From 800g to 350g: Diner at Tanjong Pagar eatery unhappy crab weighed less after it was cooked
PHOTO: Google Maps
PUBLISHED ONDecember 12, 2023 6:03 AMByChing Shi JieOne woman left a restaurant feeling cheated after paying for an 800g crab and realising that it weighed less after it was cooked.
The incident happened last Sunday (Dec 10) at Mellben Signature in Tanjong Pagar Plaza, 8world reported.
The diner, who declined to be named, said that she ordered a claypot crab vermicelli soup dish at the eatery.
"I asked the waitress about the crab's weight when ordering my food," she said. "She told me they only had 1kg crabs."
"People from the table next to me also ordered the dish, and I felt that their crab was bigger than mine."
When the woman raised questions about this, a waitress told her she couldn't guarantee that the freshwater crab she had ordered would be "plump".
The diner said that she paid for the 800g crab after being told it would weigh 1kg.
Sharing a photo of the crab on the weighing scale, she also questioned why it "shrunk" to 350g after it was cooked in the claypot.
"I don't want to question the restaurant's integrity, but I can't figure out why I'm being charged for a 800g crab even though it weighed less than that after its claws and internal organs were removed," she said.
Did not overcharge diner: Mellben Signature
Responding to 8world's queries, Mellben Signature refuted the diner's allegation of overcharging, and said that such practice was "normal".
Adding that the diner had a misconception of the crab's weight, they said: "Her bill showed that the crab weighed between 800g and 1,110g. We don't inform diners the exact weight of the crab when they're placing orders because we have to weigh it to know."
As for the difference in sizes of the crabs, the restaurant said that the diner had a male crab while the table next to the diner had ordered a female crab with roe.
In a video that Mellben Signature supplied to 8world, a chef was seen weighing a 1,129g crab before removing its binding rope and the inedible parts. The same crab weighed 949g afterwards.
Crabs usually lose 25 per cent of their weight after preparation - which involves cleaning and gutting - and a further 10 per cent during the cooking process, according to crab delivery company 8 Crabs.
Crabs can also appear bigger due to their small claws or bigger head shell and body, they explained.
While they cannot guarantee that the weight of a crab will stay the same before and after cooking it, Mellben Signature said that they will try to maintain 70 to 80 per cent of it.
The diner, however, said that she hopes that seafood restaurants can implement new ways to ensure the quality of crab dishes.