Durian Dreams In Singapore

Durian cake, under its protective dome for carrying it home, after I have cut and eaten the central slice.
Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Durian fruit is strong smelling. But I love it.
1 Which kind of cake should I buy?
2 Which kind of durian should I buy?
3 How do I get it home, and store it, away from upsetting others?

Answers
1 You can ask the Durian Mpire assistant to show you which items are made from the 'better' durians which command a higher price. A guide on the wall explains.
Since I was more interested in price, I opted for the cheaper cake and was quite happy.

Story
2 I once bought 'best quality' d u r i a n tarts from a pop-up seasonal stall in Singapore. I found the stronger tasting durian as annoying to me as to those people who don't like durians at all. I don't like spicy food, salty food, over-sugary drinks and I don't - based on just this one experience - automatically like durians presented to me as best quality. That's good. As far as fresh durians are concerned, I'm a 'cheap date'.

Tips
If the better quality ones have stronger flavour, then you might find that people who prefer stronger curries like the more expensive durians. That's just a theory. You could try it out for yourself with your own friends and family.
Make sure you ask which cakes have pieces of durian in the middle and which are sponge. I did not realise that any of the apparent cakes had 'solid' pieces of durians (actually probably soft like a ripe avocado pear). I wanted the sponge cake with durian aroma.

3 You cannot take durians on the MRT (trains), nor in taxis. Both trains and taxis have warning signs. However, you could a) Take your durian home on a motorbike
b) Take durian home in a private car if you have one or if a friend who has a car is visiting and asks what food you would like them to bring
c) Find a restaurant or hawker centre which serves durian and eat it there
d) Find a grocery shop which delivers
e) Pick the nearest supplier and walk home carrying it
f) Get a maid or other employee to deliver it to your home (or to your workplace for lunch)
g) Visit a friend and tell them you love durian so they get it delivered for you to eat at their place
h) Pack durian in s sealable container such as inside a Tupperware box, then in a cool box. Only if you cannot see it or smell it, you could then risk taking it in a taxi.

Check the prices of the cakes and ask why some cost more than others. To my surprise I had to pay extra for the sponge. I would have imagined that pure fruit would cost more and that adding flour and sugar or any other ingredient was a way to eke out the expensive fruit and charge less. However, it seems that the time and expertise and effort put into making a sponge cake adds to the cost.

Their business cards tell you:
durian-empire.oddle.me
email: enquiry@durianmpire.com

Highland Centre (727 Cakerie Pte Ltd)
22 Yio Chu Kang Road Highland Centre
01-01 Singapore 545535 Tel: 6487 2777

Changi Airport Terminal 2
60 Airport Boulevard Departure Hall
02-012-01 Singapore 819663
Tel:6546 5177

Changi Airport Terminal 3
65 Airport Boulevard Departure hall
02-97 Singapore 819663
Tel:6214 3877

K a l l a n g Airport (727 Cakerie Pte Ltd)
Blk 51 Old Airport Road 01-159
Singapore 390051
Tel: 63440717

Bukit Panjang Plaza
1 Jelebu Road 01-17 Singapore 677743
Tel: 6707177

Jurong Point Shopping Centre
1 Jurong West Central 2 02-K9/K10
Singapore 648886
Tel:6862 3717


More photos shortly.
See my previous post for more information, stories and photos.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.