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Woman slams 'unethical' Boat Quay restaurant over $356 crab, latter says price was on menu

Woman slams 'unethical' Boat Quay restaurant over $356 crab, latter says price was on menu
A diner's mother took to Facebook to air her complaints about a Boat Quay restaurant that allegedly charged her daughter $356 for a crab she didn't know the price of.
PHOTO: Instagram/Seafood by the River, Facebook/Ong

They may have enjoyed tucking into their kingly meal, but seeing their bill may have caused them to get a little crabby.

One Facebook user surnamed Ong has accused a Boat Quay restaurant of "unethical business" after they charged her daughter and her friends $356 for a serving of Alaskan King Crab, she wrote in a now-deleted post to Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 18).

Her 16-year-old daughter had gone out for dinner with friends and had chosen to order crab from Seafood by the River in Boat Quay.

Unexpectedly, the restaurant cooked up an Alaskan King Crab, "slapping them with a $356 bill", she said.

"Ridiculous," she added. "For a restaurant to think teenagers want to eat Alaskan King Crab? They don't even know and wasn't told of the cost."

In a photograph of the receipt uploaded in Ong's post, the crab is indeed listed as costing $356.40.

Notably, however, the receipt also includes Prosecco and House Red - different types of wine - and "Tiger", which is presumably Tiger beer.

Along with other food items, the total bill was $536.47.

"Please avoid this restaurant at all costs," Ong stated.

Price shown clearly on menu, restaurant says

A spokesperson from Seafood by the River refuted Ong's claims that the dish was sold without the diners' knowledge of its price, reported Mothership on Thursday.

Aside from the menu clearly indicating that the Alaskan King Crab goes for $19.80 per 100g, a waiter had also shown the crab to them for them to take pictures with it - a standard procedure, the spokesperson said.

The diners were also provided with a slip of paper indicating the price and weight of their Alaskan King Crab.

The spokesperson told the media outlet that there was nothing amiss when they were paying the bill, as the group never complained about the price.

"[Her allegations] are not true and we have all the evidence on our side," the spokesperson added.

When contacted by AsiaOne, the restaurant, which has a 4.8-star rating on Google, said they are considering their legal options. 

AsiaOne has contacted Ong for comment.

ALSO READ: Over $900 for a crab? Japanese tourist makes police report over 'overpriced' dish at Seafood Paradise

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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