Make Mine a Mooncake (With Chocolate)

by Juliann and Stephanie
on Friday, July 31, 2009

It's that time of year again - when the mooncake promotions start to pop up all around town in celebration of the Moon Festival (also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival). If you like to prepare early, or perhaps if you can't start tucking into these sweet treats soon enough, you are in luck. A few of Shanghai's top venues are launching their specially prepared 2009 mooncakes.

Force8Cellars has already started its mooncake promotion - offering tailor-made gift sets with a bottle of wine (your choice), two large premium mooncakes and a professional wine bottle opener, all in an attractive gift box featuring your own personalized gift message. Price varies upon wine selection.

Three on the Bund is preparing mooncakes for all palates. Whampoa Club is sticking with traditional tastes, offering a selection of four flavors: red bean, red lotus, salted egg and nut. Presented in a festive gift package, the four-piece boxes sell for RMB188 and are available from August 3. A gift set, inclusive of a Chinese tea set is priced at RMB288. Meanwhile, masterchef Davis Laris is adding a chocolate twist to the Laris mooncakes. The coconut, bean and lotus paste with salted egg yolk varieties will be encased by fine European chocolate.
Prices start from RMB68 for a four-piece set, and go on sale on September 7.

At the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao customers can choose from two beautifully designed gift boxes. The ‘Bright Moon' gift box is RMB218 featuring eight moon cakes in six varieties. The ‘Lucky Moon' gift box is RMB168 featuring a selection of six moon cakes in six varieties.

Although the wine and mooncake offer is tempting, our taste buds are still warming to these favorite Chinese treats. Personally we'll be holding out for the Costa Cafe and Bakerzin promotions, which should be hitting our mailboxes soon. To appeal to their foreign customers, they usually "westernize" their mooncakes - with chocolate.
And anything with chocolate is good. I know for the traditionalists out there this is sacrilegious, but stick with us - at least this way we can participate in the mooncake fun too!