Vfresh Food Supply: Seafood & Groceries, from King Crabs to Pineapple Tarts

Offering everything from mackerel caught off Sekinchan's shores to pineapples harvested in Johor and turned into tarts, Vfresh is a truly homegrown supplier of seafood and groceries, run by a Malaysian aviation trainer in his family's apartment. 

While many households might have their refrigerators filled with packaged products, Mugu, his wife and their son try to keep things very fresh in their Happy Garden home. Making wholesome food choices has been part of his upbringing - Mugu has been cooking in the kitchen since he was 13, raised in a family that rarely ate out.

We visited Vfresh's modest set-up several weeks ago for a peek into its freezers, from which Mugu makes deliveries at least three days every week, typically Thursdays through Saturdays. If you're searching for an independent supplier that strives to be responsible for its produce and reasonable in its prices, Vfresh is worth checking out. 

Most of Vfresh's offerings are locally sourced, but we had a glimpse of some imported seafood that could be ideal if you're planning a special feast at home for the Lunar New Year or other occasions. 

At about RM140 per kilogram, Vfresh's king crabs (about 1.2 to 1.6 kg per crab) are nearly half the price of what some other suppliers charge. Conveniently, these are cooked and frozen ahead of delivery, so all you need to do is slice the crab open and bake it with butter for best results.

For the numerous salmon fans out there, Vfresh's salmon fillets (RM15 for 200 grams) hail from a Chilean farm that upholds sustainable practices. Unlike a lot of other farmed salmon, these fish don't have their diets spiked with colourings that make the salmon look more artificially attractive. 

The result is salmon that tastes fresher than the wares of many supermarkets - Mugu notes that his fish, both local and imported, is frozen immediately after filleting so it retains its ideal texture. Also, unlike wet markets, there isn't any leftover fish that's refrozen and thawed out again for sale the next day.

Casting a close look at the tenggiri when it's handled (RM10-RM12 per fillet) also provides evidence of its freshness. Vfresh's tenggiri is typically sourced from Sekinchan, though back-up alternatives from Mersing in peninsular Malaysia's south and Kuantan in the east are also sometimes available, essentially all across the country's coasts.

This tenggiri is filleted from large fish that weigh at least four kilograms, considered the XXL-size for tenggiri. They're filleted immediately after being brought to the fishery, washed and individually packed for easy portioning, though whole tenggiri fish is also available (RM38 per kilogram).

If you favour freshwater fish, order the tilapia fillets (RM6 per fillet). This is tilapia that's earmarked from the start for filleting, frozen for transport immediately, instead of regular tilapia that might only be filleted after the whole fish fails to be sold.

Other fresh fish available from Vfresh include pomfret, siakap, stingray, snapper and senangin. Sea prawns, tiger prawns and squid are also available, as is poultry, specifically soybean meal-fed kampung chicken from a respected farm in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

For Vfresh's groceries, recommendations include the precooked BBQ Eel (RM22; halal-certified), perfect if you feel like having unagi kabayaki stored in your fridge to heat up and have in a jiffy.

Pineapples and pineapple products are also available, from an Orang Asli-run farm in Ulu Tiram, Johor. You can order whole, fresh MD2 pineapples, known for their high Vitamin C content (RM8 per pineapple, roughly 1 to 1.3 kilograms), or tarts (RM28 for 36 pieces) and cold-pressed juice (RM8 per bottle, or two for RM15) produced in Mersing, for your fix of tropical tang to satisfy your cravings and slake your thirst.

Vfresh has your meal covered from start to dessert. Round out your order with New Zealand Natural Ice Cream (480ml for RM28.90), in flavours like Milk Chocolate, Classic Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, Macadamia Supreme, Buttermilk and Raspberry, or Caramel and Toasted Coconut.

From their family to yours, this is just the beginning for Vfresh, which hopes to someday have its own dedicated space for fresh produce as well as warm meals prepared from that produce. Mugu also aims to have Vfresh involved directly in agriculture and aquaculture, nurturing its own produce eventually.

Contact Vfresh at 017-406-5767

facebook.com/VFreshFoodSupply

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

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