'I'm so disappointed': Woman shocked by $8.50 bee hoon from food court

As inflation rises over the past year, many Singaporeans are feeling the pinch, especially when they head out for meals.

And paying $8.50 for fried bee hoon? Most people would still find that too expensive.

This was the case for Sheila, who recently forked out that amount for a packet of fried bee hoon with vegetables, bean curd and lemon fish.

She who wrote into Stomp on Friday (Dec 9) to complain about the charges by a food stall at Nex's Food Republic.

"Honestly, I was expecting the bill to be at least $6 to $7 but it ended up being $8.50 and I was very shocked," Sheila said.

"When I asked why it costs this much, the lady at the counter said the tofu is $1.50 which is almost equivalent to the price of one packet of uncooked tofu."

When Sheila asked if she could change her order, the stallholder refused to do so as "she had already packed it."

Price tag aside, the food didn't really win over the diner's taste buds. 

"The bee hoon tasted bland and the vegetables had no seasoning. The only thing great about the meal was the fish," she added.

The absence of chilli was also a let-down, Sheila said, "I'm so disappointed".

This incident comes amid many other cases where customers were charged hefty prices for economy rice and noodles at food courts and hawker centres. 

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Earlier this week, an Indian food stall along Sixth Avenue sparked online outrage for charging a maid $3.50 for a packet of rice and bean sprouts.

"They're bullying your helper," one netizen opined. "Ask your helper to buy the same thing again the next time and video them with voice secretly as proof [before complaining] to the relevant authorities."

However, an employee at the food stall said that he had informed the helper that a la carte orders will be costlier.

She told him that she wouldn't be able to finish the food if she ordered the $4 vegetarian meal on the menu, so she ordered "bean sprouts and rice topped with curry gravy."

"Her employer, however, came to the stall to question us about our charges. After explaining our pricing to him, he left. But we didn't expect him to put up a complaint on Facebook afterwards," he said.

ALSO READ: Singapore diners complain of high food prices, shrinking portions

wongdaoen@asiaone.com

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