Mid-Autumn Mooncakes

Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao

The Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao’s offerings were an instant hit, with each mooncake playing wonders on the palate and delivering a fresh, lingering aftertaste, the same as if you had actually poured yourself a cup of aromatic herbal Chinese tea. Available in a six piece set, the Sheraton’s offerings comprise flavourings of Green, Dahong, Jasmine, Pu’er and Oolong Tea, plus a Blue Mountain Coffee thrown in for good measure. And an extra RMB 40 will also get you an additional two traditional lotus paste with double yolk mooncakes.

Kerry in particular couldn’t get enough of these tea flavours, particularly the Dahong Tea, which had a very strong, floral taste, and the Pu’er, which hit the back of the throat and left a lingering freshness.

Tom however preferred the Blue Mountain Coffee, which was strong like an espresso with a spiced, caramelised interior. “Tastes like Christmas,” he said.      

Price: Mid Autumn tea series (six pieces) – RMB 268; Deluxe tea series (8 pieces) – RMB 308
Bauernstube in the Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao. 2F, 5 Zunyi Nan Lu, near Xianxia Lu. Tel: 6278 8888 

Marriott Hotel City Centre

The Marriott Hotel City Centre’s Assorted Nuts with Chinese Ham mooncakes are a shock to the system: large, rich, crunchy pieces of biscuit that are so packed full of flavour that you have to pace yourself after one bite. Like a cross between a cereal bar and a ham sandwich, they’re an acquired taste, but provided you can stomach them, they’re a worthy traditional offering, and come beautifully served in a wood-effect box decorated with Chinese calligraphy. 

Price: Keepsake Mooncake Imperial box (four pieces) – RMB 238
Marriott Hotel City Centre. 555 Xizang Zhong Lu, near Fengyang Lu. Tel: 2312 9888 

Pullman Skyway

The four mooncakes from the Pullman Skyway were most noteworthy for the intensity of their flavours, for those who like them heavy and strong. The Purple Sweet Potato mooncake came on with just right amount of sweetness and continued to linger on the tongue. Kerry said, “I want to inhale it.” 

Tom described the Rose Sweetened Bean mooncake as “a gardener’s mooncake,” because the aroma of rose proved so strong that it began to fill the room as soon as we took it out of the package. The Ham with Five Mixed Nuts, a traditional mooncake flavour, was determined to be “a shot of pork straight to the face”, and the White Lotus mooncake was so rich and decadent it proved to be more like a slice of pound cake than something derived from a flower. 

Price: “Bo Yun” Mooncake gift box (eight pieces) – RMB 268
Pullman Skyway. 15 Dapu Lu, near Xujiahui Lu. Tel: 3318 9988 ext 8101

Kerry Hotel Pudong

The Kerry Hotel offers a wide variety of mooncakes, featuring exotic names like XO Sauce with Dried Scallops, 'Monk Jumps Over the Wall' and Imperial Abalone. However when it came time to taste, the six mooncakes in the “Jia Yue” mooncake collection that we tried were all seemingly down to earth both in flavour and expression. Light and understated, the Kerry Hotel’s mooncakes were surprisingly refreshing. Tom commented that the Pumpkin mooncake was “like pumpkin pie, but without all the spice”. 

The Red Bean Paste mooncake was also very mild; fans of traditional mooncakes will like this one. However, it was the Red Lotus Paste, with a flavour resembling peanut butter that had us both wanting more.

Price: “Jia Yue” Mooncake collection (six pieces) – RMB 98
Kerry Hotel. 1388 Huamu Lu, near Fangdian Lu. Tel: 6169 8888

Hotel Indigo

True to its artsy edge, the six mooncakes from the Hotel Indigo that we tried were most notable for their uniqueness and daring. The Red Wine and Cranberry mooncake matched real bits of dried cranberries with a tangy, red wine jelly. Kerry exclaimed, “It’s so floral, almost like eating a rose!” Still, the Green Gold mooncake was her favourite: “It’s like almond marzipan; I could devour this!” Tom was most impressed with the Blue Mountain Coffee mooncake which he found resembled a frappuccino, “a strong coffee, full of cream and sugar”. The most daring of them all, however, was the Pine Nuts and Red Bean Paste. The savoury pine nuts instantly clashed with the cloyingly sweet red beans, but resolved mysteriously on our tongues into something that wasn’t half bad. 

Price: Indigo Indulgence mooncake box (six pieces) - RMB 228
Hotel Indigo. 585 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, near Dongmen Lu. Tel: 3302 9999