Dining Ripoff in Victoria's Chinatown
 

WE WENT TO DON MEE IN VICTORIA'S CHINATOWN LAST NIGHT. IF YOU GO THERE, WATCH OUT FOR ITEMS ON THE MENU MARKED LIKE $/100gr. INSTEAD OF GIVING YOU A FIXED PRICE FOR THE PLATE. WE CHOSE THE ROCK COD, AND WOUND UP
PAYING $44 FOR THE POOR FISH AND OVER $100 FOR THE MEAL FOR 2 PERSONS.
I'LL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN!

Did you not ask for an approximate price before ordering the rock cod? We have always done this at the the Chinese restaurants where we have ordered such items. On items like this, the restaurants expect their customers to do this - that way at least an approx. price is provided and known before ordering, if it's too much, it can be cancelled, or if ordered, it avoids being "shocked" when the bill comes. :-)

Sorry you were shocked at the price, but I do not feel you were, to use your words, "ripped off".

Live fish are always sold by weight and as mentioned it's SOP to ask the price first.

In addition $44 for a live Rockfish isn't all all expensive nor is $100 for two people a large bill.

As to <i>'poor fish</i>' well <b>you paid for it to be killed/cooked and then you ate it</b> why the tears now? :((

Interesting that barberini58 joined Fodor's simply to make this nonsensical post.

Maybe I don't get out much -- I've never seen pricing like this in a restaurant.

Appreciate the heads-up.

BAK

Selling fish by the gram is a very common practice in both Italy
and France.

Many tourists have suffered sticker shock in Venice!

BAK, I agree. I'm not familiar with this kind of pricing either. immimi: I have never encountered it in Italy or France, maybe it's a high end practice?? Glad to be made aware of the practice.

".. maybe it's a high end practice??"
It's certainly not a "high end" practice here - I'm a senior, and have been eating in the less-expensive ("cheap") Chinese restaurants here for more years that I really wish to remember, and it's always been 'the' practice with whole fish and crabs, and the like.
The latter are always priced by size, according to what they have available. You ask what they have on-hand, and they give you an approx. cost for the size you wish - then you decide whether to order or not.

"The latter are always priced by size, according to what they have available. You ask what they have on-hand, and they give you an approx. cost for the size you wish - then you decide whether to order or not."

Apparently, the OP has never encountered the situation before and the server did not play fair; he or she should have given the approximate cost.
This policy, I suppose, is on the menu, but it's easy to miss these special prices if you're not thinking about it.

It is easy to miss this pricing system- it is common but you haven't ordered this way before I understand the problem. Watch out in future whenever yo order fresh seafood. BTW, the harsh tone used by Sam Salmon is entirely uncalled for. That sort of hostile/aggressive post is in very poor taste.

I chalk the cost of experiences such as this one up to "learning how the world works." Now, you, like me, will not order items in a restaurant that are sold by weight.

Victoria and Vancouver have some very up-scale Chinese restaurants--nothing like most of the Chinese restaurants in Seattle, where I live.

You also had a problem with lodging in Rockport, WA. Perhaps, when traveling, you should use sources such as tripadvisor.com and guidebooks to aid in your selection of restaurants and hotels.

rbm, I, too, was offended by SS's condescending tone. If SS thought he was being funny, he now knows that at least two of his readers don't share his cruel sense of humor.

HTTY

I stand by my remarks as posted-what kind person of posts nonsense about <i>'poor carrots'</i> or <i>'poor peas'</i>?

The simple fact is that OP is someone with little travel experience blaming the place they chose to dine in for their own rawness.

I also have decades of dining in high end Asian restaurants under my belt <i>(literally)</i>) and know that Staff are always Happy to help someone who's unfamiliar with ordering etiquette.

This is my first experience with the Canada forum. I usually post on the United States forum where harsh and condescending remarks were substantially quashed about two years ago.

If you're on the prowl for people to snipe at with your decades of dining and travel experience, you'll have plenty of opportunities. Happy hunting.

HTTY

Not that he needs any help from his 'friends' on this forum, but
Sam S has been dispensing invaluable travel information on the
West Coast for many a moon. If you check on his posting history
you will note that his replies are replete with kindness and
courtesy. Over the years I have benefitted from his expertise
and I'm a 'local'.

Perhaps the OP's accusatory post in caps - YELLING - caused Sam
to see red (not herring). I know I blanched when I saw the post.

How wonderful the US forum is a bastion of politeness and courtesy
- I would advise you to keep well away from the Europe forum if
you are easily offended - and don't go near the Lounge! lol!

You misunderstand. The US forum is not a "bastion of politeness," but rudeness is at a minimum and when somebody is rude nobody is likely to come forward to enable them.

We Canadians are a rude, uncivilized bunch, I guess.
Hurrah! No one's ever said that about us before! Don't know how we got that weird reputation for being overly nice all the time.

Wow thats incredible, I'm always used to asking the price even when Im not sure ahead of time to make sure that I dont get ripped off. I've lived in Venezuela, Canada, Sicily, and now Argentina and never had a aprob.

Def would recommend asking before hand just in case

-marcello
http://www.wanderingtrader.com

i spent the afternoon @ thrifty's looking for poor peas and carrots but found none. i look forward to seeing them soon. thanks to our relatively brief summer i had a garden of under achieving vegetables but they cost me enough in manure and compost that i think they r more affluent than i am
AndrewDavid

I have to agree with immimi; Sam Salmon has given me some excellent advice on this board.

I, too, was a bit taken aback with the upper case letters. It always puts me on the defensive; I feel like someone is yelling whenever I see them. I suppose the OP was upset, but posting with capitols does set some readers off and people need to remember that when you "yell" you might end up being yelled at!

Hi Annetti - not to highjack, but I really enjoyed your Germany
report - you write so well.

The OP was yelling on the US board too - p'haps he/she should
take a staycation!