Mooncake review: 8 brands we tried, and what to put into your cart
The Mid Autumn Festival is a festival traditionally celebrated at the end of the autumn harvest. In modern times, it has evolved into a modern celebration when families and friends come together to have mooncakes and sip tea while appreciating the moon.
While it's still a month away, brands have already quietly released their early bird discounts on mooncake sets. After a few years of non-event, it's honestly quite exciting to see the creative mooncake box sets that are in the market right now.
Here are some of the mooncakes we received and tried.
Mdm Ling Monopoly Mooncake Game Box
What we got: Monopoly X Mdm Ling Bakery board game set with its LUSCIOUS! Traditional Classic Series: Pure White Lotus Mooncake with Melon Seeds, which is both halal and vegetarian.
Price: RRP S$118, S$83.50 on Shopee
General comments after tasting: You might forgive the mooncakes for being average, given how much emphasis was given to the packaging, but surprise! The box and mooncakes are gorgeous, and also fare very well in terms of taste.
Buy, or not: The gasps of admiration when the box transformed into a monopoly board game is reason enough to buy this mooncake set. Extra props for upcycling! Must-buy!
Ju Bakery Signature Flaky Teochew Orh Nee Mooncake Series
What we got: One piece each of the Pumpkin Orh Nee, Pumpkin Orh Nee Single Yolk, Orh Nee Double Yolk and Matcha Mochi Lavalicious Orh Nee
Price: S$82 on Shopee
General comments after tasting: MMMMM, SO GOOD!
Buy, or not: Crowd favourite, must buy!
[ChangHoSek] - 2pcs Traditional Hae Bee Hiam with Single Yolk (Reduced Sugar) in Food Grade Tingkat
What we got: The pink tingkat with a low sugar white lotus paste with Hae Bee Hiam (spicy dried shrimp) and a salted egg yolk mooncake
Price: RRP S$65, now S$55.25 on Shopee
General comments after tasting: A good balance of sweet and savoury, and reminds us of our childhood.
Buy, or not: For those who like the traditional taste of mooncake, this is your go-to!
My Mum's Cookies - Classic Mooncake Gift Set
What we got: Two Low Sugar Lotus with Single Yolk Mooncake and two Low Sugar Lotus with Hawthorn Mooncake in a purple box with traditional motifs.
Price: RRP: S$58, now S$35.80 on Shopee
General comments after tasting: Nods of approval all around when tasting it, especially with the Hawthorn one, which is a different take on flavour but retains the traditional aspect of the mooncake.
Buy, or not: A fuss-free and wallet-friendly mooncake perfect for gifting and for savouring.
New Moon Traditional Mooncakes
What we got: Two Lotus and two Lotus with Single Yolk in a gold
Price: RRP S$98, now S$69.90 on Shopee
General comments after tasting: There wasn't much to shout about, but safe.
Buy, or not: A perfectly adequate corporate gift.
Baker's Oven Gula Melaka Mooncake (4 Pieces)
What we got: Four pieces of Gula Melaka Mooncakes in a beautiful floral case.
Price: RRP S$65, now S$57.20 on Shopee
General comments after tasting: One of the best tasting ones of the lot, perfect to sip Oolong tea with. Will actually eat this while admiring the moon.
Buy, or not: Without a doubt, yes!
Shopee’s Mooncake Fair is happening from now till 10 September. Delight in a wide assortment of mooncakes that will leave you spoilt for choice, including 16 exclusive flavours and 8 exclusive brands that are only available on Shopee.
Plus, a bullet point of all the vouchers and deals for mooncakes you'll need to know!
Enjoy 6% off min spend $40 (capped at $5) for all Food & Beverage items
$10 off $150 and $15 off $250 vouchers
Enjoy an exclusive $2 off min spend $25 when you purchase mooncakes from the #SupportLocal section!
8 Aug: 8.8 Lowest Price Mooncake Deals
9 Aug: $57 Mooncake deals and Unique Local flavours such as hawthorn, bakkwa, avocado, black sesame, baked nuts with satay sauce, and local brands like Four Seasons, Golden Moments, Mdm Ling Collection and more
10 Aug: Unique Local flavours such as durian, coconut, orh nee and orange paste at 1-day special prices
11 Aug: 57% off mooncake deals on brands like Four Seasons, Golden Moments, Gin Thye and My Mum’s Cookies
12 - 15 Aug: Mooncakes under $40 from brands like Hock Wong, Seasons, Fairmont
Apart from those that can be bought from Shopee, we also tried some from our hotels!
Flavourful Reunion by Origin + Bloom
What we got: Four mooncake flavours – Low sugar premium lotus paste with lotus seeds, premium pandan lotus paste and Hainanese kaya, Okinawan sugar lotus paste with pumpkin seeds, royal milk tea with melon seeds. Accompanied by MBS branded ceremonial tea set.
Price: RRP S$108, now S$81 on the MBS website
General comments after tasting: We were a little taken aback by the pandan lotus paste and Hainanese kaya, which tasted a little like peanut butter. The traditional mooncakes were done really well.
Buy, or not: Happiest received as a gift.
The St. Regis Singapore
What we got: Traditional mooncakes presented in a Resplendent Silver-Violet glass box.
Price: From S$80++ on The St. Regis's website
General comments after tasting: Presented by Cantonese restaurant Yan Ting, you would expect it to meet a certain standard. The one with Yunnan Ham wasn't taken to, but we'd recommend going for the traditional or truffled mooncakes.
Buy, or not: Buy, but choose the flavours carefully.
