The Goodwood Park Hotel announces Durian Fiesta to celebrate its 110th anniversary

Durians. This word always conjured up scary images (and smells) for me. Yes, I’m Singaporean, but nope, I DO NOT like durians. There, I’ve said it. Not very patriotic I know, but matters of taste transcend the boundaries of nations. Everything to do with the fruit doesn’t agree with me—from the evil spiny look to the rotting-rat-behind-the-refrigerator smell and creepy taste of the gooey flesh that most Singaporeans go ballistic over. What I am, though, is a dessert person. So when the good people from Goodwood Park Hotel (Deli, 22 Scotts Rd., 6730-1786) dropped off a box of their durian desserts for me in honor of their Durian Fiesta from Mar 1-Jul 25 (it’s early but good things need to be told!), I wasn’t terribly excited, but a tad hopeful. I opened the box (cautiously, like it held a bomb) and man, a sight greeted me. It contained the durian Oreo cake ($8.80 per slice, $48 per 750-gram cake), durian éclair ($5.50 per piece, $40.80 for eight) and Durianmisu ($8.80 per serving, also available as mini Durianmisu at $4.80 each, or $26.80 for six servings)—all new for 2010; plus old standbys like the durian mousse cake ($8.50 per slice, $52 per 1.3-kilogram cake; $98 per 2.5-kilogram cake; $133 per 3.5-kilogram cake) and durian puff ($2.20 per piece, $12.80 for six pieces, $39.80 for 20 pieces). The instant I tasted the first bit of pulp, my fate was sealed. Needless to say, I totally sold out on my anti-durian principles and polished off the whole box with some help from my co-workers, of course. Trust me, the D24 (the super-supreme type of durian used in all these desserts) is so fresh, creamy and tasty that you’ll be stuffing it down without a thought—all that creamy, dreamy pulp worked perfectly within the context of each specific dessert (my fave’s the Durianmisu, although all are yum). The hotel’s turning 110 this year, so the first 110 guests at the Deli on Apr 1 will get a 25 percent discount on all takeaway durian pastries. Mark the date like, now.