A Singaporean man has taken a nasi kandar stall in Johor Bahru (JB) to task for charging an exorbitant price for a sotong (squid) dish.
This comes after he was shocked to discover that the squid dish cost a whopping RM36 (S$11.50), an amount he found to be unacceptable.
Paid RM53.10 in total for meal
China Press reported that the man surnamed Peng (transliteration) told Shin Min Daily News that went to the nasi kandar stall with his mother on Mar 23.
He explained that he ordered a plate of nasi kandar for his mother, but since the stall did not display prices, he had no idea how much it would cost until bill was given to him.
Here’s the breakdown of the meal:
- Nasi kandar (RM12)
- Squid curry (RM36)
- Teh C (RM2.20)
- Milo tarik (RM2.90)
While Peng said he was okay being charged RM12 for the nasi kandar, he had a bone to pick with the squid dish as he felt paying RM36 for it was ludicrous.
“I’ve eaten nasi kandar in JB before, and a meal with seafood usually cost no more than RM30.
“But this time, a single squid about five inches long cost more than a typical full meal. I suspect the stall deliberately overcharges foreign tourists,” he said.
Peng also added that a chap fan stall owner told him that squid usually costs around RM15, and that charging it for RM36 would definitely trigger an outcry.
“This will be my first and last time at the stall. I hope others will remember to confirm prices before ordering to avoid a similar situation.”
What other vendors say
Shin Min later interviewed several vendors to see whether charging RM36 for squid was indeed exorbitant.
A founder of a Malay restaurant in Singapore told the Chinese daily that RM36 for one piece of squid is expensive as it costs more than the usual prices in Singapore.
However, he noted that prices can vary depending on size, season, and supply costs.
A nasi kandar vendor said their prices are priced based on size and usually ranges between S$6 and S$8 (approx. RM18 to RM24), with a full meal costing around S$9 to S$11 (approx. RM27 to RM34)—which is way cheaper than what Peng paid in JB.
What do you think of the pricing? Share with us in the comments!
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