What's new in the food scene

Durian season is here, and if you want to  know how to pick a winner, 99 Old Trees presents a Durian Confidence Course ($128 per ticket, $99 each for two tickets or more) from June 19 to July 4.

This 90-minute course will allow you to learn, eat and then head home with a goodie bag.

You will learn to identify the different durians from Malaysia, how to pick the best, and how to open a durian.

You’ll get to taste six different variants of the fruit too, with a drink to chase the heatiness.

Then you’ll leave with merch such as a durian t-shirt and a stinky roll (a dessert made out of 15 seeds of Mao Sshan Wang).

You can walk in for the experience at the open space next to 99 Old Trees (1 Teo Hong Road); but it is better to book a slot via   https://www.99oldtrees.com/master-class.

Michelin Guide Singapore has announced its 2023 Bib Gourmand list, which highlights exceptional value-for-money gourmet experiences.

This year, Singapore has 79 entries, with 19 newcomers to the list.

Newcomers include restaurants The Coconut Club (269 Beach Rd) and Kok Seng (4 Keong Saik Road), and hawker stalls such as Bahrakath Mutton Soup (Adam Food Centre), Du Du Shou Shi (Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre), Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee (51 Old Airport Road Market), Soon Huat (North Bridge Road Market & Food Centre), and Spinach Soup (Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre).

You can get the list in full via https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en.

Masterchef Singapore Season 2 winner Derek Cheong has opened a pizza stall at Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre. 

What makes him stand out is that he incorporates classic Indian flavours as toppings, creating a fun experience for Indian food lovers.

The Chicken Tikka pizza ($10.90) and the Mushroom Masala ($10.90) are two popular flavours.

Chef Cheong picked the Palak Paneer pizza ($10.90) as his favourite.

If you want more than pizzas, the Chicken 65 chicken wing (from $8.90) is a crispy juicy choice too.

Genki Sushi’s limited time Wagyu Matsuri menu (till July 23) highlights the premium A5 Satsuma wagyu from the Minami Satsuma Valley in Kagoshima, Japan, and wagyu with a high marbling score of 6-7 from Victoria, Australia.

From the latter, the must-try dish is the Wagyu Maki ($9.90), which comprises wagyu, cucumber and tamago (egg).

From Japan’s side, try the Mega Truffle Wagyu ($7.90), gently-torched length of wagyu with a smoky aroma.

Lady M’s Lavender Mille Crepes is now available in Singapore, alongside other lavender-filled events such as floral outfittings at selected boutiques (great for your socials!), a refreshed afternoon tea set at Lady M Champagne Bar, and an exclusive scent collaborations with perfume atelier Maison 21G.

The cake is available till August 31, from $13 a slice.

Expect paper-thin crepes layered with lavender pastry cream (handcrafted with dried lavender flowers from France). The cake is centred with a filling of blackberry jelly, piped with lavender-blackberry cream.

You can buy your cake via https://ladym.com.sg too.

Now at Baker X is Bakes by Ben (@bakesbyben.tld on Instagram).

Baker Benedict Tein, 17, will be selling his bakes till July 2.

His signature item is the walnut chocolate brownies, with gooey chocolate dotted with walnuts and topped with dark couverture chocolate.

Exclusively at Baker X Orchard Road (Orchard Central #04-29), he offers the chocolate lotus biscoff brownies ($2.80 a piece), and the gluten-free oreo blueberry cheesecake ($7.50 each).

Baker X has a roster of home-based businesses. After Bakes by Ben, the rundown will be Microgram, Tarts by Lin, My Little Bakery and Twice Young.