Dare to try a durian
The ritual is almost predictable. You step up to the fruit stall and order a durian from the counter. The gloved server grins slowly and bags up the fruit with a wry comment. Then comes the smell — pungent, unforgettable, almost violent — and weird looks from passersby follow. Time passes and you try a small piece at first. Is it rotten onions? Or even over-ripe socks? Eventually you have to pick your side — do you love or loathe the world’s most controversial fruit?
The durian — banned in many of KL’s public spaces because of its overpowering smell — is nothing if not distinctive. The country has a thorny love affair with the fruit and it’s ubiquitous, appearing in juices, deserts, cocktails and ice cream. If you’re brave enough, SS2 Durian House Stall in Petaling Street Market offers a great introduction to its mind-shifting flavour, while connoisseurs opt for Soon Huat Durian Market, a series of tents near Cempaka underground station.
The ritual can also be spotted at Durian BB, located near KLCC in the shadow of the prongs of the Petronas Twin Towers, and Durian King TTDI, where it’s served over iced cendol, electric-green rice flour jelly with coconut milk and sugar syrup. Unsurprisingly, that’s an acquired taste, too. But with so much choice on offer in KL, who said you’d love everything?