Durian Experiment: We blind-tasted durians from different brands in search for the most delicious durian we could find! See the results below
There’s one thing that Singaporeans love, and that’s the King of Fruits – Durians! Sure, it is definitely a hit-or-miss with most people. There are those who simply wish to avoid its overwhelming, pungent scent, while there are others who find its deep, complex flavour profile and creamy texture more than welcoming.
When it comes to enjoying this exquisite and indulgent fruit, there are three main concerns that arise when it comes to buying durians in Singapore – the location (convenience), durian quality and sellers’ honesty.
There are many durian stalls in Singapore, and the durian market is essentially like the wild west where sellers can claim their durians to be anything they want. So, where to get the best durians?
As the durian season approaches its peak, our team of durian enthusiasts at BestinSingapore.com ventured onto the great list of durian stalls in Singapore and rounded up some of the best places that durian lovers enjoy frequenting, as well as our top favourite durian stall that we unanimously agreed to award the title of Best Durian Stall in Singapore.
As we know that readers want an unbiased opinion on the best durian stall in Singapore, this article is completely honest and we are not sponsored by the companies involved in any way.
For this season, we mainly tried the Mao Shan Wang & Red Prawn from each store, as this was the variety was available at every store, and also are the most popular varieties in Singapore.
Methodology
We asked our readers to vote on their favourite durian providers and narrowed them down to the top 4 brands mentioned most often in the hundreds of comments provided by you guys.
The top 4 brands mentioned were: Combat Durian, Durian Delivery Singapore, Ah Seng Durian and 99 Old Trees!
Next, we ordered MSW durian from each of these sellers and had a team of 9 durian eaters blind test each durian, giving it a rating. At the end, we collated the results and awarded one of these brands the privilege of being The Best Durian Stall in Singapore. Read below to find out the results!
1. Durian Delivery Singapore (duriandelivery.com.sg)
Durian Delivery Singapore is known for its mouth-watering selection of durians which include the King Red Prawn, premium MSW, and Golden phoenix. Handpicked from their very own private plantations in Malaysia, their durians are delivered straight to their headquarters in Singapore via an express route and come in limited quantities during some peak periods due to strict quality control. We tried their famous black gold Mao Shan Wang, which came highly recommended and praised by friends and family who have tried it before.
The high-quality fruit hits all the right spots – creamy, rich, with a bitter complexity in its flavours. The Black Gold Mao Shan Wang produced a wondrous, intense complexity that awed our team. The glorious golden-yellow flesh is extremely creamy and buttery, which got us hooked picking up one seed after another. The seeds are also extremely flat and small, which means there is proportionately more buttery custard flesh to enjoy. This was definitely an experience that was amazingly different from the other stalls.
Upholding a gold-quality standard across all its MSW variants, they rank at the top of our list and deserves our seal of approval as the Best Mao Shan Wang we found in Singapore!
What’s more, it was sealed in their air-tight packets and took 2 hours to arrive after de-husking, yet we found that the taste did not pale in comparison to the husked durians we got from the other stalls. In fact, we felt that the durians here taste even better!
Durian Delivery specialises in cutting-edge packaging technology, to ensure that the freshness and flavours of the durians are sealed in air-tight, and also an efficient delivery process to deliver fresh durians right to your doorstep within 2 hours on the same day, with a 1-hour express delivery option available as well. There is no minimum order too. The most convenient way to enjoy your durians is to have them sent to your home via same-day delivery. This makes it less of a hassle for durian lovers to go down to durian stores personally and be able to enjoy their durians whenever the cravings strike. They also offer a 1-to-1-exchange of durians should customers find their durians unsatisfiable, so rest assured that you will receive only the best durians!
Website: https://duriandelivery.com.sg/
Delivers: 10am-11pm
2. Combat Durian
Who is Combat Durian: At Combat Durian, you’ll be served by Mr Ang, a durian seller in his 70s. He interestingly coined the name “Combat Durian” as a similar pronunciation with the word “come back”, meaning that he wishes for customers to return for more after having a delicious round of durians at Combat Durian. Their durians are typically sold at a steeper price as compared to the market average, but they are pretty famous among durian sellers for having one of the best quality durians, and a lot of loyal customers.
Our Verdict: 4/5
The Mao Shan Wang from Combat are smaller and less fleshy as compared to other stores, but the durians have a rich bittersweetness, and a strong, intense aroma. We could taste the freshness in the durians. They certainly live up to their reputation of having great durians, and it was definitely one of the better Mao Shan Wang we’ve had. However, the price was definitely steeper and we weren’t sure if it was something we would pay a steeper price for.
