Ah Seng Durian - Tawa, Gang Hai

Ah Seng is smiling gleefully in this picture, and so am I.  The reason we are both smiling is very simple - The lesser known second season for durians has just begun in Singapore.  Most Singaporeans who have limited knowledge of durians will simply think there is one season, which usually ranges from June to August, and the rest of the time the durians are lousy - This mentality is not true at all.  The second season, which ranges between November to January has durians that are just as fanastic in quality, compared with the main season.  For the second season, the durians are coming mainly from Muar and Segamat area, as those regions really hit their prime at the end of the year.  The Muar durians are especially well-known for being delicious.









Ah Seng Durian
Location: Blk 20 Ghim Moh Market, #01-197
Contact: 94656160

 
Gang Hai is one of those durians that tends to drift in and out of season.  Staying for a few weeks and then suddenly disappearing again.  Ah Seng describes gang hai as a 'beginners durian' - For those who are not used to the strong pungent flavours of durian, then gang hai acts as a perfect introduction to the world of durians.  The flavour is very mild, the texture is clotted and creamy and the seeds are reasonable small, and have a unique teardrop shape.  Nutty flavour and an undertone of sweetness can be detected in this durian.  It is mild, but not mild in the sense of D24 (tastes of nothing), which is probably the most overrated durian on the planet.  Structure wise, this durian has a similar physiological shape to red prawn, as many of the husks have a thin 'tail' at the rear. 

Price: $7.00/kg.     6/10
My whole purpose for visiting Ah Seng on this occasion was to test out the elusive Tawa durian.  This durian can be found only during the second season, and usually only sticks around for 2-3 weeks, before disappearing again. The sheer mystery surrounding this durian made me eager for the second season to arrive, as I have never previously sampled tawa durian.  Tawa is a pale fleshed bitter durian.  The flesh has a certain milky flavour, not too disimilar to XO.  However, the flesh of tawa is silky smooth, without any clumps.  The seed is small, long and thin in shape.  The overall shape of this durian can differ - But, it can be said the thorns on this durian are similar to MSW, and the durian is long in structure.







Here is another example of a tawa durian, but this one is much larger.  We can see that the durian has a much more pronounced elongated shape, similar to black pearl.  Although this is a mysterious durian, which comes in very low quantities, the price is pretty reasonable.  In summary, I guess the biggest question would be is it worth seeking out this winter visitor?  Flavour wise, I didn't find it to be anything too special.  But, it is a durian that has small seeds and therefore is great value for money.

Price: $7.00/kg.     7/10











Conclusion - Ah Seng is one of the few places where customers can pick up tawa durian.  As the popular saying goes - 'Time Tawa durian waits for no man'.  So, if you're entertaining the idea of testing out this durian, then you must act fast, as it does not hang around for long.