SINGAPORE – A recent incident at the Seafood Paradise restaurant at Clarke Quay saw a group of Japanese tourists complain about “overpriced” crab, leading to police being called in.

The total bill amounted to $1,322.27, which included a $938 Alaskan King Crab.

A complaint was also filed with the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), but has not been pursued further, says its president Melvin Yong. 

In 2023 alone, Case has received five complaints against seafood restaurants. It saw the same number of complaints in 2022, up from one in 2021 and three in 2020. 

In general, consumers complained about the hefty prices charged for seafood dishes in restaurants, says Mr Yong. 

Some complainants said they were not informed of the prices when orders were placed, while others had issues with being additionally billed for goods and services tax and service charge – even though the menus stated that indicated prices included additional taxes. 

To avoid such disputes, Mr Yong recommends that restaurants provide a tentative written bill for consumers to confirm their orders, especially for seafood items that are marked as “market price”.

Consumers, on their end, should check on the market prices of seasonal items with staff, in particular, the unit of measurement for prices quoted, the weight of the seafood items and the total amount payable, he says.

Several restaurants that specialise in seafood dishes told The Straits Times that they already adopt such practices. 

One of them is popular zi char restaurant Yang Ming Seafood, which has outlets in Bishan and Ubi. 

Founder Keith Kang, 40, says his employees usually let dining patrons know the price per kilogram of the selected seafood item and ask if a smaller or larger weight is required. 

It is not polite practice to inform customers upfront about the exact price of the seafood dish chosen, he says, especially if the question was not asked, for fear of causing offence.

He says: “We do have customers who bring business partners to the venue and, sometimes, they do not like it when we come back with a final price and ask if they are okay with it in front of their guests. 

“There’s a notion that we are belittling their spending power and it makes them look bad.” 

Two in 10 customers, he adds, would ask for the final price of the exact seafood chosen. He says his staff always provide an answer.

Mr Kang’s advice for customers is to choose live seafood from the tanks directly. In such cases, the item will be weighed on the spot and the final price tabulated and disclosed. 

He says: “This prevents any ‘bill shock’, and customers can decide on the spot if the seafood fits their budget.” 

For other restaurants such as the New Ubin Seafood Group – which has outlets at Chijmes and Stevens Road – prices for all dishes are indicated clearly on its menu.

Fixed prices are allotted for fixed quantities to prevent confusion.

For example, its menu offers a serving of live mud crab, which usually weighs 300g to 400g, for a fixed price of $54. The day’s supply is weighed before delivery and portioned according to the stated weight range.

Mr Wyatt Ang, the group’s brand and marketing manager, highlights that curated menus or other expensive dishes, such as its XXL crabs, typically priced from $110 for a 1kg crab and up to $220 for a 2kg crab, have to be pre-ordered at least two days in advance.

Customers have to agree on the final price before the order is accepted. 

Here are four hacks to order seafood at a restaurant on a budget:

1. Instead of going for market-price seafood, order fixed-price items such as sliced fish or fillets priced per portion.

Yang Ming Seafood has a selection of sliced fish dishes costing $20 to $30. For example, a $20 small portion of ginger and onion sliced fish contains a fixed portion of meat – 200g of snakehead fish.

While usually deemed the “better” fish for its tender flesh and auspicious red sheen, its live red garoupa is priced at $110 for 1kg. It is only worth splashing out on the whole fish if all the other parts like the head and fins are savoured as well.

2. If you must have live fish, pick prudently. At Yang Ming, the cheapest live fish option is the black garoupa ($80 for 1kg). Marble goby is priced at $90 for 1kg, while the prized red garoupa costs $110 for 1kg. All can be prepared using various cooking methods, from steamed to fried or with black bean sauce.

3. Order cheaper crab breeds which are no less tasty when cooked with strong flavouring such as salted egg yolk and black pepper.

At the two-outlet Seafood Paradise, a Sri Lankan mud crab weighing 1.1kg or less is priced at $10.80 per 100g, while a crab 1.2kg and above costs $11.80 per 100g.

This is significantly cheaper than Alaskan King Crab (priced seasonally, but usually about $26.80 per 100g), Scotland Snow Crab ($26.80 for 100g) and Dungeness crab (upwards of $10.80 per 100g) from California, which typically weigh between 1.3kg and 1.8kg.

A meaty 1kg mud crab can easily feed a family of four at less than half the cost of the pricier options, which usually contain more shell than flesh.

4. If what you crave is the tang of chilli crab sauce, places like New Ubin Seafood offer a single portion of the spicy gravy ($14, good for one to two people) to enjoy with, say, mantou.

Then, add on a separate order of live mud crab in another cooking style, at a fixed price of $54 (for 300 to 400g). This is a more economical way to enjoy two styles of crab for less.