Why Chinatown is the Best Neighbourhood for Mooncakes

Here we are once again – Friday the 13th looms close. That’s right, the Mid Autumn Festival is here with the mooncake craze. Prepare to stuff our faces:

This is where the struggle gets real, with so many bakeries around, with all having their own signature flavours, it is difficult to choose the best. But fret not, as Chinatown has what you need (forget the expensive hotels):

Tai Thong Cake Shop

35 Mosque St, Singapore 059513

Nestled in the rows of shop houses of Chinatown, Tai Thong Cake Shop is popular for its Cantonese Pastries – from their Traditional Moon Cakes to their Wedding Cakes and Chinese New Year goodies.

From the traditional shelving used, down to the traditional packaging – plain white cardboard boxes, this store basically oozes of tradition and authenticity. It’s mooncakes are no different, handmade till perfection, it is no wonder their popular double yolk mooncakes fly off the shelves quickly during the mooncake seasons. So authentic in fact, that it has been awarded the Heritage Heroes Award by Slow Food (Singapore), a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to preserving heritage dishes and ingredients, celebrating food culture and traditions, protecting diversity and championing responsible consumption.

Signature flavour:

Lotus paste with egg yolks

Per piece price:

$9 for plain paste

$10 for paste with 1 yolk

$11 for paste with 2 yolks

$12.50 for paste with 4 yolks

Tai Chong Kok (Da Zhong Guo)

34 Sago Street; 01-265/267

Locked away in the depth of Chinatown is yet another hidden gem. Found in an obscure corner of Chinatown, Tai Chong Kok (Da Zhong Guo) is one of the few bakeries which sells mooncakes all year round, perfect if you have a sudden craving for some mooncake. Specialising in traditional cantonese mooncakes, their mooncakes were a hit amongst the older generations but with its popularity diminishing amongst the young, whom prefer to flock towards the renowned and overpriced hotel boutiques, makes it the perfect hidden gem for you to stop by.

Prices start from $36.80 for a box of four plain lotus seed paste mooncakes, which are sold year- round. During the Mid-Autumn Festival period, it sells snowskin (from $38.80 for a box of four) and mixed-nuts mooncakes (from $44.80 for a box of four).

Their popular double egg yolk lotus mooncakes are all the rage, with its appealing golden brown texture accompanied by a full and soft core, which is not too sweet or bland, just like how mooncakes are meant to be.

Chinatown Tai Chong Kok Confectionary Hue Kee

Chinatown: 5 Banda Street , #02-72, Singapore 050005

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 9am-7pm

Alexandra Village: 122 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-62, Singapore 150122

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 11am-7pm

Yes, i know what you are thinking. Isn’t this the same bakery as before. Well…… actually they aren’t, at least with no concrete information online after hours of scouring the internet, it seems like just two bakeries which happen to have similar names. However, their names are not the only thing that is similar between the two bakeries, the quality of their products are too.

As expected, Chinatown Tai Chong Kok Confectionary Hue Kee is just as phenomenal at making mooncakes, albeit a little higher on the price range. The majority of their mooncakes range from $40-$50, for both traditional and snowskin, consisting of 4 in a box.

With two locations across Singapore and a delivery option, not to mention the additional promotions on their website, these delectable mooncakes are just within your reach, so be sure to check them out.

Thye Moh Chan

133, #01-45 New Bridge Rd, Chinatown Point, 059413

Tired of the usual Cantonese style mooncakes? Feeling a little adventurous this September? Well… how about some Teochew mooncakes for a change?

Well you are in luck! Thye Moh Chan is the pinnacle when it comes to handcrafted traditional Teochew mooncakes, making it second to none. These traditional delicacies boast multiple layers of light flaky pastry skin and a selection of different fillings that are made with finesse, not to mention they come in beautiful metal tins with stunning details, making it the perfect mooncake package which can be given as a gift or for you and your family to enjoy.

There is a wide selection of mooncakes on offer ranging from perennial favourites such as the Salty Tau Sar with Salted Egg Yolk, Sweet Tau Sar with Melon Seeds, Teochew Classic Double Delight to limited edition selections like the Mao Shan Wang Durian and Yam with Salted Egg Yolk.

Do drop by Thye Moh Chan this mid autumn to check out their wide selection of premium mooncakes, i guarantee you are definitely in for a treat!

Poh Guan Cake House

531 Upper Cross Street, #01-57 Hong Lim Complex, 050531

Founded in 1930, Poh Guan Cake House is a long standing traditional bakery in Singapore with over 80 years of culinary experience. Retaining its original recipe and techniques throughout the years, Poh Guan continues to produce a diverse range of premium mooncakes at reasonable prices.

Concealed in the depths of Hong Lim Complex, this humble bakery was featured in local Chinese newspaper, Lian He Wan Bao and was awarded the 5 Star Award for being ‘Mooncake Specialists’ in 2005.

Despite the lack of flashy advertisements or big name celebrity endorsements, this bakery has a long standing following of loyal customers who have grown up with their traditional pastries. Biting into their mooncakes is pretty much like biting into nostalgia.

Your hunt for the perfect mooncake their September stops here! Poh Guan Cake House is just the bakery for you to enjoy traditional mooncakes exactly as they should be. Yummmm! —-

 What are your thoughts on these locations for buying mooncakes? Voice your thoughts in our comments section or on our Facebook community page.

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