Where to go for durians?
Many visitors who visit Singapore have asked this question: Where can I go to eat durians? There are many places where one can go to get durians in Singapore. Many times, we will buy them and eat at home. It is common to have durian parties among friends.
There are many durians stalls all over Singapore where you can just get the fruits and enjoy them immediately at the stall. Many stalls have simple chairs and tables on site. But these can be very basic and not always comfortable. Die hard durian lovers enjoy eating at the stalls despite the not always satisfactory conditions just so as to enjoy the durians with friends. It is part of the fun.
Last week, a few colleagues and I decided to visit the durian stall, Wan Li Xiang 万里香 at Dempsey road to satisfy our craving. Sept is near the end of the durian season. If we don’t go now, we’ll probably have to wait several months, till next year for the next season. This durian stall at Dempsey road has moved from its previous location near the main road, to somewhere further in, near block 7. They have several clean tables and chairs set up and bins by every table for patrons to conveniently dispose the durian husks and seeds. They serve free bottled water here.
Wan Li Xiang Durian Stall at Dempsey
There are many variety of durians. Generally, Singaporeans prefer the durians from Malaysia and not Thailand. Malaysian durians are more fragrant and have a smoother texture. Thai durians have less fragrance and have harder texture. Even among Malaysian durians, there are various varieties with varying quality and price. The most commonly accepted as the best is the Mao Shan Wang 猫山王. It is also among the most expensive. Nowadays, there is another variety known as King of Kings 皇中皇. King of Kings is less common and not always available. It is considered even better than Mao Shan Wang in terms of flavor and texture of the fruit and thus is more expensive than Mao Shan Wang.
Wan Li Xiang has the King of Kings variety and that’s one of the reasons for us going there. Durian price varies depending not only on quality but on season and availability too. The day we went the King of Kings was going at SGD19 per kg.
King of Kings has a bitter sweet taste and the texture of the fruit is creamy and buttery without being mushy. Very very good ! We all loved it! It was all we had for dinner that evening!
King of Kings Durian
I liked it so much that I bought more and had them vacuum packed and brought home for my family! I packed both the Red Prawn and King of Kings variety. Red prawn is cheaper and the King of Kings. But I like it’s texture, although the flesh of the fruit is less thick compared to the King of Kings.
Durians are considered “heaty” and is normally eaten together with mangosteen, a cooling fruit. Many durian stalls thus sell mangosteens too. besides mangosteens, Wan Li Xiang has fresh coconuts too. The coconut juice is also considered cooling.
The price of the durian at this stall is not cheap, but its fruit quality is excellent. Its seating area is also clean and well spaced. Very pleasant to hang around with friends in the evening to enjoy the fruit. But they do not always have the variety that you like, so it is always good to call before visiting to reserve the fruit. And yes, they do sell out on some evenings. See the photo below for contact details if you want to check it out.
Contact details of Wan Li Xiang Durian Stall
Next up: Two Summer’s Nights in Beijing (I) – Grand Hyatt Beijing & the Best Peking Duck!