As mooncakes get creative and unique, you can't go wrong with the more traditional offerings

Each time the Mid-Autumn Festival rolls around, people around me get excited over mooncakes, but the delicacy is always too sweet, too gooey, too expensive for me.

Still, there are winners, and here are some highlights.

As mooncake flavours become so creative and adventurous, I am drawn to the more traditional offerings.

This year, my favourite is an old one — the Teochew-style yuan yang mooncake with salted egg yolk from Thye Moh Chan. 

There are new flavours: Jasmine with salted egg yolk ($11.80 a piece; or $43.80 a box of four), and pistachio ($13.80 a piece; $52.80, a box of 4). 

Still, the old won me over.

If there's a debate over what to buy, the six-piece Joyous Reunion set ($66.80) is a good compromise because it has the new plus old. 

These are available till Sept 29 at all Thye Moh Chan outlets and selected BreadTalk and Toast Box outlets. You can also order than via BreadTalk and Toast Box delivery platforms including Foodpanda, Deliveroo and GrabFood.

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant’s mini walnut moontart with egg yolk ($82 for eight) is a signature item. You got to taste it to understand why some are obsessed with it. I am a fan too.

Well, there is a healthier version now, without the egg yolk ($80 for eight).

I am all about eating healthy but I won't be delulu and think one box of yolkless mooncake is going to me a huge difference for me. Still, here is an option if one has to abstain from egg yolks.

You can order this online (carltonhotel.sg/midautumn), or head to Junction 8 Atrium, Level 2 to buy it. It will be there till Sept 29.

Or you can call them (tel: 6349-1292) or e-mail restaurants@carltonhotel.sg for orders and enquiries.

In the case of old is new again, Crystal Jade’s new Asian flavours petite snow skin mooncakes have flavours that won’t be alien to many of us.

Flavours such as gula melaka with Chinese yam and coconut; roasted chestnut; and black glutinous rice pulut hitam are not new to us, and now they are encased in pretty pastel shades.

It is going for $42 for four (one of each flavour) or $68 for eight (two of each flavour).

You can order online at estore.crystaljade.com till Sept 25, or just head down to any outlets by Sept 29.

Shangri-La Singapore has made a mooncake for those seeking a plant-based alternative.

The Plant-based Shanghai Mooncakes ($82 for a box of four) offer two flavours: white lotus mung beans, and pandan white lotus with coconut.

The mooncakes come in an elegant blue two-tier tin box and are housed in a reusable storage container and accompanying jute bag, which you can reuse. 

These are available till Sept 29. Call 6213-4511, e-mail to  festive.sls@shangri-la.com, or visit bit.ly/SLSMooncake2023 for more information.

Swensens’ mochi snow skin ice cream mooncakes have become a classic.

And since it is Halal-certified, this “tradition” can be shared with everyone.

This year, the mao shan wang mooncake ($16) take the spotlight. The puree is 100 per cent durian, and encased in a pretty black skin.

Other new items include Strawrry ($13.50) and the Ube ($13.50).

The mooncakes are available till Sept 29 at all Swensen's and Earle Swensen's outlets, and via Swensen’s e-Store and on GrabFood, FoodPanda and Deliveroo.

The Marmalade Pantry offers low-sugar no-lard baked mooncakes in two gift sets housed in a box they call the Jewel Vault.

Inside, you’ll get the classic white lotus with double yolk, and new flavours assam tea and Hokkaido milk with raisin, taro coconut with red bean, and black sesame with pecan.

The Marmalade Mix ($88 for four pieces) contains one of each flavour, while the Classic Collection ($88) has four pieces of the white lotus.

You can order these at the Ion, Downtown, Anchorpoint, and Bugis outlets till Sept 29, while stocks last.

If you’re one of those who find these fancy mooncake boxes wasteful, Lady M Confections’ Moonglow Gift Set ($99) is wrapped in embossed vegan leather, and designed as an arch so it is unique enough you might want to keep.

Inside, there are six miniature mooncakes: yuzu milk custard with candied yuzu peel, matcha pandan custard, and lychee rose custard.

This gift set is available at all the shops, online via ladym.com.sg.

This is as far from Mid-Autumn tradition as it gets. 

Tiong Bahru Bakery’s Take Me To The Moon Box set ($55) doesn’t have mooncakes, but instead, it has four unique kouign amanns, with an Oriental flavour twist.

There is the yuzu and osmanthus kouign amann with wolfberries, honey, ginger and sesame kouign amann with pine nuts, black sesame and coconut kouign amann, and lotus paste and salted egg kouign amann with macadamia nuts. 

My very traditional mother took a bite of the lotus paste version and liked it, but when I told her this was a version of the mooncake, she looked like she was going to kick me to the moon to join Chang’e.

Till Oct 1, a limited number of the Take Me To The Moon Box sets will be available for walk-in purchases in all TBB stores. For more information, visit http://festive.tiongbahrubakery.com