Combat Durian

Went around closing time (9pm) but stall was still open and we were able to sit down and enjoy the durian.
Seller chose a durian for us and opened it on the spot without asking for our preferences. We were confused at the whole process- but thankfully the durian quality was good and we enjoyed it. Durian was bitter sweet, and had really small seeds.

$47 for 1.7kg of MSW

Everytime i walk past a durian stall with plenty of durians lined out like these or in rattan baskets, im SO CAPTIVATED 😍😍😍 cuz i know it promises of nothing less than a gastronomical treat beneath those tough thorny shells. 💕
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For noobs like me (only know how to eat, dunno how to choose 😂), i guess i cant go wrong choosing from pre-packed boxes! Look at how these creamy yellow gems screaming "EAT ME!!!" 🐷🐷🐷 Are you drooling yet? 🤤
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JUST TAKE MY MONEY ALREADY. We bought 2 boxes at $20/kg for Mao Shan Wang now. Yumssss! 💯

After much dilemma, we decided to try Mao Shan Wang (MSW) durian out even though this is not the peak season for MSW. The staff chose 1 for us and the durian weighed 1.6kg+. At $22 per kg, the (whole) fruit costed us about $35. Not the cheapest time to have MSW.

MSW durian is also commonly known as Butter Durian, Musang King or Cat Mountain King Durian. Till today, it is still the favourite variety of durian in Singapore.

It has a creamy texture (though not as creamy as the red prawn durian), beautiful yellow flesh, and is sweet in taste with slight bitter notes. Absolutely yummy!!!

In Singapore, most 'cheating' cases revolve around MSW durians, for the rest of the other varieties of durians are sold at much lower prices, making it not so worthwhile for the sellers to con people. Knowing how to spot a Mao Shan Wang may up your bets of getting good MSW durians at good prices, but many dishonest sellers have many (underhand) tactics or may even coerced/ intimidate you into accepting their deals. The safest bet, to me, is still to go to an honest durian seller with a good reputation.

Combat durian may not be the cheapest but at least we got good quality durians and every cent we paid was well worth it!

Will definitely recommend/ go back again.

Date visited: 26/6/2018 (Wed, 5.45pm)

Visited on a weekday at an offpeak hour to avoid the crowds.

Parking was no issue either at this hour. Turn left just BEFORE the shop to access the carpark.

Decided to try one (whole fruit) out. The staff chose 1 for us and the durian weighed 1.3kg+. At $12 per kg, the (whole) fruit costed us $16.

Service was very good! 👍🏽👍🏽
From the staff who recommended us durians, to the staff taking photos for us, I have nothing, but good things to say about them; friendly, helpful, humble and hard-working.

They offer free plain water, free tissues, free gloves for those who don't want to eat durians with the bare hands, vacuum packing services for those who want to takeaway or even bring overseas, and even OZONE water for washing your hands after eating durians!

BTW they sell (Thai) coconut juice too, for those who want to 'flush out' the 'heat' after bingeing on durians. Chilled and sweet!

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Red prawn durians, also commonly known as Ang Hei (dialect) or Hong Xia (Mandarin), are in season now. Rich pickings! Yay!

The red prawn durians usually take on a dusty brown colour though the one chosen had a more greenish tinge.

The shells are generally thick, as with the core, making them a challenge to open. So, it is good to have them open the fruit there for you there than to buy the whole fruit home and struggle with it.

The flesh of the red prawn durian is usually (more) orangey-red though the one we had was a little more of a subtly orangey colour.

Still, the durian was awesome. Love red prawn durians as they are one of the sweetest durians you can get. No hint of bitterness here. That creamy, sticky, honeyed flesh was simply yummy!

After we were done with this fruit, we knew we had to get another fruit! MSW or red prawn?!

Who says you can't have creamy and insanely addictive Mao Shan Wang for Valentine's Day! Let's smell like durian together 💏! 🎶可是我有时候宁愿选择"榴莲"不放手🎶 🤣

6kg of MSW and Jin Feng for 4 of us and packed home 8kg of durian. Durian craving satisfied! .
Location: @combatdurianbalestier 249 Balestier Road, Singapore 329714
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