Over the autumn moon

WHEN THE Mid-Autumn Festival rolls in again on September 8, you’re supposed to be gazing up at the mighty orb of the night – which is at its fullest and roundest on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month – and also munching on mooncakes. 

Even if you’re not Chinese or Chinese-Thai, you should at least know that mooncakes aren’t made of cheese, like the moon itself. 

Instead there is the richer flavour of a tradition that reaches back nearly 1,400 years in China. After all that time, mooncakes remain an indispensable delicacy, offered among friends and colleagues at the workplace and at family gatherings. Hotels and restaurants across Thailand already have them on sale in abundance, with a variety of stuffings, from traditional lotus seed and red bean to more creative innovations like “English Breakfast milk tea” and “white truffle custard cream”. And the packaging is often absolutely gorgeous.

The Peninsula Bangkok is well known for its custard mooncakes, thanks to a soft-pastry shell and delicate size. Each one weighs a mere 40 grams, whereas your typical mooncake comes in around 160 grams. 

The Peninsula Hong Kong sets the standard for its sister hotels around the world, sharing with them a “traditional secret recipe” that shuns preservatives. Its executive chef, Jackie Ho, leads a team that makes 250,000 cakes by hand each year, using 10 tonnes of ingredients, including duck eggs and wheat flour. 

At the Peninsula Bangkok you pay Bt2,600 for four boxes of eight pieces, or Bt610 for a single box, or Bt160 for a “special” limited-edition box. Buy 50 boxes and the hotel will have them delivered for free anywhere within Metropolitan Bangkok.

Harrods’ fashionable tearoom turns Chinese this time of year, and its mooncakes are now available in Thailand for the first time. They’re an interesting combination of posh British afternoon tea with classical oriental culture. 

There are six flavours – No 14 English Breakfast Milk Tea, Green Tea “Indulgashinna”, White Truffle Custard Cream, Gold Custard Cream with Egg Yolk, Durian with Egg Yolk, and Royal Date. They come in an elegant gold-coloured box decorated with a contemporary Chinese pattern. You get eight pieces per box at Bt598 (but a box of the White Truffle cakes is Bt698). Order 100 boxes and you receive 10 more at no extra charge. Harrods has branches at Siam Paragon and Central Embassy.

Mooncakes from the Okura Prestige Bangkok boast all the famous fillings – durian, lotus seeds, red beans and chestnuts – but might also pack jujubes or mixed nuts. You can get a single cake in a box for Bt160, two cakes in a triangular silk pouch for Bt420 or four in a fancy presentation box for Bt890. 

The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok has packaged its mooncakes in a coffee-and-gold-tone gift box bearing a lotus design that was inspired by the ceiling mural in the hotel lobby. The flavours are traditional lotus paste, durian or jujube with salted egg yolk, and mixed fruit and nuts. A box of four costs Bt888 and a box of nine Bt1,988.

At the Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, the handcrafted mooncakes are filled with custard, lotus seeds, red beans or durian and come in a premium box set that’s ideal for wishing friends or relatives a long and happy life. A box of two is Bt160 and a box of eight Bt640. 

The Banyan Tree Bangkok has added jujube and walnut fillings to its customary complement of durian, assorted nuts, lotus seeds, red beans, custard and black sesame seeds. Divinely packaged, the preservative-free cakes are both the perfect gift and an indulgent treat for family and friends. They’re Bt160 apiece (except durian at Bt165) and Bt760 for a box of four.

The Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai has a great selection at its Cake Shop and the restaurant Fujian. Also lovingly packaged, they include durian, custard, green tea, red beans, lotus seeds with egg yolk and jujube for Bt355 per box of six. Buy 10 boxes and you get an 11th at no further charge.

 

DIAL A DESSERT

>>> The Peninsula Bangkok, (02) 861 2373

>>> Harrods, (02) 683 9300, extension 3402 

>>> The Okura Bangkok, (02) 687 9020 

>>> Four Seasons Bangkok, (02) 126 8866

>>> Chatrium Hotel, (02) 307 8888, extension 1948 or 1921 

>>> Banyan Tree Bangkok, (02) 679 1200

>>> Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai, (053) 888 888