PETALING JAYA: A dinner for two families at a famous restaurant in Kuala Lumpur last weekend ended on a shocking note when the guests were presented with a massive bill for fish head curry.

According to a receipt posted on social media by one of the diners on Monday (Nov 20), the four bowls of fish head curry he ordered came up to RM600.

The sum translates to RM150 a bowl and excludes the cost of the other dishes and beverages ordered, which took the grand total to almost RM1,000.

"I think the charges were excessive. I have decided not to go to the restaurant again. All of you, please be careful," read the post which has now gone viral.

When contacted by mStar Online, diner Faudzy Asrafudeen Sayed Mohamed, 56, said that he had not expected that a simple meal at a restaurant would be that expensive.

He said that this was not the first time that he had eaten fish head curry and that he was usually charged between RM50 and RM80 per bowl.

"I didn't look at the menu because I usually know the average price to pay. Even though I had budgeted for this meal, I was shocked to see the price of the fish head curry there.

"I asked the cashier to explain the bill to me. He said that the price of the curry depended on the size of the fish head.

"If the head is big, it will be priced between RM120 and RM150, while the smaller ones would be between RM60 and RM80," he said.

Faudzy, however, refused to accept the reason and claimed that the price was expensive due to the location of the restaurant in Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle.

The man, who is a director of market development at a company here, said he had no intention of lodging a complaint with the authorities.

"I decided to just pay the bill. I ate the meal, so there was no reason to not pay the bill. But I want to warn others so that they won't fall prey to this like we did.

"If you go to any restaurant, check the menu for the prices before making your order. You need to ask for the menu first, especially if you want to eat fish head curry," he said.

He added that restaurant owners play an important part in providing this service to their patrons.

"If a customer wants to order fish head curry, tell them the price range for the dishes – the prices for small, medium, and large dishes.

"The workers also need to explain this rather than just take orders, so that when people pay their bills, they won't be surprised," he said. – mStar Online