Not many Singaporeans are aware that durian plantations exist on Pulau Pinang and indulging in the king of fruits is also a suggested activity when one visits the island!
Given our short stay in Penang, we were not keen to check out the plantations and hence, decided to check out a fruit shop that's recommended by a blog; Tng Siang Hock Trading which was pretty near the 1st Avenue Mall.
Those who have been reading the news would be aware that the durian season this year is actually late and the price of a Mao Shan Wang (cat mountain king) can hit as high as almost S$30 a kilogram a few weeks ago in July!
The shop was famous for its all-you-can-eat-durian buffet although this deal isn't applicable during low season, which was around the time we visited! I had somewhat expected that and purposely left out the information to prevent disappointment among my tour mates.
We went for the top species; Mao Shan Wang (MSW)! Priced at RM 48 a kilogram which worked out to be about S$16 a kilogram; it was still cheaper than the rate in Singapore then (as of 17 August 2016, you can get a MSW in the little red dot at a comparable rate).
Two MSW were carefully selected in consultation with a durian guru from our group and the total price, if i recall correctly, was about RM 200 for two huge durians!
Maybe because i have not had any durian for the past year, the craving was high and once the creamy sweet and bitter durian meat spread out in my mouth, my heart melted.
Texture was just right and the taste was delicious with a right balance of sweetness and bitterness that's signature of MSW. Due to age, i think sweet durian meat is no longer my cup of tea even though total bitterness is still a no no.
Flat seeds are always welcome as that translate into getting way more meat from the durians! Aside from taste that doesn't make the cut, the other thing about durians that frustrates me is getting seeds with a meat composition of less than 50%!
Washrooms with taps were available for you to wash your hands but in case you need to wipe your fingers in the midst of indulgence, serviettes are provided at no cost.
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Location
74, Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong, 10100 George Town, Penang,
Malaysia
Map
As above
Facebook Page
Price
Mao Shan Wang Durian - RM 48 a kilogram. (prices fluctuate and prices are likely to be lower now)
