From century egg to Sichuan chilli – we taste-test Hong Kong’s wackiest new mooncakes

Egg custard mooncakes are so last year. Forget about going for the same boring options as everyone else. If you want your mooncakes to stand out from the crowd, the least you can do is to avoid all the traditional (read: boring) flavours like white lotus paste with egg yolk or egg custard.

Instead, how about pushing the envelope (and your stomach’s comfort level) with new, exciting flavours like mango, ginger and turmeric to golden century egg and pickled ginger?

Simply put: if you’re all about trying out new flavours for the heck of it, then you’re spoilt for choice this year. Check out our round-up of some of the unique mooncakes on offer this year.

InterContinental Grand Stanford

This year the InterContinental Grand Stanford is introducing a new flavour – almond cream with egg white mooncakes. The flavour is inspired by the home-made almond cream with egg white dessert served at the hotel’s Hoi King Heen restaurant. The mooncake has a filling of almond cream paste made with hand-ground almonds, while the crust is meant to have a little hint of egg white. This particular flavour is limited to just 700 boxes.

The Cakery x John Anthony

The Cakery has teamed with John Anthony this year for a special mooncake collaboration. John Anthony is a Cantonese restaurant, while The Cakery is a local bakery that offers organic, sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan-friendly products. Four flavours are available: dark chocolate and Sichuan chilli pepper; black and white sesame; rose and mixed berries; mango, ginger and turmeric.

KFC

KFC has launched two mooncake flavours this year: spicy chicken and nuts; and golden lava custard. Best of all, they come housed in a fake chicken bucket, each carrying six mooncakes. You can choose either the Chicken x Golden Lava combo – carrying three of each flavour – or take the all-out Golden Lava option, with all six in the egg custard flavour. The bucket also lights up so you can use it as a lantern during the festival. But let’s be honest, it’s the spicy chicken and nuts mooncake – which is made with nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and peaches – and mixed in with spicy chicken floss, that’s stealing the show this year.