Did you smell that?

The pungent smell you can smell miles away… unmistakably durian! A whiff of durian aroma is tantalizing to some, vomit-inducing to some - either you love it or hate it. I remember when I was a child, my father used to buy durians home and even before he reveals our treat of the day, we will know what it is~ Eating durians used to be a family affair; all of us gather around the durian laid out on newspaper on the kitchen floor. That was until my mum and penny decided they wean off durians…

Choosing a good durian is nearly an art. Sound, smell and feel are elements to determine a worthy durian. Shake the durian, listen to slightly hollow sound and movement of the durian seeds and you have a fresh durian not sticking to the shell. Look at the stalk of the fruit and feel for the weight. Then you need to identify the specific taste of durians you want, be it sweet, sweet & bitter, liquor bitter and bitter.

If you have met a good durian seller, you can count on his experience in picking a good durian. On the other hand if you don’t trust the seller, don’t let him rip you off with unwanted durians and you pay a hefty price of money and disappointment!

When Singaporeans want durians, the go-to place is Geylang. Throngs of stalls are scattered around this area and unless you know a good stall, many stories surface of customers being conned or over-charged.

Our go-to for durians is at Dempsey Carpark. This stall is the only surviving durian stall in this area when there were more stalls donkey years ago. Flashy cars pull up next to the stall to collect their pre-ordered durians nicely packed in choice of brown paper bag or styrofoam packets.

I believe all of his loyal customers come back to Ah-Di (stall owner) because he is reliable, trustworthy and honest. He will tell you if his stock of durians is not so good on that day and deduct the price of partial bad durian that we did not eat. We were impressed! Service is good, quality of durian is good, price is slightly cheaper than Geylang, plenty of parking space at the location – what more can we ask for?

Despite my love for durians, headaches from heatiness curb me from my cravings. However, I am constantly tempted by my durian-loving other half and sister. I sit there watching them gobble up and I take a few tiny bites to satisfy my tastebuds wondering why am I going through this?

Please bear in mind durians are the most sinful fruit indulgence ever. Durians contain most fat, carbohydrates and fibre. Whatever it is, moderation consumption should be exercised and remember, no beer after a durian session!


Warm love,
Starningblue