Pezzo Pizza Review: Mao Shan Wang and D24 pizzas make a comeback

We are in the thick of durian season right now, which means F&B brands everywhere are capitalising on the bounty of the king of fruits by creating durian versions of everything, even basque burnt cheese cakes.

Pezzo Pizza is no exception.

The homegrown pizza chain has recently re-introduced durian pizzas to its menu for a limited time only, and we obviously had to try them. But first, a little history.

Pezzo Pizza first launched the durian pizza, aptly named “Durian King”, in 2017. A first of its kind in Singapore, the dessert pizza featured a mixture of 100% pure durian flesh of Mao Shan Wang and D24 with a charcoal crust.

In 2018, the same pizza returned to wow durian lovers and convert more naysayers to the thorned side once again.

If a simple durian pizza was not wacky enough, Pezzo Pizza upped the ante last year and launched the Kaya Durian Pizza which combined the familiar coconut jam and sweet corn to the existing durian toppings.

Today, whilst Pezzo did not experiment with crazier flavours, they have separated the initial D24-Mao Shan Wang mixture to deliver two durian pizzas, each with its own distinct flavour profile.

They are the D24 Durian Pizza ($5.90/slice, $32.90/pan) and the Mao Shan Wang Pizza ($6.90/slice, $35.90/pan).

Both D24 and Mao Shan Wang are undeniably the most popular varieties in Singapore. They may taste equally delicious (or disgusting, depends on who you’re asking), but they both feature unique qualities. We decided to see if we can taste the difference when they have been baked into pizzas.

Thick and creamy, the D24 is reliable in terms of the sweet taste profile it constantly delivers. This makes the D24 pizza very palatable as a dessert. We imagine it being an easy introduction for first-timers to ease into the strong-smelling fruit.

The Mao Shan Wang Pizza, on the other hand, boasts a mix of both bitter and sweet flesh which is a characteristic of this durian variety anyway. This leads to a rather surprising discovery as every bite is an interplay between sweet and bitter notes.

And what’s a pizza without cheese?

Both durian pizzas come with mozzarella cheese toppings to balance out the sweetness of the durians. However, if we have to choose, we feel that the balance is more pronounced in the D24 version, presumably because of the already sweet notes present.

On the Mao Shan Wang, the cheese gets lost in the more dominant durian flavours.

On both pizzas, the thick, creamy texture of the durian worked well with the fluffy and chewy dough. The crust also lends a crunchy element to an otherwise mushy dessert.

For the most part, Pezzo’s durian pizzas are outstanding desserts. The only warning we would give is to eat the pizzas fresh from the store.

As crazy as it sounds, warm durian is actually better in this case. We kept a slice in the fridge overnight and it tasted strangely more bitter than before. Even re-heating it could not salvage the fragrant fusion.

On the same note, only buy what you need. If you are a solo diner, one slice is already very filling. Get a pan only if your party is made up of diehard durian fans. Otherwise, you may find yourself struggling to finish the pizza. And these pizzas are not cheap.

The durian pizzas are available at all Pezzo stores and on major delivery platforms.