Mid-Autumn Festival is near- time to have moon cakes! Traditionally they are made with lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolks. However, there are many variations of moon cakes as well as people in Hong Kong get bored easily. The most exclusive ones are allegedly made by Spring Moon 嘉麟樓 at the Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong. It is limited edition which means every year, people queue for hours and it is usually sold out way before the festival. The price has gone up by nearly double this year to HK$485 (GBP40) a box!

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So is it really worth the hype?

Beautiful packaging
To start with, it is beautifully packaged. The box is a lot smaller than standard size moon cakes, but it feels delicate and special. It is a nice gift idea!

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A welcoming fragrance of custard greeted me as soon as I opened the box.

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The moon cakes are mini (less than 4cm in diameter)!

How about the taste?
This is where the experiment started. Apparently, these moon cakes taste best when heated up. This is different from conventional moon cakes, which I prefer at room temperature.
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The one on the right was eaten at room temperature, whereas the one on the left was heated up in microwave for 8 seconds (as I was told). Both had rich and creamy taste of custard inside and it was buttery on the outside. The custard inside the former appeared to be softer and more integrated in the mouth. The latter just felt apart! Though as they are all hand-made, this could be caused by poor craftsmanship. Either way, I was surprised how filling it was!

Is it worth the price?

Well, I was pretty excited when I managed to get hold of one in the last minute. When I told my relatives and friends, most appeared to be not that bothered. They seemed to have all tried it before and none thought it was particularly special. (Even better- more for me!) Apparently there is always someone who knows someone who could get hold of a box. Thus, it is not that exclusive neither. However, when the box arrived, some actually asked for one! This says it all!

I think I still prefer the traditional moon cakes. The more salted duck egg yolks inside, the better!