When dining out, it’s almost mandatory nowadays to give food joints a quick Google, just to see what the reviews are like and avoid the tourist traps.
Low Google reviews might ward off some but not TikTok user Drigmo.
They were intrigued when they came across Singapore’s “worst-rated restaurant”, Forum Seafood Village Restaurant.
This Chinese seafood restaurant, which is located in Boat Quay, scored a measly 1.8 stars out of 248 Google reviews.
Regardless, Drigmo was keen on giving their food a taste and shared the review in the form of a 119-second TikTok video on July 17.
@drigmo i got it, lets try it, and rate it from 1 to 10 🤌🏾🍳 #foodiesg #sgfoodie #restaurantlists #drigmo #keithlee #keithleefans
♬ original sound – drigmo | Social Food App – drigmo | Social Food App
Drigmo is a social food app that takes its name from the world’s first restaurant critic Grimod de La Reyniere.
“There’s one rule I must follow, I can’t lie,” the Drigmo reviewer said.
After a quick scroll through Google reviews, he knew of the ‘popular’ dishes past patrons were complaining of and specifically ordered them.
He’d then have a taste before rating each dish from one to 10.
How much did you pay for your last plate of fried rice? At Forum Seafood Village Restaurant, the small order of fried rice with diced chicken costs a staggering $16!
For a start, it smelled “decent”. As for the taste, it was actually acceptable with the reviewer noting the fragrant rice and tender chicken.
The dish received a solid seven out of 10.
Unfortunately, the sweet and sour chicken ($26 for small) did not fare as well. Past patrons weren’t too bothered about the taste, with the Drigmo reviewer describing the chicken bits as “crispy”. Instead, it was the price of the dish that threw them off.
For $26, one would get about 20 chunks of chicken which is “definitely on the higher end [of the price range]”. This works out to approximately $1.30 per piece of chicken! Unsurprisingly, this dish received a 6.4 rating.
Continuing on this trend of pricey dishes is the chicken satay ($15 for six pieces).
“This is one of the most expensive satays I’ve had,” he said.
It did not look any bigger in size than a typical satay found at hawker centres, but apparently, the “charred taste” of the meat and peanut sauce was so on point that the dish scored an eight out of 10.
In the comments section, local netizens were shocked by the prices of these dishes.
One TikTok user suggested that it’d be best to “just go hawker centre”.
It seems like the Drigmo reviewer left Forum Seafood Village Restaurant as a rather happy customer.
“Overall, this place does not deserve 1.8 stars. The food is decent, the view is great but the price is a bit on the high side.”
In February 2023, SethLui.com also gave this infamous restaurant a try but did not provide such a glowing review.
They too tried the sweet and sour chicken and fried rice, and both dishes fell short of expectations.
Apparently, the chicken had more batter than meat while the fried rice was “completely bland”.
How’s that for two contrasting reviews of the same place?
To find out the true standard of this restaurant, the solution might be to give it a try yourself.
ALSO READ: Is this really ‘Singapore’s worst lor mee’? TikToker goes to Amoy Street stall for a taste test
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