Hello my Chewy friends! Mid Autumn Festival is just two weeks away! Have you started placing your orders for mooncakes? There are so many mooncakes being paraded out there in the market already! What influences your buying decision? I’m sure the price, flavor, brand and packaging are just some of the many important factors right? Anyway, I know that the ‘mooncake eating season’ is not officially here yet, but I have had the wonderful opportunity of sampling some over the past few weeks! 😀

We all know what Swensen’s is famous for. People of all ages will love their ever popular ice cream mooncakes. This year, these icy treats come in 6 flavours: Strawberry Fields Forever, Durian Royale, Yummy Yam, Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Cookies ‘n’ Cream Dreams and Mocha Almond Delight. Gotta love the lovely keepsake box featuring the unique Swensen’s Tiffany lamp designs too! Retails at $29.80 for a box of 4 or at $8.60 a piece. Available at all Swensen’s and Earle Swensen’s outlets till 30 September 2012.

Do you look forward to trying really unique snowskin mooncake flavors that are not readily available elsewhere? Then head to Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant at Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium!

Snowskin mooncakes are priced at $48 for a box of 6. Tantalize the taste buds with exciting and inventive mooncake flavors like Rum & Raisin Chocolate and Chinese dates paste, Soursop & Chocolate Crunch, Champagne Chocolate & Pandan Lotus Paste, Lavender Chocolate and Chempedak Lotus Paste, Peranakan mooncake with Durian Paste, and Black Truffle Walnut and White Lotus Seed Paste. I loved all flavors and if I really had to pick one that I really really really enjoyed, it would be the Soursop & Chocolate Crunch 🙂

Do you know that it is very popular to give and receive pineapple cakes during Mid Autumn Festival in Taiwan? I have always associated pineapple tarts with Chinese New Year but thanks to Sunnyhills, I can totally see myself eating pineapple cakes during Mid Autumn Festival in the future years to come!

Sunnyhills’ Mid-Autumn tote bag and gift box features the iconic Jade Rabbit (which kinda reminds me of Miffy) and are available in boxes of 10 pieces ($25), 15 pieces ($37.50) and 20 pieces ($50).

To ensure optimum freshness, each piece of Sunnyhills pineapple cake is individually packaged with a desiccant.

Its Singapore branch is located at Raffles Hotel while the Taiwan-based SunnyHills is a specialty bakery offering authentic pineapple cakes that are traditionally sourced, made, and baked in Taiwan. Having tasted the pineapple cakes, I have to say that the crust is moist, crumbly with a slight chewy bite and the fibrous pineapple filling is sweet and tangy, which makes this a very delightful snack!

Mention Emicakes and I’m sure everyone will agree that its Singapore’s Number 1 Durian Cake Maker. Fancy some D24 or Mao Shan Wang ice cream mooncakes? They come in small and large sizes as well as a mixed size combo.

I was given the Golden 4 Mao Shan Wang ($73.80) to sample. Remember to thaw it for a while after taking the mooncakes out from the freezer if not you’re gonna just have to risk breaking a tooth 😛

Seriously, all hardcore durian fanatics will definitely love this creamy, rich and luxurious Mao Shan Wang ice cream mooncakes! Catching a whiff of this wonderful durian fragrance is guaranteed to make any durian lover go floating on cloud nine.

Singapore’s first bakery franchise, Prima Deli, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and what better way to mark this mid-autumn than to introduce family favourite mooncakes! Toffee Cappuccino, Chocolate Hazelnut and Raspberry Truffle snowskin mooncakes are three new additions to PrimaDéli’s current selection of more than twelve tantalizing flavours of traditionally baked and snowskin mooncakes.

The Royal Gift Set ($38.80) features an alluring selection of nine mini snowskin mooncakes in a classy gold box and makes a generous gift for friends and relatives. These family friendly flavors are perfect for indulging together with people of all ages – Oreo Chocolate, Cranberry Cheese, Toffee Cappuccino Pandan Lotus with Half Yolk, Strawberry Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut, Raspberry Truffle, Black Sesame with Mochi and D24 Durian.

In addition to the mini snowskin mooncakes, PrimaDeli also offers their traditional regular-sized Baked Mooncakes ($38.80 for a box of four).

My family and I sat down and shared all four mooncake flavors – Pure Lotus with Single Yolk, White Lotus, White Lotus with Single Yolk and Golden Jade with Single Yolk. Of all three types of lotus paste, I personally felt that pandan and green bean paste in the Golden Jade with Single Yolk was the most fragrant and refreshing flavor.

This Mid Autumn Festival sees Purple Sage introducing their mooncakes for the very first time! As the saying goes, all food.. umm I mean, all good things come in threes. Purple Sage’s mooncakes come in a classic box of Lotus Paste with Double Yolk and Melon Seeds, Jade Custard and Low Sugar Black Sesame White Lotus with Single Yolk ($38+). Of all the three flavors, I liked the Low Sugar Black Sesame White Lotus with Single Yolk best. Pairing it with a pot of Chinese tea makes eating these traditional mooncakes a very lovely experience.

Thanks to Purple Sage, one lucky reader will get to try a box of traditional mooncakes! If you are keen on joining this giveaway contest, click here for more info!

A big thank you to Swensen’s, Xin Cuisine, Sunnyhills, Emicakes, PrimaDeli and Purple Sage for the mooncakes and here’s wishing all our lovely readers Happy Mid Autumn Festival! 🙂