Over $900 for a crab? Japanese tourist makes police report over 'overpriced' dish at Seafood Paradise
A Japanese tourist simply wanted to enjoy Singapore's beloved dish chilli crab, but ended up leaving one seafood restaurant in a crabby mood instead.
The disgruntled diner, Junko Shinba, told AsiaOne on Sept 15 that she visited Seafood Paradise at Clarke Quay on Aug 19 with her family and friends. The group had just ended a sightseeing tour and happened to walk past the restaurant.
While they were ordering their meal, Shinba claimed that one of the waiters strongly recommended one particular type of crab for $30 but he did so "without explaining that they charge per 100 grams".
According the receipt from the meal, the diners had chosen the Alaskan King Crab for their chili crab dish. A representative from Paradise Group, who owns Seafood Paradise, told AsiaOne that the Alaskan Crab costs $26.80 per 100 grams.
Alaskan King Crabs are one of the largest edible crabs in the world, and can weigh between two and five kilograms.
The bill came up to be $1,322.37 with the chili crab dish costing some $938.
Other dishes which the group ordered, such as Black Pepper Beef Fried Rice and Crisp-fried Yam Ring, were less than $20 each.
Made police report
"We all became speechless knowing that one dinner for four adults cost that much," said the 50-year-old freelancer.
She claimed that they were not informed of the total weight of the crab before it was cooked.
"None of us were informed that the whole crab would be cooked only for us, as some other restaurants serve crabs partially," lamented the tourist.
"There were three plates full of crab and many other dishes, we were unable to finish everything," she told AsiaOne.
Aghast at the bill, Shinba said she wanted to call the police to settle the issue.
According to her, the police arrived at the restaurant to mediate. The restaurant staff also showed Shinba a receipt from another customer who had ordered a similar dish to prove that the restaurant did not overcharge her group.
Eventually, the restaurant manager offered the tourist a $107.40 discount for the meal, which Shinba's friend paid for with his credit card.
Shinba also said that she contacted the Singapore Tourism Board, who brought the matter to attention of the Consumers Association of Singapore.
Staff clearly communicated price and weight: Paradise Group
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a representative from Paradise Group said their staff had "clearly communicated" the price and weight of the Alaskan King Crab to the diners when they placed their order.
The restaurant said that the crab weighed about 3.5kg in total.
"To prevent any miscommunication, the staff even brought the whole Alaskan King crab to the table before preparation. Upon payment, the customers refused to pay the bill and requested to make a police report. Hence, the restaurant manager assisted in making the police report."
They further clarified that the $107.40 discount was given "out of goodwill" by waiving off the cost of 400 grams of crab, as the customer claimed they didn't have enough money to pay for the meal.
READ ALSO: Diner warns others about Japanese restaurant in JB after RM1,999 bill shock
claudiatan@asiaone.com
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