As summer fades away and the leaves turn brown, it’s that wonderful time of year to gather and give thanks under the Harvest moon. In this Mooncakes Vancouver 2023 post, I cover some places where you can buy mooncakes locally from classic to more unique flavours.
Mid-Autumn Festival 2023 is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture and some people compare it to North American Thanksgiving.
This year, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Friday, September 29, 2023.
The most iconic food associated with the Mid-Autumn festival is mooncake.
The mooncake is stuffed traditionally with red bean paste, fruit, egg yolk, nuts or lotus seed paste.
However, there have been more unique and creative fillings in modern times.
Its round shape symbolizes “unity” or “reunion” and best wishes.
From the traditional to the modern and unique, here are a few places to find Mooncakes Vancouver 2023 for your Mid-Autumn Festival 2023 celebration.
This Mooncakes Vancouver 2023 list is updated as more information becomes available. Please contact me at [email protected] or @foodgressing on social media to be featured.
This list will be updated for 2023 as more details emerge on specific offerings for this year but here are some vendors that offered mooncakes last year for your reference.
Unique/Creative Options for Mooncakes Metro Vancouver 2023
Wild Sweets (Richmond)
Wild Sweets is offering a Chocolate Mochi Egg Custard Mooncakes.
Their Dark Chocolate ‘Mooncakes’ Series features a soft mochi-like ‘skin’ component, a novel buttery egg custard filling made with different liquor as the only liquid. And lastly, a single origin cocoa bean to bar soft dark chocolate ganache also made with the same liquor as the only liquid. Specifically, the collection features the following assortment of fillings;
- Kahlua liquor egg custard | Peru Ucayali single origin BTB ganache | Vanilla chocolate ‘Mochi Skin’
- Benedictine liquor egg custard | Ecuador Camino Verde single origin BTB ganache | Vanilla chocolate ‘Mochi Skin’
- Tia Maria egg custard | Tanzania Kokoa Kamilli single origin BTB ganache | Vanilla chocolate ‘Mochi Skin’
- Baileys liquor egg custard | Dominican Republic Orzal single origin BTB ganache | Vanilla chocolate ‘Mochi Skin’
Their White Chocolate ‘Mooncakes’ Series also features a soft mochi-like ‘skin’ component, a novel buttery egg custard filling made with Canada’s liquid gold as the only liquid and blended with a mixed nut paste and a creamy white chocolate. Specifically, this collection features the following filling;
BC-Local Okanagan Valley Icewine egg custard | Roasted sesame, macadamia, white chocolate paste | Vanilla ‘Mochi Skin’
Nam Dae Moon
Rice Cake Master @namdaemoonricecake (formerly Nam Dae Moon Rice Cake) is offering a Jade Mooncake Collection for Mid-Autumn Festival this year. The collection features a snowskin mooncake set with a soft, mochi-like glutinous skin, resembling the brilliance of jade gemstones.
The collection is $45 each and contains four mooncakes in four different flavours.
- Matcha Red Bean Cranberry 抹茶紅豆蔓越莓冰皮月餅
- Raspberry & Yoghurt 酸奶樹莓冰皮月餅
- Black Sesame & Red Bean 黑芝麻紅豆冰皮月餅
- Taro & Salted Egg Yolk 芋泥鹹蛋黃冰皮月餅
Mooncake-making classes are also available for booking at the Richmond location. The classes are run by dessert stylist Coco from aGlaze (@aglazeyourlife).
Priced at $128 per person, the adult classes are 2 hours long and help each student to produce at least 12 mooncakes. Elegant packaging is included in the price. The sessions start at 12:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, at 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
The parent-and-child classes are also available at $150 per group and can be booked upon request. Class registration can be made by calling 778-297-6999.
aGlaze Your Life
@aglazeyourlife is a local purveyor of custom cakes and desserts! This year, they are offering a snowskin mooncake set with fillings like Long Jing Tea; Peach Oolong; Rose Lychee; Mango Pomelo Sago; Rose Lychee; and Peach Oolong. DM them for more information!
Lady M Canada
Lady M Confections is offering a 2023 Moonglow Gift Set to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.
Inspired by the welcoming nature of classic garden moon gate arches and doubling as a keepsake jewelry box, their Moonglow Gift Set features a pearlescent surface adorned with depictions of the full moon, lucky rabbits, festival lanterns, and decorative foliage.
Pairs of miniature mooncakes are nestled within the jewelry box drawers, with featured flavors of Lychee Rose, Matcha Pandan, and Yuzu Milk, developed in collaboration with Kee Wah Bakery.
Complete with elegant vegan leather accents and plush microsuede lining, each gift set contains a custom-designed gift bag and matching greeting card.
L’OTUS Cake Boutique
L’OTUS Cake Boutique is offering a Mooncake Gift Box. This gift box contains six pieces of their signature salted egg yolk lava custard mooncakes.
This gift box contains six assorted flavors:
- Signature Salted Egg Yolk Lava Mooncake 经典金沙奶黄流心月饼
- Matcha Yuzu Lava Mooncake 抹茶柚子流心月饼
- Genmaicha Lava Mooncake 玄米茶流心月饼
- Oolong Tea Lava Mooncake 炭烤乌龙茶流心月饼
- Black Sesame and Peanut Lava Mooncake 黑芝麻花生流心月饼
- Coffee Chocolate Lava Mooncake 咖啡巧克力流心月饼
Paragon Tea Room
Paragon Tea Room is offering tea-Infused Lava Mooncakes in collaboration with @saltysugar.patisserie.
