I've just got back from Oriental City Colindale having had my first taste of Durian.

First - the Durian Centre is no longer there. (just as jhm suspected)

I thought I'd try some of the plastic wrapped stuff from the supermarket instead (they had some whole Durian fruit which smelled delicious - so I thought I'd give it a go.)

Ended up being a complete waste of money.

Fruit was completely under-ripe. Only truly discernable taste was that of onion (lightly cooked and allowed to cool or slightly rotten, your call).

Amidst that taste there was a hint of something tantalisingly fragrant and sweet - but I guess that would be like trying to work out the flavour of a yellow/black ripe plantain from tasting a green one.

No creaminess - the durian had a texture similar to that of an onion with a particularly fat and juicy inner ring. Obviously under-ripe.

I didn't actually hate it, and I'm not writing off durians just yet. But I won't be trying to sate my curiosity with Thai durians. One day, no idea when, perhaps several years in the future, I hope to try Durian again. Perhaps in Malaysia.

I love the scent that comes from whole Durian, I'm sure that somewhere there's a fruit that will encapsulate at least some of that intoxicating fragrant sweetness.