Customer Apologises For Posting Pictures Of RM100 Sotong Goreng Dish

RM100 sotong goreng at Penang nasi kandar restaurant

Malaysians love seafood so it’s no surprise that we are one of the biggest seafood consumers in the world. Despite our unparalleled love for seafood, we are not very happy to pay a hefty price on our meals at the end of the day.

Earlier this month, a floating restaurant in Langkawi went viral on social media for their expensive ikan siakap dish that many Malaysians were concerned about. But the expensive seafood saga does not seem to be over as Penang’s oldest nasi kandar restaurant Hameediyah is also now going viral for its RM100 sotong goreng dish.

Customer apologises for posting pictures of RM100 sotong goreng

On 23rd November 2021, photos of a nasi kandar with a jumbo fried squid and the receipt for the dish made rounds on social media with many claiming it to be unreasonably priced – much like the ‘Ikan Siakap’ kerfuffle.

However, the original owner of the photos is not known. The photos were believed to be uploaded by a netizen named Huzir Rizal on Facebook, as reported by New Straits Times.

Nonetheless, Hameediyah Restaurant received heavy backlash from baffled netizens claiming that the squid dish was too expensive. The incident then escalated with The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry instructing the restaurant to offer an explanation for its pricing of the squid dish.

Sotong goreng screenshot
Screenshot of the photos reposted out of context by a netizen
Image credit: HAMEEDIYAH RESTAURANT

The customer who was indirectly involved in the issue has now come forth to offer an apology and explanation of their side of the story. In a Facebook post uploaded on 24th November by Hameediyah Restaurant, the customer explained that their photos were reshared out of context on social media by another individual.

“I’m the owner of the receipt photo and I would like to apologise for this misunderstanding. I’ve actually been to this restaurant and ordered the same dish [Apollo squid] before, so I’m aware of the price. I just uploaded the receipt on my Instagram story but I didn’t put up any captions regarding its price.”

“There was another person who took a screenshot of my story, posted it on Facebook, and tagged some 70 people with the caption ‘Be careful friends who wants to eat nasi kandar in Penang. The price of two squids can reach up to RM100.’ It went viral after it was reposted with such captions,” said the customer whose identity was kept anonymous by the restaurant.

Image credit: HAMEEDIYAH RESTAURANT

The customer also mentioned that the squids they ordered were large ones, and so the price is not expensive taking its size into consideration.

“I have no intentions to sensationalise the squid dish but there are others who have misappropriated my post with a caption as if it’s me who complained about the price. I hope with this explanation, people will be clear,” adds the customer who apologised again for any shortcomings from their end and also on behalf of the person who made the viral post.

Expensive squid dish at Penang nasi kandar restaurant

It’s indeed shocking to know that the two fried squids can cost up to RM100 at nasi kandar restaurants. But we’re glad that the story has been ironed out by the individuals involved in the incident and hope that there are no further misunderstandings.

With repeated incidents of expensive dishes being reported, it’s becoming quite clear that customers should always check the prices of the dishes at restaurants especially seafood before ordering them. Otherwise, they may end up in a similar situation and have to pay hundreds of ringgit.