Durians may be sold out quickly, however customers are still able to catch their freshest batch of durians when their new batch arrives at 5 pm every day. If you’re dining in, there are mineral water and even tissues provided by the stall owners at the seating area as well, albeit a rather small area along the back alley which might get hot during the day. If you don’t want the messy aftermath of durian-eating, this is one of our recommended places for dining in.
Address: 249 Balestier Road, S329714
Opening Hours: Daily, 12pm – 9pm
3. Ah Seng Durian
One of the longest established stalls in Singapore, Ah Seng Durian is undoubtedly one of the most well-known durian stalls and has gained popularity over the years to become the hot favourite among people living in the western side of Singapore.
Located inconspicuously within a wet market, there is a sign at the entrance pointing to the stall lest customers might not be able to locate it. There is no dining area around as well, so customers have to queue in the narrow space to order and collect their durians. Upon ordering, I was asked whether I prefer the sweet or bitter breed. However, the sweetness was not as pronounced in the “sweet” ones I had, while the bitter ones were pretty decent, with their custardy texture, and distinctive bitter taste. However, the seeds were rather large, and the durians were less fleshy as a result. After tasting durians from the different stalls, we can say that Ah Seng definitely is a seller that has built a reputation around being consistent, though the durians were not especially delicious or different.
They offer a wide variety of durians from the Mao Shan Wang, Golden Phoenix, Black Pearl, D13, and D17 to the lesser-known Green Bamboo and Tek Kah, sold at competitive prices. The owner, Ah Seng makes personal trips to their plantations to ensure that what they are selling at their stores are the highest quality durians. Apart from the different varieties available, Ah Seng also has an excellent quality of its durians. However, do be prepared to deal with the long queues during the peak durian season.
Address: Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre, 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-119/122, S270020
Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 1.30pm – 8.30pm
Sat – Sun: 1.30pm – 6.30pm
4. 99 Old Trees (99老树)
Centrally located in Farrer Park, 99 Old Trees (99老树) freshly picked their durians from trees grown on rich soil in the lands of Bentong and Raub in Pahang, Malaysia.
One of the favourite go-to place for all things durian, what we found interesting is their omakase-style sessions (SukaWa), where durian enthusiasts get to enjoy six variants of durian ranging from the popular MSW to the lesser-known Black Thorn, as well as unlimited portions of MSW and D24 Sultan durian, house-made durian desserts such as Durian Mousse and Durian Choux. They also offer MSW ice cream which will land you in a massive durian coma! We loved the comfortable and fully air-conditioned area for dine-in, as well as the clean gloves, tissue and water provided for a pleasant durian eating experience.
The durians bear a thicker, firmer and dry flesh that isn’t very pungent to the smell. However, a bite into the creamy, golden yellow flesh reveals an intense hit of bitterness, while still retaining a nice mild sweetness to it, so that the bitter flavour isn’t too overpowering.
Hosted by their director Kevin Tan, the durian omakase session usually last within an hour and will run every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 4pm with only 8 seats available per session. Stay tuned to their website for more updates and to place your reservations for the sessions. It is definitely the place to get unlimited fills of your favourite fruit when the cravings arise!
Address: 46 Owen Rd, #01-277, Singapore 210046
Opening Hours: Daily, 12pm – 10pm
Verdict: The Best Durian Stall in Singapore? Durian Delivery Singapore!
Overall, we vote for Durian Delivery Singapore as the best durian store in Singapore, as it definitely stands out from the crowd due to its convenience, all-year-round affordable prices, absolute freshness and quality durians!
We felt that their durians are the creamiest and richest among the rest, especially their premium Black Gold MSW which was indeed the most sublime one we have come across.
We love the deep pungent sweetness of the custardy flesh which was followed by a lingering bitterness that had the most complex and intense taste we’ve had for this experiment.
We also love how the freshness and taste are kept sealed in due to their high-quality packaging technology, which makes the durians taste great and even better than eating from the husk on the spot!
Best of all, they deliver to you wherever you are in Singapore, so rest assured that you will still get to indulge your durian cravings no matter how ulu of a location you are at.
Overall we’ve selected them as “The Best Durian Stall in Singapore” and we definitely recommend you check them out!
Aside from their Mao Shan Wang variations, you can also consider trying their Red Prawn, which they have been awarded in a separate article (to be published soon!)
