Don't say we didn't remind you, but the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 3 for the current year 2009. Why not take this chance to bond with the family under a full and bright moon, watch the kids carry lanterns, eat mooncakes, pomelo and yams while sipping on some Chinese tea?

Diva tried some new-to-market flavours and thinks these are suitable for those with adventurous, and not-so-adventurous, tastebuds:

Sesame Truffle Mini Snowskin mooncake

We always liked the offerings from Bakerzin. This year's no different with the cafe-cum-dessert Sesame Truffle Mini Snowskin mooncake 

This is the black beauty of the range of Bakerzin Mini Snowskin Mooncakes. The elegant black and silky smooth snowskin gets its colour from bamboo charcoal powder and encases the subtly sweet lotus and black sesame paste. A white chocolate truffle filled with ganache is nestled in the middle of the dark paste like the shining moon in the midnight sky. Best eaten when frozen.

Eight pieces for $36 nett at Bakerzin.

Mooncake magic
For those among us who just want something traditional, Bakerzin has a lovely Mooncake Magic. Two salted egg yolks are blended and spread between the lotus paste to ensure that you get a taste of salted egg yolk in every bite. The paste is not too sweet and the yolks provide a nice colour contrast and texture to the very smooth paste.

Four pieces for $38 nett at Bakerzin.

Orders for Bakerzin’s mooncakes can be placed at any Bakerzin outlet, booth or online at www.bakerzin.com and last day for orders is 30 Sep 2009.

Peanut and Chocolate Sponge mooncake

Italian eatery COVA Pasticceria - Confetteria offers Italian-inspired mooncakes for the first time in Singapore. We especially liked the peanut and chocolate sponge mooncake, with a rich chocolate sponge cake that is layered with chocolate feuillentine - chocolate cream mixed with cereal - and peanut butter cream with chopped peanuts for that added crunch.

It's moist, dense and has a really irresistible peanut butter flavour.

Another good flavour to try is the chocolate and lotus seed paste mooncake, for its rich chocolate flavour that is deliciously paired with fine lotus seed paste. As odd as the combination sounds, the flavours actually meld together to produce a lovely harmony of flavours that is easy on the palate.

Two other flavours being introduced this year include the Rose and Vanilla Sponge, and the Mango and Lotus Seed Paste.

A box of four flavours for S$36+ at COVA Pasticceria - Confetteria. Two days advance order required, five days for bulk orders. Last order date is 28 Sep 2009, and deliveries are available until Oct 2 2009 for a $25++ charge per location.

Soursop Snowskin mooncake
Beside novel-tasting flavours, fruits are also a favourite ingredient in mooncakes this year. And tropical fruits are making an appearance in a big way.

Goodwood Park Hotel has a new soursop flavour for to add to its snowskin mooncakes, which nicely complement its mango with pomelo (slightly tangy with nice juicy bits of pomelo sac) and its ever-popular D24 Durian Paste (authentic flavours of sweet D24 durian) and Cempedak snowskin mooncakes this year.

$22 for a 2pc box of Soursop snowskin mooncakes, or $40 for a 4pc box, or $44 for an Assorted Snowskin Combo, containing a piece of soursop, mango with pomelo, durian paste and cempedak paste snowskin mooncakes. Free delivery for orders of 30 boxes of 4pcs and above for one location. Delivery to more than one location can be arranged at $50++ per location.

Old-time favourites still make the cut
Sometimes, it's the classics that hit the spot. Just like Peony Jade's Flaky Yam Paste Mooncakes made with Japanese golden pumpkin, which the chefs at the Szechuan and Cantonese restaurant have freshly made everyday.

This delightful treat is created by Chef Soh Yiak Eng, who was previously from the Crown Prince Hotel’s mooncake team, and pioneered the original yam paste mooncake. Combined with its classic traditionally baked egg yolk mooncakes with lotus paste, these flavours will prove to be a hit with the older folks at home.


But if you have adventurous tastebuds, you won't be disappointed when tucking into the restaurant's Mao Shan Wang durian mooncake in organic pandan snowskin. Opening the box alone lets out a robust waft of the durian, and durian lovers will definitely find themselves anticipating a bite of it.

Other new and more innovative flavours come in banana and wild strawberry, mixed with low-fat yoghurt. While I found the wild strawberry flavour a little too sweet for my liking, the banana flavoured one was a nice surprise, since the banana didn't come across as artificial-tasting.

Last but not least, the chempedak snowskin mooncake proved to be a favourite with my colleagues and family too. Chunks of chempadek can be felt in a bite, and the fragrance of the fruit was clearly discernible. The proffered flavours do provide a good range of flavours to interest almost everyone in the family.

$40.00 for a 4pc box of Snow-Skin with Banana and Low Fat Yoghurt, $42.00 for a 4pc box of Snow-Skin with Wild Strawberry and Low Fat Yoghurt, $50.00 for a 4pc box of Organic Pandan Snow-Skin with Top Grade Mao Shan Wang Durian, $48.00 for a 4pc box of 100% Pure Chempedak or $43.00 for a box of Peony Jade 4 Heavenly Flavours (assorted 1 pc each of the four flavours above). $43.00 for a 4pc box of Flaky Teochew ‘Oor Nee’ with Golden Japanese Pumpkin and $45.00 for a 4pc box of Flaky  Teochew ‘Oor Nee’ with Single Egg Yolk and Golden Japanese Pumpkin.

15% discount off direct purchases are available for HSBC Credit, CitiBank Credit and Capita Card holders.  Free delivery to 1 location for orders above 10 boxes.

The mooncakes are available at the following places:
    *  Peony Jade @Keppel Club (29 Jul to 3 Oct, daily from 11am to 9pm)
    * Peony Jade @Clarke Quay (29 Aug to 3 Oct, daily from 11am to 9pm)
    * Change Alley (14 Sept to 2 Oct, 11.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday)
    * Jurong Point  (14 Sept to 2 Oct, daily from 10.00am to 10.00pm)
    * Tangs VIVOCITY Atrium (16 Sept to 2 Oct, daily from 10.00am to 10.00pm)
    * Takashimaya B2 Square (17 Sept to 3 Oct, daily from 10.00am to 9.30pm)
    * Junction 8, Bishan (21 Sept to 2 Oct, daily from 10.30am to 10.00pm)
    * Tampines Mall (21 Sept to 2 Oct, daily from 10.00am to 10.00pm)
    * Plaza Singapura (21 Sept to 2 Oct, daily from 10.00am to 6.00pm)
    * Parkway Parade (21 Sept to 2 Oct, daily from 10.00am to 10.00pm)