A few months ago, at the end of dinner at The Jade in Richmond, our table was offered a special treat. I write without irony (nor sarcasm) that it was the best Chinese dessert I have had to date. It is made like a moon cake, but with a flakey (instead of pasty) pastry and an ethereally light egg yolk filling…and it was still warm as if it just came out of the oven. Just amazing.
The restaurant manager explained that “the boss” was having a party and they just happened to have few extra for us to try. He also added that it is not on their regular menu and was prepared specially for this private party. I was quite deflating to think that I may never have this dessert ever again.
Not to be deterred, Gersham, a member of our forum and who was present at that dinner, did some sleuthing and found its name – 奶皇棋子饼 which roughly translates to “custard cake*“…and that it is indeed available if you pre-order it (probably in Cantonese.)
Put this on your “must try” list.
* My Chinese translation software translates the characters to “emperor’s milk egg (custard) cake” alluding to more mythical or poetic origins. Does anyone out there know the story behind this cake?
I’ve seen them on the menu at classy Cantonese restaurants here. Like you said, the pastry is flakier (the other one is 冰皮月饼 bīngpí yuèbǐng, right?) and the filling is, well, just like you described it. Sounds like you got a really good batch but I’m sure you could find them elsewhere in Vancouver.
They sometimes appear as 奶黄棋子饼 nǎihuáng qízǐbǐng instead of 奶皇棋子饼 nǎihuáng qízǐbǐng. I always thought 奶黄 nǎihuáng was the proper form, since it just means “custard” and 棋子饼 qízǐbǐng are those little cakes that look like chess pieces (棋子 qízǐ). But I’m just a bit confused, since I see 奶皇 nǎihuáng translated simply as “custard,” too. And the The Kowloon Hotel box says 奶黄月饼 nǎihuáng yuèbǐng, for example.
Like Gersham’s link says, people call them 半岛月饼 Bàndǎo yuèbǐng, too, since they’re associated with the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong 香港半岛酒店 Xiāng Gǎng Bàndǎo Jiǔdiàn, but other fancy places (Kowloon Hotel, like I said) make ‘em too.
Thanks Dylan. I have had very similar custard cakes, but this one was so different (and so much better) that I thought it might actually be called something different. Perhaps, like you say, it was just a particularly good batch.