S'poreans shocked to be charged $290 for fish in Genting, restaurant regrets distress caused
A group of 13 friends from Singapore and China had dinner at a Genting Highlands restaurant and were shocked by how much the fish cost.
Stomper Jimmy had visited Loong Kee Restaurant at Gohtong Jaya with his friends on March 16.
“Ten of us were Singaporean senior citizens,” he said. “We got the shock of our lives when we saw the river patin fish we ordered was priced at RM902 (S$290).”
Jimmy shared a photo of the bill, which listed “river patin buah” twice.
“The fish was charged in two halves and in separate portions on the bill at RM479.96 and RM422.50,” he explained.
The total bill for the whole meal was RM1,762.
“We protested, but to no avail as we realised we had no case after failing to question its price and weight beforehand. We were told that the fish weighed 2.7kg and was sold at RM338 per kg,” recounted Jimmy.
“The restaurant also told us the river patin was an exotic fish, better than the river soon hock it was offering at RM228 per kg. Never did we dream that an economical patin fish could be so ridiculously overpriced, so much beyond that of a good soon hock.”
The patin, also known as silver catfish, is a soft and fatty fish with a strong creamy flavour, whereas the soon hock, also known as marble goby, is a firm and flaky white fish with a mild sweet taste, and generally considered more premium than the patin.
The Stomper lamented that the patin tasted just “normal” and he would have preferred the soon hock he saw advertised in the restaurant fish tank.
He said: “We learnt a lesson not to be complacent when we order seafood items outside Singapore. We hope that other visitors to the Genting region can be alerted to such pitfalls.”
In response to a Stomp query, a Loong Kee Restaurant spokesperson said the restaurant promptly carried out a thorough internal investigation following the billing concern raised by the customer.
“Based on our records, our staff followed the standard ordering procedure by explaining the fish pricing and weight to the customer. It was also communicated during the ordering process that the selected fish was relatively large and would be portioned before cooking,” said the spokesperson.
Typically, for 12 to 13 people, the fish would be between 1.5kg to 1.8kg.
“That said, we acknowledge that there is room for improvement in how the portion size was communicated in this instance, as it may not have provided the customer with sufficient clarity and assurance,”added the spokesperson.
“We understand that any confusion or concern regarding billing can affect the overall dining experience, and we sincerely regret any distress or inconvenience caused.”
The spokesperson said Loong Kee Restaurant takes the matter seriously and has conducted an internal review, “with further steps to enhance staff training and strengthen service communication protocols”.
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