Mooncakes, memories and modern Chinese dining
Huami marks Mid-Autumn Festival with traditional flavours, seasonal produce and a 13-course degustation inspired by the celebration’s cultural heritage.
Mid-Autumn Festival will take over the tables at SkyCity Adelaide’s Huami this September, with head chef Johnny Zhong drawing on traditional flavours, rituals and memories for a four-day celebration of one of China’s most significant cultural occasions.
Running from September 24-27, the celebration will feature a 13-course degustation created specifically for the festival, alongside five, seven and nine-course set menus and Huami’s live-tank à la carte offering.
For Zhong, the festival has a strong personal connection, shaped by childhood memories of family gatherings.
“For me, Mid-Autumn Festival is really about reunion,” he says. “Growing up, it was a time when family would come together, share food and spend time around the table.
“The moon represents togetherness, so even when family members are far apart, there is still a sense that everyone is looking at the same moon.”
That idea of connection has informed Huami’s approach to the celebration, with the restaurant choosing to look beyond the visual symbolism of the moon and explore the food traditions behind the festival.
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Huami opened in Adelaide in October 2025, positioning itself as a premium modern Chinese restaurant where traditional cuisine is presented with a contemporary approach. Its menu includes Peking Duck cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven, live seafood and elevated Yum Cha, alongside a wine program featuring Australian and international selections.
For the Mid-Autumn Festival menu, Zhong and his team have turned their attention to the mooncake – one of the celebration’s most recognisable foods.
“We looked at different traditional mooncake flavours and fillings and deconstructed them, using those familiar flavours as inspiration for different courses throughout the degustation,” he says.
The resulting 13-course experience incorporates seasonal produce, traditional Chinese flavours and a range of techniques and textures, with familiar tastes appearing in less expected forms. Guests can choose a curated wine or non-alcoholic pairing to accompany the degustation.
For those wanting a different pace, the set menus offer a selection of Huami dishes designed for sharing, while the live-tank experience puts the spotlight on fresh seafood selected by diners and prepared to order.
“The 13-course degustation is the most immersive experience, taking guests through a longer story of Mid-Autumn Festival with a series of smaller courses,” Zhong says. “Our set menus offer a more traditional shared dining experience, allowing guests to enjoy a selection of dishes together around the table.”
The emphasis on sharing reflects the broader role food plays during Mid-Autumn Festival, where the meal is as much about gathering as it is about what is being served.
“Chinese food has always been closely connected with sharing, and many of the best memories happen around a table rather than on an individual plate,” Zhong says.
The celebration will also extend beyond Huami’s dining room, with every guest receiving a complimentary green tea mooncake to take home.
Tea is particularly significant to Zhong, who sees it as an important part of Chinese hospitality and the rituals surrounding a shared meal.
“Tea is not simply something to drink at the end of a meal; it is part of the ritual of welcoming guests, slowing down and bringing people together,” he says.
The mooncake gives diners the opportunity to continue that ritual at home, whether shared with family and friends or enjoyed quietly with a cup of tea.
The aim, Zhong says, is to introduce diners to the meaning behind the festival as well as its food.
“I hope guests leave with a better understanding of what Mid-Autumn Festival means beyond mooncakes and the full moon,” he says. “For people experiencing the festival for the first time, I hope they discover that it is really a celebration of family, reunion, gratitude and sharing.”
For Huami, that makes the four-day celebration an opportunity to use food as a starting point for experiencing a cultural tradition – whether diners arrive for the full 13-course journey, a shared set menu or a meal centred around live seafood.
“Food is the way we tell that story, but the feeling we want people to remember is the experience of sitting around the table with the people they care about,” Zhong says.
Huami’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration runs from September 24–27, with the 13-course degustation, set menus and live-tank à la carte dining available throughout the four days. Every guest will receive a complimentary green tea mooncake to take home.
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