Inside the East Chinatown bakery still making mooncakes by hand after more than 40 years

While some celebrate pumpkin spice in the fall, others celebrate the arrival of mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which occurs on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunisolar calendar (this year it’s Sept. 25). You’ve probably seen supermarkets, Chinese bakeries and dim sum restaurants selling boxes of mooncakes that seem to get more luxe (read: expensive) every year since they’re typically given as gifts. But for those who don’t care about elaborate packaging and want something locally made, Tung Hing’s mooncakes fit the bill. The longstanding family-run bakery still makes each mooncake by hand using the same wooden molds the bakery has used for decades, each carved with the bakery’s name and the mooncake flavour.

You’ll find the ubiquitous lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk-filled variety, but since the family behind the bakeshop hails from Vietnam, opt for the lesser-seen Vietnamese-style mooncakes. My favourite is the mixed-nut mooncake filled with candied wintermelon, dried orange peel, peanuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds and makrut lime leaves. The crunch of the chopped nuts adds texture to the chewy, twice-baked outer shell and the delicate lime adds a refreshing, citrusy finish. I prefer the version without the customary salted egg yolk (a controversial preference because yolks are prized in mooncakes), but for those who prefer the salty-sweet combo, the yolk-filled version is $11. To serve, cut the mooncake into smaller slices to share.

The bakery

Tung Hing Bakery has been around for more than 40 years, having first opened in downtown Chinatown, and for a while had locations in Vancouver and Hamilton. Nowadays, there are two locations, one in East Chinatown and the other at North York Sheridan Mall (1700 Wilson Ave.). Second-generation owner Pearl Lien remembers helping her dad package mooncakes as a kid and is now holding down the fort, serving seniors and students in the neighbourhood who rely on the bakery for an affordable meal of pineapple buns and steamed pork buns for under $5. It’s a no-frills, cash-only bakery in a well-lived-in space that gives diners a taste of old Chinatown.

What else is on the menu

Tung Hing’s last batch of mooncakes for the year will be made on Sept. 20, so get them while you can. In addition to the mixed nuts with lime leaf, there’s the more ubiquitous lotus seed paste mooncakes ($11 with one salted egg yolk in the centre, $12 for two yolks, though Lien says they’ve done custom orders with as many as four yolks). Another lesser-seen flavour is durian-coconut with one yolk ($11). The salty-sweet aroma of creamy durian cut with the sharp nuttiness of shredded coconut and salted, flaky egg yolk is a great contrast to the nutty, citrusy mixed-nut mooncake. For the gluten-free and vegan set, opt for the snow-skin mooncakes ($8 each), where the exterior is made from glutinous rice flour. The green one is pandan-flavoured while the more traditional white one has a hint of grapefruit flavour and is filled with sweetened green bean paste (green) or mixed nuts (white). While the production kitchen isn’t gluten-free, the snow-skin mooncakes are made with separate wooden molds. In addition to the customary Chinese bakery buns, the bakery makes a strong iced Vietnamese coffee for $4.50.

Explore the area

The bakery is right next door to one of my go-to Chinese barbecue spots, Supreme Taste (351 Broadview Ave.), which also happens to be on the Star’s Top 100 Under $100 list. Across the street is another Top 100 entry, Oji Seichi (354 Broadview Ave.) for Japanese ramen. From that intersection, keep walking south on Gerrard to hit up Lady Marmalade for brunch (265 Broadview Ave.) or walk east along Gerrard for a latte and matcha cookie at Issho Bakery (583 Gerrard St. E.) and some of the city’s most inventive chocolate bonbons at Onyx Chocolates (601 Gerrard St. E.).