When I was 4 I had my first moon cake from Eastern Bakery.
At the time Woo Chee Chong was the only market in San Diego that sold Chinese food. I looked forward to Mid-Autumn festival each year and those delicious moon cakes. The rest of the year melon cakes were available.
Years later I visited Eastern Bakery in San Francisco. Woo Chee Chong had gone out of business and I couldn’t find Eastern Bakery products anywhere except the Chinatown location. Over decades of visiting Eastern Bakery hasn’t changed much except the window displays seem more faded in the sun.
This visit they were out of the full size lotus seed moon cakes so I tried the mini lotus seed paste moon cake.
I love the sweet but not overpowering lotus seed flavor and the creamy texture.
The pastry part gives a mild flavor which adds a layer of flavor without distracting from the lotus seed.
Super melon cake had a mild tasting flaky pastry shell. 85C sells a similiar pastry they call a sun cake.
Eastern Bakery’s version is bigger and the sweet center is sweeter.
The standard melon cake is my favorite as the center filling isn’t as sweet and more like 85C’s version.
There are lots of choices.
I try to get something different each visit.
I miss those early days when my mom would take me to Woo Chee Chong and there were colorful boxes of moon cakes waiting for us.
720 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 433-7973
Really enjoyed all of the various wall murals found throughout Chinatown. Wonderful day with you and miss Mari. :>)
Chinatown is very scenic. 🙂
This is an old school place! I really love the feel your photos give of this bakery. I’m very curious about the melon cake . I am not sure if I’ve tried this before. What type of melon is used? Have you visited the new 85c in UTC?
Thanks! I didn’t see the type of melon listed but it was likely winter melon. I think Wonder Bakery in Chinatown LA has them.
I have seen the new 85C but didn’t get anything. Have you tried them?