''Speechless'' Japanese Tourist Calls Police After Being Charged Rs 56,000 For Crab Dish

A Japanese tourist, who recently visited a restaurant in Singapore with her friends, was left ''speechless'' on seeing the food bill. The woman who was charged $680 (Rs 56,503) for a crab dish,  called up the police, saying she wasn't properly informed of the meal's cost, the New York Post reported. As per the Singaporean outlet AsiaOne, Junko Shinba was dining at the Seafood Paradise restaurant on August 19 when she learned that the chili crab dish she ordered cost about $680.

Ms. Shinba explained that she ordered the restaurant's signature Alaskan king chili crab dish after a waiter recommended it. The waiter highlighted the crab as a dish priced at $20 but he did so "without explaining that they charge per 100 grams". She claimed that they were not informed of the total weight of the crab before it was cooked. 

Her group of four ended up getting way more than they could eat, about 3,500 grams of the dish, meaning they were charged $680.

''We all became speechless knowing that one dinner for four adults cost that much. None of us were informed that the whole crab would be cooked only for us, as some other restaurants serve crabs partially,'' the 50-year-old told the outlet.

Shocked at the bill, Ms Shinba asked Seafood Paradise to call the police, and officers later arrived on the scene. The restaurant staff said that they did not overcharge her group, and even showed her a receipt from another customer who had ordered a similar dish.

After some discussion, the restaurant agreed to give her a discount of about $78 (Rs 6,479) "out of goodwill." 

A Paradise Group representative said they stand by their staff who they say ''clearly communicated'' the price and weight of the Alaskan King Crab before the customers placed their order.

"To prevent any miscommunication, the staff even brought the whole Alaskan King crab to the table before preparation. Upon payment, the customer refused to pay the bill and requested to make a police report. Hence, the restaurant manager assisted in making the police report," the restaurant representative said in a statement.

However, the woman also contacted the Singapore Tourism Board about the incident, and her case was referred to the Consumers Association of Singapore.