Teck Chye Terrace is a tad hard to find for someone who is not familar with that part of Singapore. It’s on the junction of Boundary Road and Upper Serangoon. Near the Paya Lebar Methodist Church. However, its definitely not a new name for foodies. This is also the place where the Channel 8 Drama Series - 'Holland Village' was filmed.
The shop is called Durian 24, owned by Jimmy's friend. The proprietor once took part in a Mediacorp TV competition with two other durian sellers to see who was the best in identifying the different types of durian & he won hands down. There were different types of durian sold in this shops: " D24", "Cat Mountain King" & etc. There were other fruits such as starfruits, mangosteens and cherries available too. We were given some free Lychee thru the courtesy of the proprietor. =) For those who like durian cakes & durian puffs, you can find emicakes outlet here too.
For the unintiated, durian is actually a tropical fruits with heavy, thick-skinned, brownish-green, spiky shells. Mainly planted in Southeast Asia, each individual fruit is divided into few compartments, each containing a few sac of thick, creamy pulp with brown seed, with an aroma that is legendary. Those who loves it call it 'King of Fruits'. The litany of legends and myths surrounding what Malaysians call the "king of fruits" is long and colorful. The durian is said to be an aphrodisiac: When durians fall down, sarongs fly up, goes a Malay saying. For those who cannot accept its strong smell and ugly look described it as smelling like garbage, moldy cheese, rotting fish or worse still: a bunch of dead cats. Thailand durian is good for beginners who cant stand the 'pungent smell' but for the real connoisseur, nothings beats the native durian grown in Malaysia's dusun(aka orchard).
It had been years since i last tasted durian. I aint a durian lover but this kind of gathering always bodes well for the tastebuds. Besides, my colleagues are all good people which are great fun to be with. Hence, regardless of the ulcers in my mouth and the lasik surgery scheduled 2 days later, i braved myself to the durian buffet spread.
We ate the most expensive 'Cat Mountain' which is so called the best durian. The colour of the durians were golden yellow while the texture were creamy wet and sweet, the taste however decent but nothing to rave about. I still remember the good old times when my families and I used to eat durian by the roadside stalls. Those durains seemed to taste nicer and richer in terms of flavor. Those are the best durians i had ever tasted, perhaps what i hv been pining for is a taste of nostalgia. I can also remember after a hefty durian feast, mummy would insist that we fill the empty shell with water, add a pinch of salt and drink it. She would explain that by doing so, the shell which contains "anti-heat" properties that would help cool down body heat. It is believed that durian makes the body feel warm. Another weird but useful tip: Rinse your mouth and hands with water poured on the durian shell. This will neutralise any bad after-durian binge smells.
10 of us had about 5 durians before going over to Lim Tua Tow restuarant which is located 2 doors away. The food were generally too salty and too heavy after our durian feast. The attraction of durian is fatal. We were drawn back to Durian 24 after dinner by the durian smells and started our 2nd rd durian buffet. We also dabao some back homw and all of us vowed to return next week to relish the sensation again before this durian season draws to an end. If you have not sampled durians before, I highly recommend that you do. You will either love it or hate it. No two ways about it. Whatever the consensus, one must admit there is nothing quite like the durian – "king of the fruit".
Labels: Days of My Life, Lets Tuck In, Singapore
