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Satay By The Bay is apparently not living up to its name, and even pivoting to Chaota By The Bay.

This was after a customer found out personally having patronised a satay stall at the Gardens By The Bay hawker centre, and was left underwhelmed and so done -- like his meat sticks.

A total of nine out of 10 sticks of the grilled meat he had ordered were clearly served blackened and sooty, as a result of being overcooked.

Obviously burnt by the experience, and not wanting to take things lying down, the customer took to Facebook on June 26 to share a photo of his meal, call out the stall, and to express his disappointment publicly.

Identified stall

He claimed that he had even asked the personnel manning the satay stall if the food should be cooked this way, and was apparently told by the seller, "that's how it should be cooked".

He identified the stall as "City Satay".

He also wrote: "Such a disappointment."

The photo also showed that he had ordered five sticks of chicken satay and five sticks of pork satay, with the stall name clearly written on the order chit.

Only 2 stalls selling satay

According to the Satay By The Bay website, there are only two satay stalls in operation currently: City Satay and Geylang Serai Satay.

The biggest difference between the two is that City Satay offers pork satay, while Geylang Serai Satay does not.

According to photos of City Satay's menu found online, each stick of regular satay goes for 80 cents, while one ketupat, or rice cake, is sold for S$1 each.

The man's plate of 10 sticks of satay with ketupat would have set him back S$9.

Responses

Commenters who responded to the photo thanked the customer for revealing the stall name, as they slammed the unappetising nature of the food.

Several of the commenters warned against consuming food with clearly charred bits as they can be carcinogenic and bad for health.

Other commenters complained about the lackadaisical attitude of such hawkers now that Singapore has opened up with the pandemic subsiding, and business resuming.

At least one commenter pointed out that such antics do not do Singapore's hawker culture any favours, given how Satay By The Bay is frequently patronised by impressionable tourists, whose primary exposure to hawker food is via such venues, and who may also end up feeling shortchanged by the experience.

A few of the comments expressed disappointment at the ketupat, which utilised plastic wrapping and not the traditional variety made with coconut leaves.

Mothership.sg has reached out to Satay By The Bay for comment and will update this article if they reply.

Top photo via Complaint Singapore & Google Maps