- Matcha Black Sesame Lava
- Hojicha Salted Egg Lava
- Salted Kinako Genmaicha Lava
- Osmanthus Jasmine Green Tea Lava
- Thai Tea Salted Egg
- Tangerine Pu-erh Chocolate Lava
Azure Play Cafe
Azure Play Cafe makes house-made lava mooncakes in flavours like osmanthus oolong, coconut latte, durian, and chocolate.
Yandoux Patisserie
Yandoux Patisserie is offering a rabbit shaped mocha flavoured mousse cake.
$120
Vanilla mousse
Osmanthus pear jelly
Coffee cremeux
Chocolate brownie sponge
Chinese Bakeries/Restaurants
Maxim’s Bakery
Maxim’s Bakery offers lava mooncakes; traditional mooncakes and snowskin mooncakes.
Saint Germain Bakery
Saint Germain Bakery is known for their straight-from-the-oven mooncakes that are made in-house and without preservatives. They are offering:
- Double Yolks White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncake (4 pieces)
- Dried Scallop Chinese Cured Ham And Mixed Nuts (4 pieces)
- Pure White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncake (4 pieces)
- Durian Snowy Mooncake (8 pieces)
- Salted Egg Yolk Custard Mooncake (8 pieces)
La Patisserie
La Patisserie in Richmond offers a variety of housemade mooncakes.
New Town Bakery & Restaurant 新城餅家餐室
New Town Bakery & Restaurant 新城餅家餐室 has mini mooncakes yearround.
Grocery Stores
Pricesmart Foods
Pricesmart Foods has a selection of imported mooncakes. You can check online for what brands they offer. They have two locations: Station Square (Burnaby) and Acrokyd (Richmond).
Sungiven Foods
Sungiven Foods offers a wide selection of mooncakes imported from Asia. Each store may have different inventory.
T&T Supermarket
T&T Supermarkets takes the “cake” in terms of options of mooncakes.
They import many mooncakes from Asia including brands like The Peninsula Hotels, Hang Heung, Wing Wah and so forth.
T&T also have their own branded mooncakes.
Things to Do
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Explore the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden during Midautumn Festival celebrating the harvest moon, family, and togetherness.
Wander through this world-renowned Ming-dynasty inspired garden, enveloped by live music and colourful lantern decorations.
The 37th Annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is bigger and better than ever, with performances, food, tea ceremonies, art and activations curated throughout the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park and the Zodiac Courtyard.
Arts and Activations: Arts and Crafts, Fortune Telling, Lanterns, and Poetry Dr. SYS Classical Chinese Garden, Xiang the Art of Incense with Daisy May of JJW Aromas, Moon Gazing with Telescopes from HR MacMillan Space Centre, Chinese Calligraphy with Jiangang Su and V. Wen, “A Thousand Scenes in One Word”, a digital animated short by Wen Wen (Cherry) Lu, Indigenous-led DTES Youth Art Exhibition with Miska Creative Society x Dr. SYS Classical Chinese Garden x Digital Hopes and Face Painting & Henna by A Star Art Parlour
Tea Ceremonies: with Daniel Lui, Michael MacDonald, Luke Moloney, Adrian Sinclair, Veronique Vachon, Lily Lok, Arman Kazemi, Howard Lu.
Sips and Bites: A.BENTO Restaurant, Aiyahohno Cafe, Bon Moment Bake Shop, Noisette by Olivia Bakery, Simply Homayd Chili Oil and Sun Yat-Sen Garden Bar.
Performances: Music by DJ Static, ft. B-Boy Dancers Nox and King Sun, Lion Dance Hon Hsing by Athletic Club, Guzheng by Michelle Kwan, Vocal performances by Amanda Sum, Kristin Fung and Music by DJ Kozue, Circus Arts: Hula Hoop Artist – Lola Loops, Contortionist – Kasha Konaka, Juggler – Yuki Ueda, reenactment presentations by the Vancouver Hanfu Association.
Buy your advanced tickets today and save!!! Adult tickets are $10 + taxes and fees, Kids (age 6 -12) tickets are $7 + taxes and fees. (Kids ages 5 and under are FREE)
There will be a limited number of tickets at the door on both nights. Adult tickets for $15 and Children’s for $10.
Lansdowne Centre
Lansdowne Centre is hosting a Bunnies under the Moon event. This is the perfect opportunity to gather with your loved ones and reflect on the blessings of the season. Step into a whimsical world filled with fluffy fun as you participate in their Bunny Meet & Treat activity, for a minimum donation of $5, you’ll not only have a memorable time but also contribute to supporting @rabbitatsrescue . Don’t forget to marvel at the Moon and Rabbit Display, a beautiful symbol of kindness and compassion. Engage in arts and crafts, challenge yourself with our riddle game, and create precious memories with the adorable bunnies.
Coquitlam Heritage at Mackin House
Visit Heritage Square for a host of performers and community partners for their third annual Mid-Autumn Moon Family Day celebration on Sept 23 from 12 pm – 2 pm.
Learn about mooncakes, get your face painted, enjoy performances from Uzume Taiko, a Lion dance by the Shao Lin Hung Gar Lion Dance Team, and a special performance by The BC Chinese Music Ensemble presented by Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra.
Event Timeline:
- 12-2pm Face Painting – Fraser Mills Train Station
- 1-2:30pm Princess Mulan – roaming Heritage Square
- 12:15pm Welcome – Main tent
- 12:30-1pm Lion Dance
- 12:30-1pm Moon Cake demo with Jessica Yue – Mackin House Kitchen
- 1:15-2pm Uzume Taiko – Main tent
- 2-2:30pm Moon Cake demo with Jessica Yue – Mackin House Kitchen
- 2:15-3pm BC Chinese Music Ensemble presented by VICO – Main Tent
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