Executive chef Danny Ho at The Market, Hotel ICON, has made Hong Kong fall in love with the fragrant Malaysian fruit, with fantastic durian dessert treats offered at the buffet
Kuala Lumpur-born Danny Ho calls himself the “durian prince” – a rightful title for the man responsible for inspiring Hong Kong’s love affair with durian.
If you encounter his convivial aura at Hotel ICON, where he leads as executive chef of the property’s dining portfolio, including The Market buffet, and shake his hand, you’ll find the Malaysian chef is bonkers for durian.
“I wanted to become a chef when I was three years old,” Danny Ho tells Foodie. “During lunchtime or dinner, I would decorate my plate with different elements, say, barbecue pork, vegetables, like a fine-dining concept.”
If a childhood obsession with artistic plating dictated anything, the grown-up Danny found himself studying culinary pastry arts in Paris. His arrival back to Malaysia and Asia convinced him to specialise in fusing French techniques with Asian ingredients.
“I am a Malaysian chef. In my cooking, I select the most expensive fruit in the world [from my country].” Danny’s mark in the industry came when he sought to bring the durian, the infamous fruit native to Southeast Asia and admired greatly in Malaysia, into a finer light in the pastry space. Recognising the fruit’s unfortunate reputation, Danny wanted to provide more fair PR for the ingredient complex in aroma and taste.
When Hotel ICON opened in Hong Kong, supported by Danny in the opening culinary team, the property faced the question of how to market themselves, offering unique characteristics as compared to Tsim Sha Tsui’s existing high-end hotel brands of Kowloon Shangri-La, The Peninsula, and Sheraton Hong Kong.
Tsim Sha Tsui’s hotels showcased strong French, Italian, and Japanese cuisines, yet a lack of focus on Asian cuisine and, more importantly, Malaysia’s golden product. Where Malaysian, Thai, and Singaporean hotels formerly couldn’t accept the durian on menus or inside their properties – the stench of durian was too potent for the general public – Danny bravely introduced the durian at The Market, Hotel ICON’s popular buffet restaurant, 13 years ago.
“As a training hotel in Hong Kong, we began slowly, educating our staff how to serve and introduce [the durian] to our guests.” Before Hong Kong, and Asia as a whole, took a liking to durian, it wasn’t atypical to see anti-durian sentiment on YouTube or durian banned on public transport.
Danny first tempted buffet-goers at Hotel ICON by serving durian baked cheese tarts. “When I opened the oven to serve and see my customers’ reaction, either they hated the smell or refused to eat it,” he says with a laugh. The team instead served the tarts tableside to tempt customers, and this strategy worked.
The Market was Hong Kong’s first restaurant to host a durian spread, impressive in its range and quality. Danny and his team import only Malaysian D24 durian, considered the crown jewel of durian in Asia. It possesses a milky, white-yellow colour with a thick texture and complex flavour profile. “When you go for aroma and taste, of course Malaysian durian is the finest, because we can make a difference when you taste it.”
Famous for its seafood spread, a dinner seat at The Market can reach HKD1,000 per head, whilst a 1.5-kilogram durian also costs Danny’s team HKD1,000 to import. Great value, he says, must dictate what they serve at the buffet. Durian comes in ice-cream form, chocolate bites, pandan-flavoured pineapple buns, coconut balls, sponge cakes, and purée. “We aim to reflect value for money with a great spread!”
The Market stocks seven kinds of signature durian from Malaysia, with varying levels of “durian power” in the desserts, suiting both non-durian lovers and durian experts.
When asked if he has influenced Hong Kong’s love affair with durian, Danny definitively exclaims, “Yes!” Soon after durian mania erupted at the hotel buffet a decade ago, copycat buffet sessions and restaurant menus came about, joining the trend of durian desserts.
Where 14 years ago the fruit was made a mockery by travelling Hong Kongers touring Asia or Hong Kong media exploring Malaysia, Danny Ho recognises the city’s genuine love for durian. Returning for the sixth edition, Hotel ICON is hosting the Malaysian Durian Festival this summer, a celebration of the Malaysian fruit’s versatility.
From mid-July till early September this year, Hong Kongers are invited to the hotel to savour Danny’s signature double-boiled durian and abalone soup, a variety of potent Malaysian durians, and savoury durian snacks crafted by the chef’s Singaporean, Malaysian, Indian, and Thai culinary team and also tune into educational talks on the marvellous fruit.
A three-hour-long buffet will be held at Hotel ICON’s glitzy Silverbox Ballroom on weekends to treat Hong Kongers to an extended feast of sweet and salty durian creations.
“Our durian festival is not only for tasting different kinds of durian, but interacting with me and our chefs on this fantastic fruit. I hope we will bring happiness to everyone who will dine in our restaurant.”
In the mood for durian? Book yourself a place for lunch or dinner at The Market – winner of our Foodie Forks 2024 Best Buffet award – to enjoy the durian creations by chef Danny Ho.
