Ah Seng is still the king of durian in Singapore, for many reasons. Firstly, their communcations with customers is outstanding. Durian sellers typically belong to the older generaions, who are not familiar with using mobile phones, the internet and other social media platforms. Ah Seng really breaks this trend by having a frequently updating
facebook page, which acts like a mini durian stock market - Ah Seng's daughter actually runs the facebook page, and replies to almost every question and comment posted on there. Also it is easy and painless to reserve durians by calling or SMSing. Not only is this stall user friendly, it also serves terrifically good value durians. Ah Seng always seems to sell most species of durian a couple of dollars cheaper than anywhere else. When visiting Ah Seng, don't insult the man by asking for lower prices - His flat rates are already very low. For those wanting to read more of Ah Seng's stall, you can check out my first review -
HERE.
Ah Seng DurianLocation: Blk 20 Ghim Moh Market, #01-197
Contact: 94656160I made a trip down to Ah Seng specifically for one durian, which simply goes by the name
Butter. A lot of people mistakenly think this durian is the same as mao shang wang - It is not! But there is quite a distinctive textural similarity between butter and MSW. When talking about flavour though, MSW has a much greater diversity in flavour, whereas butter flavour is much more one-dimensional. Ah Seng's butter durian are from the Tangkak region of Malaysia. Ah Seng was telling me that the harvest for butter durians from Tangkak has been incredibly poor this season. A large majority of butter durians are arriving to Singapore too watery. Ah Seng had to discard
five durians because they were too watery, before he found a good one for me. Due to this poor harvest, Ah Seng is even contemplating not bringing over butter durians at all next year. The butter durian that Ah Seng gave me was absolutely delicious. The name 'butter' comes from the supposed buttery aftertaste that this durian has. Personally, I couldn't really detect a buttery flavour. But, there is an immensely strong caramel flavour. Even after eating, my fingers smelt like I had just dipped them in caramel sauce. Definitely an affordable durian that I would order again, I just hope that next years harvest is better.
Price: $8.00/kg. 9/10I have often critisized
Red Prawn (also known as 'Ang Hei') durian for being too overly sweet, with big seeds and lacking in any bitterness at all. However, it is important to emphasise that the quality of red prawn can differ drastically depending on the age of the tree and region of Malaysia. In Penang, ang hei is one of the most sought after durians on the island, and is supposed to be nothing like (much better) the red prawn that can be found in Singapore. Even in Singapore, varieties of red prawn can be very different. This particular red prawn was incredible value at only $6.00 per kilogram. Some of the smaller segments of flesh have a seed about the size of a watermelon seed (very small). The bigger segments have a more rounder large seed. The texture is beautifully creamy (bad red prawn is often a bit too watery). The flavour is fruity sweet. This red prawn regained my faith in this species, and I wouldn't hesitate to select this durian again next time I visit Ah Seng.
Price: $6.00/kg. 9/10Conclusion - As the season was coming to an end when I visited Ah Seng, I was expecting that the quality of these durians could be merely average. To my delight, these two durians were probably some of the best I've eaten all season.
