One of the long-standing traditions during the Mid-Autumn Festival—also know as the Moon Festival—in China, is to gaze at the moon, making lanterns and eating mooncakes. The pastries are tender, usually with a sweet filling—most often a paste made from lotus seed or beans.
Sydneysiders, here are three of the best places to find mooncakes near you.
Emperor’s Garden Cake & Bakery, Haymarket
A gem in the heart of Chinatown, Sydney, Emperor’s Garden Cake & Bakery has been the home of many unique delights since 1979. Here you’ll find a variety of mooncakes ranging from a myriad of traditional flavours to new and exciting creations, specially made for the annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. These lovelies come in different shapes and size too. Each with a dense, luxuriant filling that is a joy to taste.
Taipei Dainty Bakery, Cabramatta
Probably the only Asian bakery with unique vegetarian pastries and Taiwanese style mooncakes for your Mid-Autumn Moon Fest celebration. Taipei Dainty Bakery is helmed by chef siblings Jessie and Wayne. They bake a variety of traditional mooncakes with the signature salted duck egg centre and sweet jujube, lotus root, red bean, mung bean or pineapple pudding paste fillings.
Jim’s Malaysia, Chatswood
Jim’s Malaysia transforms into an authentic Chinese pastry shop, reminiscent of those found in Petaling Street, Malaysia’s famous Chinatown
The owner Jim Yong, or, Uncle Jim painstakingly makes his mooncakes from scratch—four different kinds, in fact! There are four different types of pastries: the Teochew variety with multiple layers of spiralling pastry; a short, crumbly butter cookie crust; a chewy, glutinous Hong Kong-style pastry; and a baked, buttery egg custard pastry. These intricate pastries are filled with lotus paste, red bean or egg custard, and available in different flavours, with something for everyone. This is the place to go to buy some authentic mooncakes to share with friends and family during the Moon Festival.
Have a mooncake place that you absolutely love and it’s not listed here? Let us know in the comments below.
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