Extra $2.50 for half a prawn? Diner unhappy about $8.50 laksa from famous joint in Serangoon
PHOTO: Screengrab/Facebook/Vikko Xinhang Xu
PUBLISHED ONSeptember 16, 2023 5:45 AMByAmierul RashidIf you're feeling peckish just before ordering food, why not include an add-on or two?
That was likely the thought process of Facebook user Vikko Xinhang Xu when she turned up at a Janggut Laksa outlet, located along Upper Paya Lebar Road.
Her $5.50 bowl of laksa soon turned to $8.50 after adding prawns ($2.50) and including the takeaway surcharge ($0.50).
Unfortunately for Xu, she found the portion of laksa to be "small".
On Friday (Sept 15), Xu uploaded a post on Facebook group Complaint Singapore grumbling about her laksa order.
If she thought the extra prawns would prove to be the saving grace, Xu was left bitterly disappointed. Although the dish had the added prawns, it was just an "extra half".
"$2.50 for half a small prawn, amazing!" Xu wrote, in disbelief.
The fact that this ordeal came from Janggut Laksa only made matters worse for her.
She noted how the food establishment has been around for decades and Xu was left disappointed by this experience.
Janggut Laksa prides itself on being Singapore's original Peranakan-style laksa.
In the early 1950s, the founder Ng Juat Swee, along with his younger brother Ng Chwee Seng, would sell laksa on a tricycle around the streets at Marshall Road.
The first stall was at 49 East Coast Road, better known as Katong laksa for its location.
A Janggut Laksa spokesperson told AsiaOne that the $2.50 add-on is "typically for four to five pieces of prawns", depending on size.
They added that the incident might be down to miscommunication or staff error and are currently investigating the matter.
Inflation kicking hard
While Xu paid $8.50 for her bowl of laksa, a separate diner had to cough up $9 for a plate of chicken rice at Suntec City basement food court.
They shared it in a Reddit post on Aug 2, alongside a photo of the dish.
It didn't seem particularly spectacular — steamed rice, steamed chicken with sauce, two slices of cucumber, a small bowl of soup and two packets of chilli.
Netizens questioned the diner's decision to pay such a hefty cost for a plate of chicken rice.
In response, the Redditor revealed that they had actually ordered a medium size portion, hence the higher price of the dish.
ALSO READ: 'No wonder no one queue': Diner bemoans paying $11.50 for economy rice, says he missed that red flag
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