Moshimochi 立糯 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Founded in 2015 , Moshimochi is one of the first if not the first to combine Japanese mochi into French pastries. I was made aware of this patisserie by my food buddy, Agent-I but have yet to give it a try myself for years. A few months ago, I made an enquiry but only to learn that they have a minimum order of at least 10 pieces. That was where the communication stopped until most recently when I heard about them waiving the minimum order, I thought it's time for me to take action.

Moshimochi is situated in an industrial building in the heart of Lai Chi Kok. I think this is also where their kitchen is located and not surprisingly, no dine-in option.

Mini jasmine pistachio mochi tart ($68) – My first choice was their jasmine pistachio mochi tart since I have developed a recent addiction to anything infused with tea (more specifically, jasmine tea and earl grey).

Like any traditional French tarts, this consists of a filling, in this case a mix of jasmine ganache and homemade pistachio jam over a sweet shortcrust pastry. Once I sliced through the tart, I discovered a layer of mochi and pistachio sponge cake hidden underneath and there were also bits and pieces of roasted nuts there for some crunchy texture. 

I found it to be pretty special. The different textures of nutty flavors really worked well together and if you are a fan of pistachio, it's going to rock you like nothing else before.

Now that I've tried it myself, I can honestly answer this question on how well mochi worked in a French-style tart. I thought it integrated seamlessly into the jasmine pistachio tart. The mochi is never going to be the focal point here, but its soft, chewy, and satisfying mouthfeel provided the jasmine ganache, pistachio cream, sponge and roasted nuts very nice textural contrast.

If I have to name one improvement area, it's perhaps that the dessert was right in between sweet and savory. A bit more sweetness would make this a perfect dessert for the sweet-toothed.

Mini whisky hazelnut mochi tart ($68) – I thought less successful was this whisky hazelnut mochi tart. 

While the base was very similar to jasmine pistachio mochi tart by nature (sponge, mochi and sweet short crust), this was topped by a foamy Irish coffee cream, homemade hazelnut jam and chocolate tuile. Not a bad move but the coffee flavor could be too overpowering at times for the hazelnut.

Food Rating: 6.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Unit 802, 8/F Elite Industrial Centre, 883 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 9431-5388

Website: www.moshimochi.hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 7:00pm daily