$5.10 for 'three and a half slices': Koufu apologises to customer over portion of fish soup

$5.10 might seem a reasonable price for a bowl of fish soup these days, but what if that portion comes with less than four slices of fish?

That was the situation encountered by one disgruntled customer.

In a Facebook post on Complaint Singapore, user Yong Tow Hu described how he'd ordered a meal at the Koufu food court located within Singapore General Hospital on Thursday (July 4).

He shared that he'd ordered a small bowl priced at $5.10 instead of the $7.50 option as he'd never patronised the stall before. He was then allegedly met with a reply from an unhappy-looking stall assistant that "for $5.10, there are very few slices of fish".

The customer then retorted: "So be it, I want to see just how few there are!'"

In his post, Yong stated that he later took photos of the "three and a half slices of fish" in his bowl. Seeing this, the stall assistant allegedly rushed over to remind him of how she'd warned him beforehand about the portion size.

When Yong countered that stalls at Tekka Market & Food Centre had more reasonably-priced fish soup, she then explained that the situation was due to the high rental cost.

Wrote Yong: "Later on, I realised why they have a bowl priced at $5.10… They want to appear to be fair. The $5.10 bowl is just for show, so that customers won't think it's too expensive and they can be accountable to Koufu's management."

He added: "I'm the only customer who didn't know what's good for him and insisted on buying it despite the repeated warnings. I really deserved it."

Yong also shared that unlike others who ordered the regular sizes, he was not asked if he wanted any garnishing for the soup but was instead met with silence as he took the bowl back to his seat.

"It felt very insulting," he wrote.

He also stated that he hoped others would learn from his experience.

"Don't buy the $5.10 portion, you'll be looked down upon by others!

"But I must also give them credit for slicing the fish so thinly, their knife skills are first class!" Yong sniped.

'We sincerely apologise'

Yong Tow Hu's post appears to have been removed, but was reshared by Complaint Singapore on July 6.

In a comment to Yong's post, Koufu appeared to have posted a reply expressing their apologies.

"We sincerely apologise for the incident and have provided feedback to the stall holder so that they can investigate and provide an appropriate solution," they wrote, at the same time requesting that Yong contact them.

According to Shin Min Daily News, many netizens were in agreement that the portion was indeed small, while others expressed their understanding that stall owners are forced to increase prices due to high rental costs.

A reporter who visited the food court and bought from the same stall found the bowl to contain four slices of fish. Similarly, the reporter was also warned about the small portion.

Besides the fish slices, the soup also contained two pieces of tofu, tomatoes as well as vegetables.

One customer, 60, who had ordered the larger portion agreed that the portion appeared to be smaller in comparison to those sold by other stalls.

"I didn't count how many slices there were but the portion is indeed smaller than at other stalls. If it's really just three slices for a $5.10 bowl then that's a bit too much, after all it's still not cheap," he said.

ALSO READ: 'Not even half filled': Man left disappointed by portion of $47 fish maw and abalone soup from Sembawang eatery

candicecai@asiaone.com