Lifestyle happily nibbled away at these chilled treats.
The Guinness Draught Gula Melaka mooncake tastes as good as it looks, its inherent sweetness underlined by a pleasantly bitter undertone.
Also delightfully boozy – at least in flavour – are the Roku Gin Sakura Raspberry and Baileys Valrhona Almond.
As a service to all Malaysians, there’s also the only non-alcoholic member of the set: the Milo Nugget Mooncake. Who doesn’t love Milo??
Another plus point to these frozen delights? The addictively chewy snow skin!
2. Bake by La Petite’s Kek Lapis Mooncake
With its flowery design, you might think this to be just your average mooncake with a pretty exterior.
But there’s more than meets the eye, as this “muhibbah” take on the Chinese treat reveals a beautiful layered design when cut!
Buttery and not too sweet, it makes for a pleasant teatime snack, even if does taste more like the traditional spiced layered treat than a mooncake.
Nevertheless, props to Bake by La Petite for blending the best of both worlds and celebrating this festival the Malaysian way.
3. 365 Patisserie’s Sambal Shrimp Shanghai Mooncake
Yes, you read that right: a sambal shrimp mooncake. Your first reaction might be bewilderment or even revulsion, but – surprise, surprise – the end result is actually really good!
The sambal and salted egg complement each other very well, encased within a pleasantly flaky crust that ties everything together nicely.
The savoury filling is not too spicy, and sports just the right amount of kick so as not to overwhelm the overall taste.
The final verdict? Shrimp-ly delightful.
4. Yu Ai Confectionary’s Golden Mango Mooncake
This eye-catching mooncake is shaped like a gleaming gold ingot and contains a soft, sumptuous mochi filling.
The best part is, it’s packed almost entirely with mango goodness while being perfectly balanced, ensuring your palate won’t be overwhelmed by excessive sweetness.
In short, this treat is truly worth its weight in gold.
5. Yu Wagashi’s gift box
OK, so this isn’t mooncake per se, but Yu Wagashi – which specialises in the Japanese mini treats known as wagashi – has provided the perfect bite-sized treats for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The chewy exterior and white bean paste (FMT Lifestyle went for the oolong and lychee flavours) is reminiscent of mochi, and one imagines it pairs remarkably well with a steaming cup of tea sipped while gazing rhapsodically at the moon.
With festive designs such as “bunny” and “fireworks”, these are almost too pretty to eat… almost!
6. Golden Charcoal Mooncake
This oh-so-pretty pastry- brand unknown despite its packaging – sports an exquisite charcoal-black exterior with gold glitter on the top.
If you’re not a fan of salted egg yolk, fret not: even with bits of it embedded in the white lotus paste, it is not overpowering in any way.
With the smooth texture of the charcoal skin enveloping the creamy paste beneath, this is perfect for those who don’t wish to stray too far, flavour-wise, from a traditional mooncake.
7. 7-Eleven’s Golden Starlight Mooncake
Unassuming on the outside? Yes, especially since it’s from your everyday convenience store!
Yet, 7-Eleven’s Golden Starlight mooncake is surprisingly good, the pandan paste and salted egg yolk combining to create a symphony of sweetness and texture.
Still, what truly caught FMT Lifestyle’s attention was its cute and pretty box, featuring an adorable white bunny dancing in front of a mooncake, surrounded by clouds and tall grass.
With two other flavours – red bean and lotus – also on offer, kudos to 7-Eleven for this festive creativity!
8. Fetch Me Later’s Mooncakes – for dogs
Why should your precious pooches be left out during this festive season? That’s why this Bangsar-based biz has introduced mooncakes especially for your pets!
Available in three flavours – salmon and blueberry; chicken, kiwi and goji berry; and duck and raspberry – these mooncakes are absolutely adorable and look like mini versions of their human-intended counterparts.
As for how they taste? The FMT Lifestyle team has no idea, though our doggy companions were more than happy to scarf them down. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
