Durians Buffets and other thorny stuff.

It's the durian season and many people are craving for the King of Fruits.

Let me put up a quick post about durians since we have to 'hunt' for durian offers to please the parents and parents-in-laws. Since I have some info, let me share it with you all.

The funny thing is that I have stopped eating durian since secondary school! My in-laws absolutely love them and I have been buying durian stuff for them. The wife says it's the son-in-law 'bribing' the parents-in-law! (The wife does not touch durians at all!)


I saw this the other day at Clementi Central. One durian for $2!

The catch, they won't open it and you got to bring the whole fruit home. Walking into their shop, they have the $20 for 3 varieties, where they will open and pack it into boxes for you.



My colleagues have been having durian party too. We have a colleague who has in-laws in Batu Pahat, Johor who has their own durian plantation have been bringing in frozen containers of the best durian in the plantation. You should see their happy faces!


Even as a reformed non durian eater, I was still tempted by this smooth durian! It does smell very good!

Colleague brought it from home frozen and left it to thaw in the office for 2-3 hours. It becomes soft and the smell starts to get stronger too!


Colleagues were showing off their durians!

~ ~ Durian Buffets in Singapore  ~ ~

1) Durian Fiesta at Goodwood Park Hotel.

The hotel in Singapore that is famous for durians is Goodwood Park Hotel.
They have been having their Durian Fiesta yearly and it has been on and will run till 31 July!

I have been buying their signature Durian Puffs, Durian Mousse Cake, Durian Crepe etc for the in-laws and also my aunt. They use D24 durian to make them.

From 26 May to 31 July, you can have a range of durian pastries with the regular dessert buffet at their Coffee Lounge during lunch and dinner.

From their website it says:

There will be 6 durian delights available: Durian puff, Durian mousse cake, Durian cappuccino cake and the all-new homemade Durian pengat with glutinous rice and gula melaka. Special live station highlights are the Durian pancake and Mini chocolate or vanilla waffle cones filled with durian mousse. Other desserts in the buffet include delectable cakes, hot or chilled local desserts, ice cream and more. Prices are as follows:

-          $32.80++ per person (Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries only)
-          $26.80++ per person (Top-up with any a la carte main course order)

Call their Coffee Lounge at 6730 1746 for enquiries and reservations.



2) RWS Invites Durian Extravaganza



The wife and I paid for an RWS subscription because we wanted to try out places at RWS. Recently in our snail mail, we got a brochure of their Durian Extravaganza brochure in the shape of an durian mailed to us. (The photo above) It came in a clear plastic wrap like how magazines are delivered. On the outside it had the words, "Warning, it smells!" We thought nothing of it, until a few days ago, I decided to open it up! The durian brochure has been scented with sweet durian smell!!

They are serving Jing Feng, Zhu Jiao, D13, D24, Ang Kar and Mao Shan Wang according to their invite. They said their durians will be freshly harvested on the day of the event just for their guest. They will also have tropical fruits Mangosteens, Rambutan, Jackfruits, Duku Langsats and Sugarcane to go with the durians.

Mark their dates if you are interested:

Date: 27 July 2012, Friday
Time: 7pm – 9pm or 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel® Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa

Price:
RWS Invites members: $48 for adults and $25 for children*
Non-members: $60 for adults and $35 for children*
*children aged 12 and below

For enquiries, please call +65 6577 9788 or email rwsinvites@rwsentosa.com




3) Sands Fruits Festival

Not missing out in the action is Marina Bay Sands. They have a 2 day fiesta that will have more than 10 kinds of tropical fruits for guests to indulge in. Their star will be the Mao Shan Wang variety. Also on the durian buffet is XO, D24 and Golden Phoenix.

Other popular fruits are mangosteens, lychees, longans and coconuts to go with the durians. There's also durian flavoured cream puffs and ice cream on the buffet line. 

Mark these dates:

Date: 21 and 22 July 2012 (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 7pm - 11 pm
Venue: Event Plaza, Marina Bay Sands

Price:
$88 nett per person.
Family of four, can enjoy a package at $208 nett.


4) Corner Shop facing car park at Toa Payoh.

Not sure if it's true, but in the Hardwarezone forums, forumers there said that there's at $15 all you can eat for 1 hour durians.

Location is at Block 211, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh. The corner shop facing the car park.

Enjoy your durians!

The Ultimate Crab and Durian Buffet @ The Promontory, Sentosa Boardwalk

[These crabs and durians were deliciously provided by 'Sentosa - Asia's Favourite Playground' for tasting]

Sentosa has changed so much over the past year or so. There are now so many new attractions and Momo and I have been hopping into the island more than we have ever been say the last 10 years!

