There was this durian stall that i have patronised no less than four times since December 2017 and it's about time for me to share its location with everyone on this blog!
Those familiar with the famous hualong fishhead steamboat would find it a 'chicken feet' to locate the store as it's literally right next to the coffee shop housing the popular fishhead steamboat stall.
Why am i obsessed with this particular durian makeshift store? For the obvious reason that the durians i purchased so far from the boss were all satisfyingly good!
Another key determinant is that Ah Di 阿迪 (that's the name of the boss, i think, and not to be confused with another durian seller, Ah Di 阿第, who is based in Dempsey) is friendly to its customers and unlike some of the durian sellers, you can feel he's not out to cheat your money; and he appeared to have a lot of regular purchasers!
It's only slightly past 6.00 pm and i can see only about 30 durians on the table! Darn, i shouldn't have taken my dinner first; i.e. satay from soon lee heng and white beehoon from hualong. :(
Our favourite golden phoenix and cat mountain king were already sold out; as evidenced by the empty baskets. Actually, i am not very particular when it comes to the species but my mom enjoys the two aforementioned durian species and as the filial son, i tried to accommodate to what she likes.
We didn't have much of a choice as the craving for durians was unbearable and had to make do with D13 which is also known as red prawn (ang hae / 红虾). Pricing was cheaper for D13 at S$10 a kilogram.
Using the blade of his trusty parang knife, Ah Di gave the durian spiky husk a few hits to determine its quality and placed two on the weighing machine; about 2.5 kilograms!
Most customers would either request for the whole durians for takeaway or for the seeds to be removed and placed in a styrofoam box; for my family, we like to eat the durians on the spot! As it was drizzling, Ah Di kindly allowed us to use the empty overturned basket that he used to display the durians!
The yellow meat surrounding the seeds was fleshy and not very fibrous and while the seeds were not as flat and thin like cat mountain king (as forewarned by Ah Di) , it surprisingly didn't taste as sweet as i thought red prawn species would typically be.
Two weren't sufficient and we got a third durian! So much for complaining that i was bloody full and the maximum we should have mustn't extend beyond two!
In less than fifteen minutes, the store's durian stock had dwindled to less than 10; with one regular customer purchasing eight durians in one go!
Now, a piece of advice from me - do call Ah Di at 9003-7928 beforehand if you decide to go to his store as i was left disappointed once when i dropped by, thinking i would be able to indulge in some durians; only to find it closed.
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Location
Block, 347, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, #01-2134
Singapore 560347 (Next to Hualong Fishhead Steamboat & Tze Char)
The block isn't long but if you need detailed location, just note that the durian store is outdoor and opposite the Aoska Unisex Hair Styling Salon.
Map
As above.
Ah di wasnt very honest with my deal. Got a durian that wasnt very ripe. Opened up. I didnt want to reject the durian myself but he simply kept quiet and looked away. Later he commented oh not all durians come from same tree.
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked for packing politely he retorted why didnt u tell me earlier walao.
No offer given for taking a bad durian either.
My last time eating his durian. Sorry.
Let me complain to him on your behalf the next time i visit!
DeleteSometimes Ah Di gives discount to regular customers! Maybe you should try again. His Mao Shan Wang is great. So is the traditional Hei Zhen Zhu (Black Pearl)
DeleteYa!!! His Mao Shan Wang is epic; better than those famous stalls i feel. We always ask Ah Di to give us discounts as we are really regulars! If you are keen to have durians, he is open from today, 29 May until season ends.
DeleteHey there! My family bought some durians from him (golden phoenix) and 1 box turned out watery with a distasteful feeling. We aren’t really loyal customers but we stay near that area but we were quite disappointed.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any tips to share on Ah Do’s usual pricing?
Hello! It really depends on the supply; my recommendation is not to buy those already packed in boxes. This applies to all durians stalls.
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