Eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese delicacy of mooncakes are often presented as a gift to friends and family. Chef Craig Wong, who helms Patois and Bar Mignonette, gives us the scoop on the best of these traditionally red bean– or lotus- paste–filled pastries in Toronto.

WINNER: SAINT GERMAIN BAKERY

“The smell is a clean, uplifting scent. It has a double yolk, which is a classic move. It’s a quintessential mooncake, and the yolk is oily, which I like. I would buy this set for myself.” stgermainbakery.com, 1800 Sheppard Ave. E., $47.50 for 4

RUNNER-UP: MASHION BAKERY

“Wow, this is delicious. This one tastes like a very nice, clean white bean. The crust is nice, and so is the scent. I expected it to be way more dense in flavour and texture, but it’s actually very pleasant.” 647-348-2866, 345 Spadina Ave., $7.50 per piece

BAKE CODE

“They’re using salted egg yolk as a basis for a custard. It’s not traditional, but it’s cool. I would buy this set for my younger cousins. This has a modern approach, but it doesn’t fulfill my soul.” bakecode.com, 4910 Yonge St., $10/each

PATISSERIE GATEAU

“It’s really cool, not something you see quite often. Foodies would definitely get this set from me as a gift. The winter melon is a lot lighter than the lotus or the beans.” patisseriegateau.com, 6464 Yonge St., #122, $9.50/each

YU SEAFOOD

“It has that pork flavour to it. It’s interesting. Maybe I have some more growing up to do so that I can appreciate this one a little more. I would definitely buy this for the older people in my life.” yuseafood.com, 270 West Beaver Creek Rd., Richmond Hill, $78 for 6

KIN-KIN BAKERY

“It’s pasty, it’s heavy. As a kid, this is everything that I didn’t like in a mooncake because I would bite into them, hoping for lotus, but I’d get this. I appreciate it a lot more now.” kinkinbakery.ca, 300 John St., #141, Thornhill, $3.85/each

TUNG HING BAKERY

“Very gingery, porky, there’s actually some candied winter melon. There are pieces that have so much sugar on them that they crystalize and become crunchy.” 416-465-9103, 353 Broadview Ave., $20.60 for 4