This pizza stinks horrible.
DT Restaurant in Queens serves up a piping hot pie stuffed with durian, the smelliest fruit on earth, for $14.
At New York’s sprawling food court in Flushing, where the air was filled with the clanging of food stall chefs hawking Taiwanese steaks and noodles, hungry customers were divided on the appeal of the titillating pizza.
“It’s going to stink,” plumber David Wang, 55, warned The Washington Post.
The spiny tropical fruit, which can grow to the size of a football, is considered a delicacy by many in Southeast Asia for its custard-like texture and flavor reminiscent of caramel, vanilla and a slight bitterness.
At the same time, durian has become notorious around the world for its awful stench, so strong that it has been mistaken for a gas leak and has led countries like Vietnam and Singapore to ban it from public transport and hotels.
“I don’t like to smell too strong a smell because even a little bit gives me a headache,” Yuam Bin Liu, 36, said of durian before tucking into a DT pie on her lunch break.
She praised the pie for its subtle sweetness from the fruit and “really rich” texture thanks to the toasted mozzarella covering.
The sewage-like smell, on the other hand, was much milder than that of the fresh fruit, but was still noticeable to those at our table.
“It turned out really delicious,” she said, adding, “I don’t think you should smell it too much.”
Many customers pointed out that durian pizza has been on restaurant menus in China and Thailand for years, adding that the combination is not all that different from other sweet (and controversial) pizza toppings.
“It’s the same thing as when someone puts pineapple on pizza,” said Summer Yu, 30, a wholesaler from Elmhurst.
DT Restaurants aren’t the only New York eatery experimenting with the infamous fruit, which can cost more than $5 a pound: Jeffrey Wang, owner of East Village coffee shop Not as Bitter, previously told The Post that his shop’s most popular dish is a durian latte mixed with the fruit’s pulp.
DT restaurant employees declined to discuss the menu items. First reported Eater NY has reached out to the owner of DT Restaurant for comment.
Sarah Huang, 24, a data policy analyst from Stamford, Connecticut, had just one complaint about DT Restaurants’ pizza: “I wish it had more durian.”
“Too much cheese,” she said.
Additional reporting by JC Rice.