At the beginning of this year, the Sentosa Boardwalk was open, and it has been my preferred (and also cheapest) way to get in to Sentosa. I have always rushed in without admiring the view on the boardwalk. This time however, I got to admire the view while having a meal at the boardwalk!




By the way, you can walk on the boardwalk all the way from the VivoCity end till the Sentosa end for free. It is only when you want to enter Sentosa side that you pay only $1 to get in.




If you have yet to hear about it, Sentosa has prepared the Ultimate Crab and Durian Buffet for Crabs and Durian lovers. Crabs cooked in many interesting and delicious ways, durians in desserts or just on its own, opened right in front of you live!

It's only $38++ for adults and $21++ for children 5 - 11 years old.

It's quite a steal isn't it? If you have crabs elsewhere, the crab dish alone is already more or sometimes double what you will pay here for an adult here!

Momo and I recently got to try out the buffet before it's open to the public from 9 - 26 June 2011.
Here's a preview of what you will be eating if you decide to have a meal there. It will all be on buffet tables and you self service.

Appetisers

We had baby octopus, prawn and mango with avocado mousse, salmon sashimi and poached tiger prawns. They are the usual crowd pleasers. The mango with avocado mousse is a little unique.




Another favourite appetiser for many. Deep fried soft shell crabs!





The portions served to us was crispy on the outside, not too oily and it's moist inside. We were told the dressing to go with the soft shell crab is special as it has pineapple inside which gives it a little twang!

Soup

Coral Crab Bisque with Sour Cream.

When I first tasted it, it reminds me of thick version of prawn noodle soup which was yummy! To make it creamier, stir in the sour cream. See the magic when your soup changes colour ;-)

Main Courses

The main courses are what everyone's here for! Crabs! Lots of it!

This was the wok-fried chili Sri Lankan crabs. It's not the usual chili crab that's full of sauce and taste sweetish. This version is spicy and fiery! Shiokness!



What's the best carbo to go with the chili protein? Fried Mantou!



We noticed that the few ladies on our table had an unique way of eating their mantous. They spread it open and pour the gravy over it. How do you eat your mantou? Pinch and dip in sauce or spread it wide and pour sauce over it?



Are you a crab roe lover?
Momo is and she was so happy and went straight for the shell! She adores crab roe!




I am more of a pincers person.
Of all the different crab dishes, this was my favourite!




If you like Salted Egg Yolk Crabs, they have it too!
It was a bit too heavy for my liking, but for salted egg yolk fans, it's your kind of crabs.




Is your favourite crabs Black Pepper Sri Lankan crabs? They serve it too and they are equally awesome! Some places put in chili padi to spice black pepper crabs up, but I did not spot any cili padi here, instead we were told they use black pepper imported all the way from Hawaii.  They were  tongue numbingly good! After the chili crabs, these pepper crabs are my other favourite.

On their website, they also state they have Nonya Curry Crabs, Masala Mud Crabs, Ginger Scallion Flower Crabs. I am sure they will be equally good!




If you are a meat eater, there's also Beef Striploin.
From their website, it is stated they also serve Beef Rendang, Roast Beef Rump etc.




For those who just have to have rice to feel satisfied, there's the Crabmeat and seafood fried rice to satisfy the rice craving.




We also tried their crabmeat chawanmushi with mushroom.



Nice!

On the Sentosa website, you can see they also have fresh oysters, slippery lobsters, shrimp paste chicken, roast beef rump, baked salmon and more.

Desserts

The desserts selection is for Durian lovers!
What you see above, the Durian Cheesecake, Durian Pengat and Durian Mousse.

Some of you know that I don't eat durian unless there's an occasion or reason to try it. Well, I ate them. It was nice! The Durian Pengat (in the short glass) was unique. It was durian with gula melaka over it. The durian I only took a bit and passed the rest to someone on the table who was craving durians!



For the purist, freshly peeled durian right in front of you when you want it is the way to go. Yup, we were told it will be open live in front of you if you come for the buffet.

We were told over 2000 bookings have been made and on certain days they particularly popular. If you are game for it, it's best to make a reservation.


The Ultimate Crab and Durian Buffet
Date: 9 - 26 Jun 2011
Time: 6pm - 11pm
Venue: The Promontory, Sentosa Boardwalk
Prices: $38++ per adult; $21++ per child (5 – 11 years old) (price excludes drinks)

Reservations: +65 6279 1767 (11 am to 9 pm)
For more information, visit: http://www.sentosadining.com.sg/promo.php