Today for lunch we went to the Straits Cafe to have a nice sampling of Singaporean cuisine.

The Straits Cafe has a nice buffet which is great for getting a little taste of many different foods.

Singaporean cuisine is a wonderful mix of Indian and Asian foods and is very diverse.

Laksa is an example of Peranakan cuisine. The Peranakan are descendants of early Chinese immigrants to the Straits Settlements on the Malay peninsula.

The Peranakan cuisine combines Chinese and Malaysian traditions and spices.

I have always enjoyed Laksa during my visits here. The rich coconut curry soup base has a rich taste and is a great complement to the different ingredients that are added. Rice noodles are standard but other ingredients vary.

I sampled the different types of sushi. I liked the colorful toppings.

This plate was a mix of Chinese and Indian tastes. However, they seemed to have a Singaporean twist.

My colleagues would go to the buffet and bring back things they wanted me to taste. This was a delicious fish curry. The fish had soaked up the delicious curry and just melted in your mouth.

One of my colleagues put together a durian dessert plate for me. I have had durian before, but it has been a long time ago.

Durian has a strong smell and a very distinct taste. Durian is banned in many hotels, airports and on public transit because of the strong smell.

People have different reactions to durian. Some love it and others absolutely hate it and can’t even force themselves to eat it.

It is not yet durian season so I was not able to sample the fresh fruit. However, the desserts did have strong durian flavors.

I would definitely eat durian again, but it is not something that I would go too far out of my way for. Maybe I should say that it is tolerable.

Have you had durian before?

Steven