Always kinda bummed that Woodlands have been lacking options when it comes to indie Chinese desserts establishments — the only ones around serving the same are probably that of Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert and Ji De Chi Dessert, apart from the stalls within coffeeshops that may serve up such items. Whilst not located in the most convenient location within the neighbourhood at Primz Bizhub, Thorny’s, which also retails whole durians and operates as a dine-in durian cafe, now also serves up a variety of cold and hot desserts, as well as cold-pressed juices while durians are currently off-season.

Have seen photos of their Mao Shan Wang Mousse with Biscoff floating around social media, but being the purist that I am, I found myself going for the plain-Jane Mao Shan Wang Mousse instead since the former sounded like a a sugar rush waiting to happen. The portion sizes here for the Mao Shan Wang Mousse is especially generous on first look, considering how the bowl is almost filled to the brim and topped off with quite a large scoop of durian flesh over the top. The durian mousse is nothing short of being smooth and creamy with a consistent texture — sufficiently thick and pretty rich as it perfumes of the pungent notes of the King of Fruits. That scoop of Mao Shan Wang flesh over the top further elevates the entire experience — not only providing the Mao Shan Wang Mousse with a variance of texture with its fibrous meat, but also providing an extra punch of the flavours of durian for more flavour. The only thing we found that have affected the experience was the inclusion of a chunk of ice within the durian mousse layer beneath the scoop of Mao Shang Wang flesh which pretty much diluted the flavours of the mousse itself — we found ourselves breaking up the ice chunk and consuming that part first in order to preserve the flavours for the rest of the bowl.

Being a durian specialty store, there is no doubt that the Mao Shan Wang Mousse at Thorny’s would hit the spot for durian lovers — it is indeed what one would expect; a rich creamy mousse with a generous scoop of durian flesh that is nothing short of being pungent and full of durian goodness. Also liked how they do offer other items to suit the tastebuds of friends whom ain’t a fan of the thorny fruit, with items such as Honeydew Sago, Sesame Paste with Rice Ball and Orh Nee with Gingko Nut to choose from. It’s slightly off the usual track for most, but I don’t mind that walk just to get my durian cravings solved — a gem for Mao Shan Wang Mousse in the North!