Man complains $230 seafood dinner for 7 people is unreasonable, Malaysian restaurant responds

After racking up a RM720 (S$230) bill at a hotpot restaurant in Penang, this customer is wondering if he was overcharged for his dinner.

Taking to Facebook on June 11, Peter Ken complained that the price for "a few dishes" shared with six other companions was "unreasonable".

A photo of his bill at GS Steam Hot Pot Seafood showed that he had ordered several seafood dishes for dinner that day.

This included four big mantis shrimp for $95, a "Set B" – consisting of prawns, fishballs and vegetables – for $88, seven pieces of scallops costing $18 and drinks for $11.

Ken also voiced his confusion about how he was charged $8 for a fried fish side dish.

In the comments, several netizens were shocked at the exorbitant prices of some of the dishes. 

But several others also pointed out that the price was reasonable, considering that most of the dishes he had ordered were fresh seafood.

Speaking to Malaysian news outlet China Press, the restaurant spokesperson insisted that the 1.25 kilograms of mantis shrimp that Ken had paid for was cheaper than most restaurants.

"The mantis shrimp that we sell is very cheap. And many diners patronise our restaurant because of how affordable they are," the restaurant said, adding that the customer might not be aware of the market price of mantis shrimp.

Most of the dishes – including the $88 seafood set – had their prices listed on the menu, the spokesperson pointed out.

In a series of comments on Facebook, a netizen who identified himself as the manager of the restaurant, suggested that Ken might not have given the full picture in his complaint on social media.

"They also ordered two flower crabs, but I've forgotten to include the price in the bill," the manager said, while clarifying that the drinks for seven diners came in jugs and not cups.

Ken was not the only diner who had questions when he was handed the bill after his meal.

In April, a group of nine customers of a Kedah restaurant complained that their meal of seven dishes – including pork ribs, kung pao prawns and braised tofu – was too expensive at $48.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com