SINGAPORE: A photo of a simple 1-meat, 1-veg, 1-egg meal is going viral online after a netizen revealed that the economic rice dish cost a whopping S$16, at the Rasapura Masters food court at Marina Bay Sands, also popularly referred to as MBS food court.
Reddit user u/lI0987654321 revealed online that he roamed around the MBS food court before opting to dine at the economic rice stall “thinking it’s the least expensive there.” He ordered rice with steamed egg with minced meat, beans with three slices of squid, and a portion of chilli pork.
The Redditor was shocked when he was charged an exorbitant S$16 for the mixed rice dish.
Several netizens responding to his post shared their surprise, with some suggesting that they could opt for a meal at a Western food stall or even Pepper Lunch Express, which would be cheaper than the ironically named “economic” rice dish.
In the not-too-long-ago past, Western food stalls and Pepper Lunch Express outlets were the most expensive options at most food courts but today, the under $10 price tag for most chicken chop dishes is friendlier to the wallets of food court patrons as compared to the cost of the Redditor’s mixed rice fare.
One netizen even noted that the cutlet egg fried rice dish at MBS’ Din Tai Fung outlet costs 20 cents less than the mixed rice dish, at S$15.80, surprising some as Din Tai Fung is a popular restaurant. This price is before including the 15 per cent discount MBS members are entitled to.
Some others, however, understood why the dish cost as much as it did. Noting that the egg included a sprinkling of minced meat and that the beans contained three slices of squid, some noted that his dish was considered “2 meat 1 seafood” rather than “1 meat 2 vegetable.”
The Redditor noted that he has learnt that three pieces of squid cost between six to eight dollars, no matter where it is served, and urged netizens to be wary if they are on a budget.