For those who love durians in Singapore, definitely I am sure your biggest frustration will be one simple thing - Durian sellers. These crafty human beings spend their entire working lives lying to and deceiving innocent people. Therefore, there should always be one golden rule when buying the king of fruits -
Never trust anyone. Having said all that, Mr Goh (feels strange calling a durian seller 'Mr' and not 'Ah') has a reputation as being one of the most trusted durian sellers in the entire country. He has been selling durians around the Hougang/Serangoon area since the 1970's, and prides himself on selling the best quality durians to the public.
717 TradingLocation: #01-01 Highland Centre, 22 Yio Chu Kang Road
Contact: 96751821![]()
During the peak of the durian season, Mr Goh imports several delectable durian species - Such as green bamboo, black pearl, tawa, mao shan wang, golden phoenix and dashan (a rare durian from Penang). But on this particular visit only
Red Meat (otherwise known as 'hong rou') was available. This is one of the more common and more affordable durians, which can typically be found at many durian stalls.
Be warned, if you're looking for cheap durians,
don't go to 717 Trading. Mr Goh is a seller who provides high quality durian, and thus the prices are also high. 717 is a place for durian fanatics to visit, there will be no three boxes for $10 sales here! Red Meat durian can be characterised as being one of the sweetest durian varieties available. For those who don't like bitter durians, and have an overwhelming sweet tooth - This will be the durian for you.
717 Trading does have a seating area, where you can relax and enjoy your durian in peace. Also, recently 717 have started offering delivery services (delivery charge starts from $12) for those who don't want to run the gauntlet of travelling on buses and trains with something criminally smelly in your possession. For those who prefer durian style cakes and pastries, your visit to 717 will not be complete without sampling their famous durian puff's.
I was quite pleased with the quality of this durian. However, the flesh was a little too watery for my liking. Additionally, as is the case with most sweet durians, the seeds were very large. The thing I liked most was the beautifully smooth, thick and creamy flesh. The emphasis should be on the word 'smooth' So often, for lesser durians, the flesh is rather clumpy. The texture of this durian was like a creamy pudding - Glorious.
Price: $12.00/kg. 7/10Below is the pricing of other durians from 717, during the June 2013 period:-Mao Shan Wang $25/kg
Golden Pheonix $22/kg
Black Pearl $18/kgGreen Bamboo $18/kg
Red Meat $12/kg Conclusion - This will be the first of many durian reviews emunating from 717 Trading. This particular 'red meat' species is good, but probably not one that I would order again. The biggest issue most people have with 717 is the pricing, and it is easy to see why. 717 definitely stocks good quality durian - However, if you do your homework, you can get those same durians for much cheaper elsewhere.
During the peak of the durian season, Mr Goh imports several delectable durian species - Such as green bamboo, black pearl, tawa, mao shan wang, golden phoenix and dashan (a rare durian from Penang). But on this particular visit only Red Meat (otherwise known as 'hong rou') was available. This is one of the more common and more affordable durians, which can typically be found at many durian stalls.
