KOTA KINABALU: Durians are usually banned in hotels, but not at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa (STAR) here.
Its executive Sous Chef Zebdelone Chal Singh, who is a hardcore durian lover, brings the feast to another level by "burning" the tropical fruit.
"Since locals like seasonal fruits, such as mangos and this time durians, instead of doing the normal, why not do something crazy?
"We burn the durian in charcoal between 15 and 20 minutes until it is charred. After that, we put Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese on it, " he said yesterday when the hotel began offering the weekend "Cheesy Durian Melt" food for the public at its car park space.
Zebdelone added that the grilling process made the durian more "milky" in taste and creamy in texture while the direct heat from the blowtorch gave additional smoky flavour to the cheese.
Despite the different way of serving the fruit, he assured that it would not mask the taste of the D24 and D101 types of durians.
He said STAR received good response from the public for the event after they posted it on their social media.
"Some are excited...some even questioned whether 'burned' durian and cheese is a real thing.
"This durian feast is definitely for those who can love the fruit and want to try something different."
For someone who is not so into the seasonal fruit, the resort's food and beverage director David Wang said the burning eliminated the original smell of the fruit and it turned out delicious.
STAR's Cheesy Durian Melt is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 3pm onwards.
The price is RM98 nett for whole grilled durian and additional of RM28 nett for the cheeses.