Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

A cai png customer took to Facebook on Sep. 11 to share that he was charged S$12 for a plate of economy rice -- traditionally known as fare for blue-collar workers -- with a slice of fish alone that costs S$8.

The meal was bought from a stall at 504 Food Place in Jurong West.

It consisted of preserved vegetables with meat, greens, and a piece of steamed fish.

What complaint was about

The customer said in response to comments on his post that he misheard the price initially and thought the fish cost S$3.

However, he also wrote that the price of fish listed at the stall was S$2.50 to S$6, which was why he did not expect to pay S$8 for the slice of fish alone.

In response to queries from Stomp, the customer also said the fish was not fresh and tasted "leathery".

He also said he felt that his wife, who is a Chinese national and who ordered the food, got ripped off as a result of her unfamiliarity with local practices.

The man said: "When my wife told me it was S$12, I went to confront the stall. They told me it was because they used fresh sea bass."

"I did not mention that the fish was not even cooked properly and tasted really bad. Steamed fish skin will be leathery when left too long out and it was already 3pm."

The man was at the coffee shop after the lunch period.

He further said it was "totally unbelievable" that the stall felt it was right to charge that amount and insist it was "fresh fish".

The man added: "This price for MBS (Marina Bay Sands) food court, I can accept. But the quality here is very different."

"My wife is a Chinese national and I have a huge suspicion that the stall just wanted to take advantage of her not being familiar with Singapore."

The man concluded that avoiding the stall would be the best option, and not before saying that sea bass can be bought for cheap at the local markets.

Debate if ordering fish is worth it

The post naturally sparked a discussion about what type of fish will be worth the S$8 price tag.

Some suggested threadfin or cod fish, but many were apprehensive that hawkers will even cook those for sale.

Cod fish typically costs around S$65 per kg and threadfin is priced at S$59 per kg, while dory fillet is priced at S$7 per kg and batang fish is priced at S$11 per kg.

The cheaper fish are more commonly found at economy rice stalls.

A cai png stall server that Mothership spoke to said dory fillet and batang fish served are usually sold for S$2 to S$3, and S$4 to S$6, respectively.

Top photo via Charles/Facebook, Chia Sammy/Google Reviews.