Thanks to Yvonne's recommendation, now I know where to go to get my durian fix in Johor Bahru - at AnA Fruit Trading at Atarah Hair Studio in Ulu Tiram.
AnA Fruit Trading's durian Farm is located in Yong Peng, Johor. Fortunately, we don't have to go to Yong Peng to get AnA's durians (not that I mind actually - visiting durian farms is fun ๐). AnA's durians are retailed at Atarah Hair Studio which belongs to the farm owners' daughter, Helen.
AnA Fruit Trading is a 5 acre farm in Yong Peng. The 2-decades old trees are naturally fertilised with (bycatch) fish and protected by wood vinegar. The organic insecticide smells like a woody kind of apple cider ๐ No synthetic fertilisers or pesticides are used at AnA Fruit Trading.
There are only two seasons at AnA Fruit Trading, each lasting about 10 days. One in mid-year and another at year-end.
Ah Hann and his son help the Teang family look after the trees whole year round.
During the durian season, the naturally dropped ripe durians are collected at day break and then trucked down to Atarah Hair Studio. Ah Hann's little truck of durians will arrive at the hair stylist at Ulu Tiram at around 2pm. All the durians are, thus, super fresh. (Distance between Yong Peng and Ulu Tiram is about 2 hours by car.)
As they say, hairdressers and barbers are the best information hubs about town. So, at the moment most of AnA's customers heard about their durians through Helen's hair studio ๐ Yvonne who told me about AnA durians is Helen's regular customer at Atarah Hair Studio ๐
Many customers call in to book their durians.
They will open and pack your durians for you on request. So, you can see what quality you are getting on the spot and also don't have to open them yourself at home.
Today's prices. Needless to say, prices vary from season to season, even day to day.
I got here at 2:30pm and the Mao Sang Wang and Jin Fong were already all gone ๐๐๐ Best to book ahead by calling Winnie ☎ +6016 739 3816.
Helen told me that AnA Fruit Trading's Mao Sang Wang are from early generation MSW trees - not late generation grafts from parent trees. Woah... I've already booked my next MSW session ๐
I had Mei Chiew / Mei Qiu (็พๆจน in Hokkien), a cultivar grown only in the Yong Peng which AnA Fruit Trading is naturally proud of. Prices today are RM15-18 per kilo depending on grade.
Mei Chiew's pale yellowish meat is creamy with a little bit of pulpy fibre which I like. Flavour is sweet with subtle underlying bitter. It's like a gentler, milder Mao Shan Wang.
Next was Hong Xia. Today's price RM12-15 per kilo.
Hong Xia (็ด ่ฆ Red Prawn) meat has a beautiful reddish yellow colour. Taste was sweet with a sweet aroma. Texture was smooth and creamy thick like melted cheddar cheese. The seed was rather large.
D101. Price RM9-12 per kilo.
The D101 is meaty with a nice yellow colour. It was meaty and creamy, and tasted sweet with underlying bitter. It resembles late generation grafted Mao Shan Wang taste profile. I'll be fooled that it was early generation MSW with tiny flat seed and all, had I not seen the whole fruit with husk. It was just less pungent smelling than MSW (Musang King). Great value for money, I'll say.
๐ Everyone in durian crazy Malaysia and Singapore knows this - durian, durian everywhere when it is in season but which stall to confidently buy your fix from? That's the question. Thanks to Yvonne's tip off, I now have a durian place in JB that I am confident to bring my kakis - at AnA Fruit Trading at Atarah Hair Studio in Ulu Tiram.
Shop name: AnA Fruit Trading (inside Atarah Hair Studio)
Address: 94, Jalan Cantik 1, Taman Pelangi Indah, Ulu Tiram, Johor (10 minutes drive from IKEA/ JUSCO Tebrau or 3 minutes drive from Mydin Pelangi Indah)
GPS: 1°34'43.0"N 103°48'06.5"E | 1.578606, 103.801811
Waze: Atarah Hair Studio
Tel: +6016 739 3816 (pre-booking is a must for MSW due to demand)
Hours: Durians arrive around 2:00pm
How not to be cheated when buying Mao Shan Wang ๐ click
Date visited: 9 July 2018
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Hi Tony,
ReplyDeleteAnother place you might want to check out is Machap King at 17, Jalan Molek 2/1 Taman Molek 81100, Johor Bahru. The owner, Cheng, can be contacted at 0127972436.
Regards,
Alan