Getting a durian fix at Raub Musang King Orchard

Date of visit: 18 August 2024

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Durian season may be over now, but Raub Musang King Orchard is definitely on my list to revisit next time.

When that next time will be is hard to say. There are three durian seasons - January to February, June to September, and November to December - according to one government source. The online consensus seems to be that peak season is somewhere between May and September. But it isn't an exact science, as durian production depends heavily on the monsoons, which affect different parts of Malaysia differently (I found a cool illustrated chart showing how monsoons affect the durian harvest). 

Mention 'durian' and most locals think of SS2, the famous foodie district in the city of Petaling Jaya ('PJ'), part of metro KL. We'd gone there the previous week and checked out Durian Man, one of the biggest names in the business - see my post Durian day at Durian Man. 

Raub Musang King Orchard was a completely different affair: a small pop-up tucked away in Mutiara Damansara, another township in PJ about 10 minutes' drive from SS2. I went with my friend Vanessa - who had taken me to Durian Man - and her friends Terry and Simon. It was Simon who recommended the place, saying that it seemed popular and was also very affordable, because there was no middleman. I guess Raub Musang King Orchard gets their durian direct from a farm in Raub, a district in the neighbouring state of Pahang that's famous for durian. 

We arrived at 11.30 am, but the gate was closed and there was no one about. Simon called the number on the sign and found out that the truck carrying the durians was late. We saw a lot of people at the durian place next door, but instead of going there, decided to come back later. 

I was already impressed with the prices I saw on the signs. I wasn't really sure what they meant but the numbers looked a lot lower than what I'd seen at Durian Man. I was also pleased to see a few other types of durian listed, not just Musang King, though it was nowhere near the 27 varieties at Durian Man.

When we came back at 1 pm, the truck was just around the corner, so we let ourselves in and got a table. There were only a few tables in total; it was more a stall than a restaurant. 

I saw a vat of mangosteens and remembered I'd seen them at Durian Man too. Curious, I asked Vanessa about it and she said that mangosteens and durian are in season at the same time, so are always sold together. 

The truck finally arrived a bit later and we watched them unload it. 

I wanted to try a variety of durian called D101 -  mentioned on the sign outside - which my tennis coach said was sweet and delicious, and cheaper than Musang King. But the truck only had Musang King that day. Not that I minded after they told us the price: RM19 or RM26 per kg, depending on the grade - cheaper by a country mile than the RM68/kg we paid at Durian Man! 

We also asked about Black Thorn, one of the best-known and most expensive varieties. Fortunately, they had some in the office - and it was selling for RM68/kg instead of the RM88/kg we saw at Durian Man.

It sounded too good to be true, but having never met a durian I didn't like, I wasn't too concerned. We ordered one Black Thorn and one Musang King to start. They arrived cut open, with some free bottles of water. We donned the oversized plastic gloves that were at the table and dug in.

The Black Thorn - which still cost a heartstopping RM147 (£25.80) - didn't have the deep orange-yellow colour we saw at Durian Man, so I didn't have high hopes about its quality. But it was wonderful; rich and smooth and silky, and not at all bitter like it's supposed to be. 

Black Thorn durian variety at Raub Musang King Orchard

The Musang King - a mere RM37 (£6.50) - was decent, but didn't taste anywhere near as good as the one we had at Durian Man. 

Musang King durian variety at Raub Musang King Orchard

Neither did the next one we ordered. But for our third one, we got a Musang King that came from an old tree. It was amazing - creamy and intense and probably as good, if not better, than the one we had at Durian Man. I don't know how much it cost per kg but for the whole fruit it was the cheapest of the lot, at just RM27 (£4.74).

The total bill came to RM241 (£42.30) for four durians. Delicious and a bargain!

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