Bill Gates tries durian during trip to Singapore

Gates visited Newton Food Center, one of Singapore's most popular hawker centers, on Tuesday evening, Channel News Asia reported.

Upon noticing Gates, several diners there began taking photos and videos of him, and a crowd of more than 80 people gathered around him as he toured the center, Mothership reported.

A video shared on social media shows the billionaire taking a whiff of the famously pungent durian fruit before having a bite. Based on his reaction, he appeared to enjoy it.

Durian, primarily grown in tropical countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, is known for its large size, strong odor, and thorn-covered rind.

Last year, it ranked seventh in a list of the 26 best fruits in Southeast Asia as voted by readers of international food magazine TasteAtlas.

Gates was also seen trying other local dishes such as fishball soup, carrot cake, roti prata, lime juice, and sugarcane juice.

The billionaire was in Singapore to speak at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025, where he announced that his non-profit organization, the Gates Foundation, will be opening an office in the country.

Gates co-founded Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He held several key positions at the company, including CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Chief Software Architect, from 1975 to 2014.