Now that durian season is at its peak — even though prices are falling to the point of stalls giving away the spiky fruit for free — hotel restaurants are picking up on our love for the King of Fruits. With experimental savory creations and decadent desserts, these buffet spreads aren’t quite your ordinary ones. For starters, they raise up quite the stink — you can practically smell the durian delicacies the moment you step into the buffet line — but hey, if you’re there to begin with, you’re probably not complaining about that.
Check ’em out below.
Lime Restaurant at Parkroyal on Pickering
The hotel’s signature durian fiesta, which it calls “Thorny Temptations,” returns for a month with Mao Shan Wang starring in countless dishes, from spicy to sweet, appetizers to mains. On the savory side, you can nibble on durian wild rice and chicken salad, baked durian nasi lemak, durian curry chicken, wok-fried kung pao pork belly with durian, and durian salted egg popcorn chicken.
But if you prefer your durian in sweet treats, head to the dessert bar for stuff like durian with avocado purée and sago or durian pengat. Hardcore durian enthusiasts can camp outdoors to get your fill of proper durians from a pop-up stall between 7pm and 9pm.
July 27-Aug 26; daily 6:30pm-10:30pm at Lime Restaurant, Parkroyal on Pickering. $98/adult, includes free flow coffee and tea; $49/child aged between 4 and 12.
The Line at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
Three durian varieties are featured in the return of The Line’s durian buffet: Hong Xia, D21, and D24. Also hawked at an outdoor kiosk, the thick and creamy treat is available for consumption by the hotel’s poolside, along with tropical fruits like rambutan, longan, and mangosteen.
Indoors, durian creations are spotlighted alongside the restaurant’s regular line-up, with a focus on seafood on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and wagyu on Wednesdays. On top of these dishes, you’ll find the likes of durian fried rice, durian miso-glazed scallops, durian crab, and durian prata scattered among the international array of cuisines, plus desserts such as durian pudding, durian tart, durian dome cake, and durian Swiss roll.
Even if you’re not too keen on these at-times bizarre durian recipes, the selection has plenty of other regular offerings to keep your stomach full.
Now till Aug 31; Tues-Sun 6pm-10pm at The Line, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. $98-$118/adult, $49-$59/child aged between 6 and 11.
